Far too often businesses approach communication internally and externally with the sense that if you throw enough spaghetti at the ceiling then some will stick.

This is no longer good enough. The perfect storm of commoditisation, over-capacity, the economic downturn and the arrival of new media has forced everyone to be more discerning with how they connect. Businesses are now judged on both the quality of the delivery AND the strength of their values and culture.

From Deloitte, GlaxoSmithKline, the NHS, Castrol, Umbro, Microsoft and BSkyB through to Unilever, Deutsche Bank, Virgin Money, the BBC, Morgan Stanley, Saatchi & Saatchi, the Walt Disney Company and BP,I have had the privilege of working with some of the biggest global names across the entire business spectrum.

Their problems are uncannily similar. But the answers are always different. One size fits nobody. It’s about listening actively, contributing together and acting intuitively but decisively.

I help spark those conversations, build that momentum, facilitate the discussions between people and organisations to bring a cohesion and clarity to complex situations, arm them with the skills and confidence to close the gap between decision and implementation, and create compelling cultures and environments where ideas can flourish.

Do I know about the ‘deep-dive’ strategies of all the organisations I help? No – but that’s missing the point. They know their business and market better than I possibly can.

What I CAN do is help people communicate in a way that resonates better; teaching them the framework with which to collaborate profoundly and change ingrained perspectives that are holding the business back.

Time and again we’re told “it’s a people business” and this is now true of every organisation. Think communication, networking, feedback, customer service, negotiation, creativity, career development, leadership or collaboration… if you can’t get on with people, you can’t get on in business.

Yet communicating effectively, concisely and with genuine impact is no easy task, and the interlaced abilities of engaging and influencing remain the greatest weapons in anybody’s personal armoury – regardless of seniority or sector.

After all, perception is reality. And YOUR reality all comes down to how you communicate – individually and as an organisation.