The Communication Process: From Information to Action
Most organizations don’t have a communication problem—they have a communication system problem.
Leaders spend hours in meetings, town halls, and update sessions, but the messages rarely translate into aligned action. Information gets shared, but clarity doesn’t. The result is confusion disguised as collaboration.
The Communication Process within Process Intelligence (PQ) changes that. It transforms communication from a social exercise into an operational system—one that connects information to accountability and dialogue to measurable outcomes.
The Real Cost of Poor Communication
The signs of communication breakdowns are everywhere: meetings that run long but resolve little, conflicting priorities between departments, and employees who say, “I didn’t know that was my responsibility.”
When communication lacks structure, it becomes personality-driven—dependent on who’s in the room, how vocal they are, and what mood they’re in that day. That’s not communication, that’s noise.
In low-functioning organizations, information moves reactively. Issues escalate only when problems become visible. Leaders spend their time clarifying, re-explaining, or correcting. The system creates dependency instead of discipline.
Building a System of Communication
High-functioning organizations view communication as a process, not an event. The Communication Process in PQ integrates information flow into daily operations through three core elements:
Standardized Agendas
Every meeting follows a consistent format. Key metrics, action items, and decisions are reviewed in the same order every time. The agenda isn’t a list—it’s a discipline that builds predictability and focus.Structured Cadence
Information flows up, down, and across the organization in rhythm. Daily huddles focus on immediate needs. Weekly meetings align teams around priorities. Monthly reviews connect performance data to strategic goals.Measurable Outcomes
Communication ends with ownership. Every discussion produces a who, what, and when. The result isn’t a set of notes—it’s a documented plan of action.
The Six-Hour Meeting Week
One of the most powerful illustrations of PQ in action is the Six-Hour Meeting Week. It’s a simple concept: every employee in the organization spends no more than six hours per week in structured, purpose-driven meetings.
That constraint forces clarity. Meetings are no longer used for updates or opinions—they’re used for decisions, problem-solving, and progress tracking. Everything else happens within the system.
When communication is disciplined, time is freed up for execution. Teams begin to operate with confidence because they know when, where, and how information will be shared.
From Talking to Connecting
The Communication Process ensures that information doesn’t just move—it connects. It links metrics to meetings, meetings to actions, and actions to outcomes.
When leaders adopt this system, they stop repeating themselves and start reinforcing what matters. People know how to prepare, what’s expected, and where to go for answers. Transparency replaces confusion.
As a result, communication becomes the organization’s nervous system—constantly sensing, responding, and coordinating movement in real time.
The Leadership Shift
Great communicators aren’t those who speak the most; they’re the ones who design systems that make clarity automatic. PQ leaders create communication structures that outlast their presence.
They don’t rely on charisma or proximity to be understood—they rely on process.
That’s what makes communication scalable. That’s what makes it sustainable.
The Result
When the Communication Process is embedded, meetings become shorter, silos fade, and alignment becomes more visible. People spend less time talking about work and more time doing it.
Communication stops being a burden and becomes the mechanism that drives clarity, accountability, and connection across the organization.
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Excerpted from The Secret Superpower of High Functioning Leaders by Shane A. Yount and Rob Kornblum. Available on Amazon