Parliament has given us plenty to talk about lately, especially when it comes to communication and how not to manage a narrative. Treasury’s missteps around the Budget Speech postponement have already been dissected.
But on 12 March, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered another unexpected takeaway: a real-world lesson in how messaging – when oversimplified, misrepresented or lacking context – can quickly spiral out of control.
“The World Bank has produced a report. People tend to be selective when they read that report; people don’t read what they don’t like,” he told MPs.
The minister made a critical point: people don’t engage with information they don’t like or don’t understand. And in a world where bite-sized, repeatable soundbites dominate public discourse, context is everything.
If your message lacks clarity, you risk being misquoted, misunderstood, or outright hijacked by competing narratives. Simple does not mean simplistic.
This applies to all of us in communications, PR and marketing. Our role is to craft messages that are clear, concise and accurate – but also nuanced enough to prevent misrepresentation.
If we fail to do this, we lose control of our own story.
What’s the worst that can happen?
Misleading messaging (whether intentional or not) can have real-world consequences:
- Damaged credibility: If stakeholders discover you’ve distorted or left out key information, you lose trust. Trust, once broken, takes years to rebuild.
- Poor decision-making: Bad data leads to bad strategy. If a business or government body makes decisions based on out-of-context statistics, the results can be catastrophic.
- Legal and ethical risks: Misrepresentation (whether in financial reporting, advertising, or public policy) can result in regulatory scrutiny and reputational harm.
- Internal confusion: Even within an organisation, unclear communication leads to misalignment, inefficiency, and wasted resources.
The ice cream vs. wildfires fallacy
Let’s break it down with a classic example: Data might show that ice cream sales and wildfires both rise in summer. But does that mean buying more ice cream causes wildfires? Of course not. The missing factor is hot weather – which drives both trends.
But if you strip away context, you end up with a misleading conclusion.
Treasury’s handling of the VAT increase messaging faced a similar challenge. Without clearly explaining why it was needed and how it would be offset, the increase was framed by critics as an added financial burden, rather than a necessary policy decision. The same thing happens in business when brands fail to control their own narrative.
How to avoid being misquoted (or worse, ignored)
If you want to avoid having your message twisted (or worse, completely ignored) remember these key principles:
- Be clear and concise: Use simple, direct language. Jargon doesn’t make you sound smart; it makes you sound out of touch.
- Provide context: Never assume people understand the background. Give them the “why” behind the “what.”
- Use strong examples: A compelling analogy can make a concept stick. Just make sure it’s accurate and relevant.
- Anticipate misinterpretations: If there’s a way to misread your message, someone will find it. Get ahead of potential misunderstandings.
- Summarise key takeaways: In a world of short attention spans, make sure your core message is easy to repeat and hard to distort.
- Train your spokespeople: Media training isn’t just for politicians. If someone represents your brand, they need to know how to stick to key messages and handle tough questions.
The bigger picture: Ethics and responsibility in communications
Communication is about more than just getting attention – it’s about building trust. Whether in government, business, or media, transparency and accuracy should be non-negotiable. When people feel misled, they disengage. When public trust erodes, so does influence.
For those of us in PR, marketing, and media, this is our responsibility. We don’t just report stories – we help shape them. The way we frame information, structure narratives, and anticipate reactions determines whether we inform and empower or distort and confuse.
Final thought
In a world driven by fast-moving headlines and social media snippets, clarity is power. Control your story, or someone else will control it for you. Always remember: just because two things happen at the same time doesn’t mean one caused the other. Otherwise, we’d be banning ice cream to prevent wildfires.
Bradly Howland is the CEO of the communications and marketing agency Alkemi Collective.
