What my tightrope walking taught me about balance in internal communication.

My ability to tightrope walk is a skill I'm often asked about by interviewers.

I had to master it for the circus-based musical ‘Barnum’. I played the lead (see picture).

I've often thought about how I've applied the high-wire techniques and discipline taught by my strict tutor Ms Larenty, a professional circus performer, to my internal comms career. There are many similarities.

1.?Balance is everything. Obvious, I know. On a half-inch wire 20 feet in the air, I needed to maintain my balance and adjust to shifts in external forces.

Maintaining effective communication and engagement requires a careful balance of transparency, clarity, and empathy. I make sure I'm open to adjusting my approach based on feedback and changing dynamics.

2.?Precision and Focus. Every step on a wire is deliberate and requires complete focus to avoid falling.

While my internal comms strategies are precise and focused, I always build in flex and buffers. Missteps in messaging can lead to misunderstandings. If I fall, my built-in flex gets me back on my feet quickly and ready to go again.

3. Trust and Confidence. I had to trust my skills and equipment implicitly every time I walked the wire. It was 50 feet long and erected by the stage crew in less than a minute. Similarly, I completely trusted the expertise and guidance of the crew before and during every walk.

Trust is a vital ingredient in internal comms. Colleagues need to have confidence that the communication they receive from me is honest and that their engagement efforts are valued. Experience has also taught me that collaboration with subject matter experts, ERGs, and fellow comms pros is essential to deliver effective internal communication.

4. Steady Progress. 'Slow and steady. Slow and steady.' Ms Larenty would bark repeatedly as I walked back and forth on the training wire. I lost count of the times I stepped off that foot-high training wire - it was many. But I was well aware of the risks I’d face when performing 20 feet up in the air, with no safety net, and singing too! The first skill Ms Larenty taught me was how to 'fall properly'!

In my 18 years leading IC, I know that building successful internal communication and engagement in business takes time and consistent effort. It's about making continuous, incremental progress. Take risks. Be creative. But have a backup plan if it falls flat.

5.?Audience and Perception. Every time I walked that wire in the show the audience fell silent. I'm sure some of them were secretly hoping I'd fall spectacularly. It never happened, but I did feed off their energy and revel in their applause when I crossed safely.

As a communicator, I'm mindful of how the messages I've crafted are perceived by colleagues. We learn to feed off the audience's response and pay attention to feedback. And I'm always keen to acknowledge my achievements, no matter how small. Progress over perfection.

And last of all...

6.??Continuous Learning. Despite her ferocity, I grew fond of Ms Larenty and greatly admired her expertise. Neither tightrope walking nor internal comms are dark arts. Mastery in any discipline comes with practice, listening, learning, and more practice. My confidence to plan and deliver effective communication and engagement strategies time after time has grown immeasurably. That's also why I love to network with my peers; to hear about their successes, failures, hints, tips, and learnings.

Would I walk the high wire again? Physically… I doubt it. But metaphorically... I do, every day!?