(From the Books I Study and the Rooms I Sit In)

When people hear “communication advisor,” they often imagine someone who writes talking points, edits speeches, and “handles the media.”

That’s only the surface.

A real communication advisor is much closer to a strategic partner and risk radar, someone who sits beside leaders, not behind them; who translates strategy into stories, and pressure into clear choices.

Working closely with CEOs, founders, boards, and senior leadership teams across Saudi Arabia and abroad, I’ve learned that this role isn’t about “communication” in the basic sense. It’s about shaping clarity, alignment, and trust, often in the most high-stakes moments.

This article blends what the best books teach with what I’ve learned in practice.

1. From “Message Sender” to Strategic Partner

Books like Joep Cornelissen’s Corporate Communication describe communication as shaping relationships with every stakeholder, employees, customers, regulators, partners, and the wider community. That framework reflects what actually happens inside leadership rooms.

When I advise a leader, I’m not just editing a statement. I’m asking:

What decision are we making?
What message does this send to everyone watching?
Does this fit our long-term narrative?

Strategic communication books insist that communication must be tied directly to mission, vision, and measurable outcomes, not vanity metrics. In practice, this means:

Joining leaders in their strategy discussions, not only after them
Stress-testing assumptions: “What will people really hear when you say this?”
Anchoring every public message in a clear, long-term story

A communication advisor does not dictate decisions; they shape the story the organization chooses to live by.

2. The Core Responsibilities of a Communication Advisor

Across the best literature, the responsibilities boil down to four verbs: diagnose, design, deliver, and learn.

Here’s how they look in real life.

2.1 Diagnose the Landscape

Before crafting a message, I:

Map stakeholders and their expectations
Listen deeply to what is being said—and not said
Scan for risks and opportunities

This diagnostic step is critical in fast-moving environments where narratives can shift in weeks. Without it, any communication tactic becomes guesswork.

2.2 Design the Narrative Architecture

After understanding the landscape, I help leaders design:

The central narrative
The sequence of communication
Guardrails on what should never be said or implied

This includes:

Simplifying complex strategies into clear, human-centred narratives
Creating frameworks that leaders can repeat consistently
Anticipating reactions before messages ever go out

2.3 Deliver With Precision and Timing

Communication advisors are conductors, not just writers.

This includes:

Coaching leaders for interviews, keynotes, and internal presentations
Orchestrating the order of internal memos, public releases, and social content
Preparing Q&A sheets, scenario plans, and crisis-ready messaging

Often, my most valuable question is:
“If this message goes viral tomorrow, will we still stand behind it next year?”

2.4 Learn What Actually Happened

Impact matters more than exposure.

So I ask:

Did employees feel clarity or confusion?
Did stakeholders shift behaviour, not just awareness?
Did this communication build trust or spend it?

A communication advisor follows messages to their consequences.

3. The Mindset of a Trusted Advisor

Books like The Trusted Advisor explain that advisory work is built on trust: credibility, reliability, intimacy, and low ego.

Here’s how that translates into daily practice.

Create a safe room for leaders.
Leaders need someone they can tell the truth to—someone who won’t react, judge, or leak. Without this honesty, your advice becomes useless.
Speak the hard truths with kindness.
The advisor’s job is sometimes to say:
“This sounds strong now, but it will create problems later.”
And then offer a path forward.
Detach from credit.
Communication advisors shine when the leader shines. If you need public credit for every idea, you can’t advise objectively.
Stay calm when others panic.
Leaders judge your stability as much as your ideas. In tense moments, your calmness is part of your value.

Advisory work is emotional discipline disguised as communication skill.

4. Skills: The Tools Behind the Title

4.1 Strategic Listening

Communication advisors listen deeper than everyone else, because people will tell you what the communication strategy should be if you know how to hear it.

4.2 Story Design

Books like Made to Stick emphasize simplicity, emotion, and clarity.
For me, this means:

Turning a complex strategy into a 30-second story
Focusing on human outcomes, not technical terms
Repeating key ideas until they become the organization’s DNA

4.3 Business & Policy Literacy

The strongest advisors understand the business model, financial logic, and regulatory pressures. Without this, you can’t advise on communication—you’re only reacting.

4.4 Cultural Intelligence

Especially in Saudi Arabia, cultural fluency defines whether communication lands with dignity, respect, and credibility.

Advisors act as both translators and protectors of context.

5. How My Own Experience Shaped My View of This Role

5.1 Bridging Vision and Execution

I often operate between visionary leaders and the teams who must translate that vision into action. My responsibility is to ensure:

The long-term vision drives the day-to-day story
Tactical plans stay aligned with strategic identity

This “bridge role” is where most communication advisors either fail or become indispensable.

5.2 Being the Calm Voice in High-Stakes Moments

In critical interviews, launches, crises, or announcements, people instinctively turn to the communication advisor for clarity.

My approach:

Define the real decision
Sequence the message
Reduce noise to one clear sentence

5.3 Developing the Next Generation

Advisors must train others to think strategically, beyond posts, beyond press releases, toward understanding narrative, timing, risk, and trust.

6. How to Grow Into the Role

6.1 Build a Reading Spine

A few essential books:

The Trusted Advisor
Corporate Communication
Strategic Communication for Organizations
Mastering Business for Strategic Communicators
Made to Stick

6.2 Get Closer to Real Decisions

Sit in strategy rooms. Listen more than you talk. Learn the thinking patterns of senior leaders.

6.3 Practice Advisor Behaviour Daily

Act like a trusted advisor even before you are one:

Ask “why” before “what should we say?”
Protect trust above all
Measure impact, not activities

The Quiet Power of This Role

Being a communication advisor is not about crafting the perfect line.

It’s about:

Helping leaders carry the weight of their voice
Making sure the organization’s story is told with clarity and dignity
Guiding decisions, not just messaging
Protecting long-term trust in a world of short-term noise

The books give you frameworks.
Experience gives you instincts.
And your integrity is what makes your advice matter.