Webinar recap: communicating with integrity - strategies for maintaining trust & transparency while navigating uncertainty
- Tiara Whitlock
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
This Clear Language Lab webinar took place on April 22, 2025 as part two of the three part Communicating During Stressful Times series. We developed this webinar series in response to client concerns about events at the start of 2025. Check out the recording and notes below.
This webinar looked at communication challenges that can get in the way of building trust and strategies for communicating transparently. You can access the slides from this presentation here.
What Causes Us to Lose Trust?
Overly complex, confusing, or incomplete information
Why this happens
Urgency and limited capacity for proofreading
Not writing for our audience
Intentionally to make information more difficult to counter or advocate against
Why it can erode trust
Audience might feel like
we’re not trying to connect, so why should they
we’re hiding behind jargon and complex language
“Mistrust is a rational response to actual injustice” (The Principles of Trustworthiness)
Communication challenges that can lead to losing trust
Sharing overly complex, confusing, or incomplete information
Communicating in a tone that feels condescending, rude, or exclusionary
Making changes without explaining the rationale or context
Lack of empathy or acknowledgment
Examples of this can include a webinar that misses key details or a website with out of date information.
Strategies for communicating clearly
Make review a part of your workflows
Use templates and checklists
Avoid the passive voice and technical vocabulary
Break up long sentences or replace with vertical lists
A rude, condescending or exclusionary tone
Why this happens
Not writing for our audience
Unconscious bias towards our audience or topic
Demonstrate authority or expertise
Why it can erode trust
It doesn’t feel good
Comes across as devaluing lived experience
“You are not the only experts” (The Principles of Trustworthiness)
Strategies for getting the tone right
Co-design with your audience
Proactively think about audience questions and points of confusion
Use editing tools that check for tone - as a guide, not a rule!
Examples: Grammerly, Microsoft Editor, Readable
Avoid authoritative language
Examples: must, should, do not
Not explaining changes
Why this happens
Limited time and resources
“It’s not a big deal”
Decisions made in a vacuum
Rigid beliefs about “who needs to know”
Why it can erode trust
Others can perceive us as inconsistent or unreliable
Not human centered
Strategy: Communicating changes transparently
Prepare
Think about who will be affected and how you can get their input before things change
Outline what’s changing and why
Brainstorm possible unintended effects and do what you can to address those
Plan for when and how you will share these changes
Share
Communicate where your audience already looks for information
Explicitly connect the dots
What’s changing and why
What’s not changing and why
Offer pathways for support and questions
Not acknowledging the present moment
Why this happens
Fear of saying the “wrong” thing
Wanting to “stay in our lane”
Avoiding “being political”
Why it can erode trust
To say nothing is a political choice
Leaves your community to wonder where you stand
Strategies for acknowledging the present moment
Use visuals and signage to signal solidarity
Communicate and practice your values
Actively listen and respond to your community’s concerns
Hold space for grief
If you prove to be trustworthy, people will give you grace when you make mistakes. |
Resources
Communicating with integrity: Strategies for maintaining trust & transparency webinar slides
AAMC Center for Health Justice - The Principles of Trustworthiness
Webinar from the Society for Health Communication - Countering chaos and manufactured controversy
Community Literacy trainings - Deportation Defense for Allies (parts 1 + 2)
Research-backed tools for talking about social issues - FrameWorks Institute
COABE session on changes impacting adult education - Immigration Issues and Impacts: New Populations, National Developments, and Implications
Interested in learning more about professional development at Clear Language Lab? Check out other past webinars, find upcoming events on our training page, or contact Sarah Glazer, Sr. Program Manager, at sarah@litworks.org to learn more about our offerings.
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