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Simon Baugh

Cut Through!

A How To , Education and Business podcast

#50 in How To · 🇮🇪 #98 in How To · 🇬🇧
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About the show

How to communicate with clarity in a noisy world simonbaugh.substack.com

Newest episodes

Go EAST!

16 min

People often want to make rational evidence-based arguments. But that isn’t always sufficient if you want to change behaviour. In 2014, the Behavioural Insights Team, published a simpler framework called EAST. This distilled the most important behavioural science into four easy to remember principles. If you want to encourage a behaviour, make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Our black ball problem

13 min

Imagine a genie gives you an urn full of balls. Each one is a new idea or technology. Most are white and do good. Some are grey, with mixed blessings. But no one knows whether there is a black ball in the urn: a technology so harmful it destroys the civilisation that draws it. Do you keep drawing out balls? This episode looks at how corporate affairs can help organisations handle technological risk in the age of AI. To do so it needs to move upstream and shape decisions before they are made, not just explain them once they have gone wrong. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

When to choose silence

17 min

Silence is becoming something of a default for communications leaders. 61% of communications leaders reportedly prefer to keep silent on divisive issues even where their organisation could speak authentically. So, when is silence the right approach and when is it not? This episode identifies five different types of silence and how and when to use each of them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

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All episodes

Go EAST!

16 min

People often want to make rational evidence-based arguments. But that isn’t always sufficient if you want to change behaviour. In 2014, the Behavioural Insights Team, published a simpler framework called EAST. This distilled the most important behavioural science into four easy to remember principles. If you want to encourage a behaviour, make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Our black ball problem

13 min

Imagine a genie gives you an urn full of balls. Each one is a new idea or technology. Most are white and do good. Some are grey, with mixed blessings. But no one knows whether there is a black ball in the urn: a technology so harmful it destroys the civilisation that draws it. Do you keep drawing out balls? This episode looks at how corporate affairs can help organisations handle technological risk in the age of AI. To do so it needs to move upstream and shape decisions before they are made, not just explain them once they have gone wrong. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

When to choose silence

17 min

Silence is becoming something of a default for communications leaders. 61% of communications leaders reportedly prefer to keep silent on divisive issues even where their organisation could speak authentically. So, when is silence the right approach and when is it not? This episode identifies five different types of silence and how and when to use each of them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to assess risk and improve preparedness

15 min

I used to be responsible for assuring the communications plans for each risk in the UK's National Risk Register. The risks it catalogues range from the hair-raising (“nuclear miscalculation”), to the familiar (“storms”), to risks you didn't even know you needed to worry about (“major outbreak of African horse sickness”). This episode explains how government assesses and manages risks and what lessons it holds for communications leaders. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to say “No”

16 min

The best advisers are able to disagree with their CEO or Minister and avert bad decisions. Yet somehow they always do so with their reputation enhanced rather than diminished. They don't just say ‘no’. In fact, they rarely say 'no' at all. So how do they do it? This episode examines five practical techniques. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Three AI risks corporate affairs directors should be worrying about now

17 min

Frontier AI may or may not represent a threat to humanity. But there are more immediate risks for corporate affairs directors. Those include the risk of falling behind on AI adoption, the risk that AI misrepresents your business, and the risk you’re not involved in decisions about how to deploy AI across your organisation. Those risks are ones I expect most companies to encounter in the next three years. They are also risks corporate affairs directors can do something about. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

The four Cs of communications leadership. Part 4, Continuous improvement

13 min

In this series, I have argued that good communications leadership involves bringing clarity, capability, and confidence. Yet, there is one other important source of advantage. The best teams do not simply execute the original plan: they look for a better route. Continuous improvement is about creating a mindset in which everyone is thinking about how the team can do better. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

The four Cs of communications leadership. Part 3, Confidence

13 min

In this third part of my series on the ‘four Cs’ of leadership, we look at how to build team confidence. How can you create a workplace where people are willing to give discretionary effort and support each other? How can you build the belief to keep going when things get difficult? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

The four Cs of communications leadership. Part 2, Capability

12 min

This is the second part of my series on communications leadership. This episode is about 'capability': how to identify what the function must be good at to deliver its strategy, assessing whether it can do those things well today, and closing any gap. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

The four Cs of communications leadership. Part 1, Clarity

13 min

Over the next four weeks, I am sharing my thinking on the fundamentals of communications leadership. What is your job as a communications leader, be it of a small team or a major function? My 'four Cs' of communications leadership are clarity, capability, confidence, and continuous improvement. This week: clarity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

What knowledge matters when knowledge is abundant?

12 min

Far from having had enough of experts, it seems that we are in thrall to the idea that deep specialist expertise is what’s needed to succeed today. But I’m starting to wonder: is everyone right? Do we really need more deep expertise, or, in a rapidly changing world, might the ability to operate across multiple domains actually be a good thing? Should the next generation of communicators be narrowing their scope or broadening it? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Should my socials be more like Andy's?

14 min

When I was in government, we studied the data from thousands of social media posts and found that people tended to watch for only three seconds when content featured a government minister. So is Andy Burnham rewriting the rules of social media? Should every CEO now front their company’s digital content and spend their Fridays rating pub snacks with their Chief Financial Officer? Well, no. Here's how to follow the data and avoid the hype around what works on social channels. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to apply the COM-B model

19 min

COM-B is a behavioural change approach that helps you identify the real barriers preventing your audience from taking action. It stands for Capability + Opportunity + Motivation = Behaviour. This episode is about why it matters and how to use it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Use the Force, Luke!

12 min

There’s a famous parable in Daoist thought. A rock sits in a river with water rushing around it. Which is stronger? The rock or the water? It’s the rock, right? It stays completely unmoved. Well, no. At least, not in this parable. The parable is intended to illustrate the Daoist concept of Wu Wei or “action through inaction”. Properly understood, I think it is a massively overlooked approach to achieving change while protecting your resilience. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Ten questions communications leaders ask me about AI

22 min

These are the questions that I hear most often about AI. Listen now to hear my answers. 1. Where should I start with AI? 2. Why do so many AI adoption programmes disappoint? 3. Why is the output I’m getting still so generic? 4. What AI tool should I use? 5. What is an AI agent? 6. How do I persuade sceptical colleagues? 7. What governance really matters? 8. What is GEO and how is it different from SEO? 9. What skills will matter most in five years’ time? 10. What will AI mean for communications jobs? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

What happens in COBR?

15 min

How does the Government's emergency response committee, COBR, work? What can communications leaders learn from it? And what did I decide was the most important element of crisis response after attending countless meetings? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Why keeping your head down leaves you exposed

14 min

One of the most superficially attractive arguments in corporate affairs is: “Don’t put your head above the parapet.” For most organisations, it is bad advice. Keeping your head down does not only reduce attention. It also reduces the relationships, trust and visible backing you can draw on when you need them. Those who favour this approach miss three important things about how support works. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

New research: What drives support for companies?

18 min

Who do people support and why? To answer that question we asked people to describe, in their own words, why they supported the companies they admire and what action they would be willing to take on their behalf. The key drivers of support were straightforward. But the drivers of opposition were different. And there were some other unexpected findings too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Winning the case, losing the argument

19 min

Saturday marks the 250th anniversary of the United States. There will be many essays written about Washington, Jefferson and Franklin. Communications leaders may learn more from Samuel Adams. I’ve had an interest in Adams since I worked in Washington DC back in 1997. The only half decent beer available at the time bore his name, and every bottle carried the insignia “Brewer. Patriot”. He was both of those. He was also a dangerous, disingenuous and highly-effective propagandist. He fermented hops and fomented revolution. He saw something that many leaders still miss today. A dispute is not won only by being right. The court of law and the court of public opinion ask different questions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to set communications objectives

15 min

SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) is a poor starting point for setting communications objectives. It distracts people from asking the most important question of all: why are we communicating in the first place? So what does a smarter way of approaching communications objectives look like? A technique borrowed from Toyota may form part of the answer. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to be a better gossip

16 min

Why did humans start to communicate? The obvious answer is: ‘to exchange information’. Yet this may not be why language was so important to our ancestors. And the real reason might tell us something we often forget when communicating today. Thinking about communication as a social act changes our view on what good communication looks like today. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Purpose under pressure

12 min

Can a Japanese secret to long life help you live past 100? Probably not. But it might help you to identify what kind of communications roles are going to give you energy, be worth periods of strain and be a good fit for your skills. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

The battle for reality

16 min

“Germany calling. This is Germany calling.” Throughout the Second World War those words echoed through the static of Britain’s airwaves. The clipped tones of William Joyce, better known as Lord Haw-Haw, were broadcast daily from Nazi Germany with the aim of weakening Allied morale. But in a conflict today, would we spot enemy influence so easily? What do foreign influence operations look like in a world of algorithmic recommendations and AI mediation? And as Europe boosts its defence budgets, should we also be spending more on protecting our information environment? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

The messenger is the message

14 min

People are REALLY ANGRY because Gemma Collins appeared in a social media clip for the Department for Education. "Bizarre”, “tone-deaf”, “sickening” and “ridiculous”, said the critics. Communications teams spend a great deal of time asking what they should say. They spend much less time asking who should say it. So what does this row reveal about the importance of the messenger? Is it worth working with content creators? And if so, how can you avoid a backlash? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to evaluate communications

21 min

If you’re not measuring communications, you don’t know it’s working. Yet our profession has an evaluation problem: we’re counting the wrong things for the wrong reasons. So what does good communications evaluation look like? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

The wisdom of the long-distance train conductor

18 min

Why would giving a train passenger a quiz question make them more likely to accept an excess fare? And what can that teach us about how to communicate bad news more effectively? Procedural justice is the ideas that the process - how decisions are made and how people are treated - is more important to public trust than the actual outcome. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Same vinegar, different response

20 min

What can a traditional Chinese painting, an Austrian psychologist, and a Roman Emperor teach communications leaders about how to manage personal resilience? Recognising you have more power to choose your response to events than you might think can be a powerful and liberating insight that boosts personal resilience and performance. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to build a narrative

16 min

Leaders generally want to communicate inside-to-out. They begin with the messages they want to tell people. Then wonder why nobody seems especially interested. A narrative is different. It is a carefully structured argument rooted in what your audience cares about. It helps people understand you and the world differently. Here's how to build one. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Why AI isn't taking your communications job

17 min

At one level it's straightforward. We recently invented a technology that creates language at almost zero cost. We employ people who write for us. Therefore, the new technology will replace those workers. I have no doubt that AI is going to profoundly change communication roles. But replace us altogether? The more I work with AI the more I doubt this will be the case. At least, not for a while yet. Here’s why. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

In defence of the spoken word

12 min

Writing created the modern world. But today do we overestimate the importance of writing and overuse it. It's worth remembering the limits of writing and the extraordinary power of speech. And it’s worth considering that in a world of abundant text, in-person persuasion may have become more valuable still. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to combat misinformation

16 min

Measles is back. Not because we lack a vaccine, but because we lack immunity to misinformation. So how should we as communications leaders respond? We vaccinate against measles because prevention works better than cure. We should be applying the same logic to our information environment. Pre-bunking measurably improves people’s ability to spot misinformation and reduces their propensity to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Where do MPs get their news?

11 min

Where do Members of Parliament get their news? Which social media, news sites, and podcasts do they consume? And which AI tools do they use? A new report reveals all. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to run a pre-mortem

15 min

Most communications teams do risk management in ways that suppress candour, reward optimism and miss the things that actually bring a project down. The pre-mortem takes a different approach. Instead of asking “What could go wrong?”, it asks: “Imagine it is 12 months from today. The project has failed badly. Why?” This small shift in framing has a big effect on the conversation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Winning Strategies, Pt 5: Harness Distrust

17 min

The Harness Distrust strategy doesn’t see a lack of trust as a problem to solve, but a fuel to burn. For insurgents and challenger brands, tapping into grievance against the status quo is becoming the archetypal communications strategy. Rather than seeking to win over the establishment, they are promoting their own agenda by railing against it. Any challenger brand should be thinking about whether they can use it to their advantage. And any legacy brand should be war-gaming how it might be used against them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Winning Strategies, Pt 4: Demonstrate trust

17 min

Is it the job of a communications professional to ‘persuade’ people, or is it to ‘inform’ people? In a low-trust environment, where even the appearance of self-interested persuasion can be counterproductive, this has become a false choice. When trust in politics, the media and business has declined rapidly, the winning strategy may be to be disarmingly, demonstrably and visibly trustworthy. This is the Transparency Playbook. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Winning Strategies, Pt 3: Co-create Trust

18 min

Co-creating trust is not about convincing people you are right, but about giving them a seat at the table. The principle is simple. People are more likely to trust something they have helped to create, and they’re less likely to attack something shaped by their participation. Done well, it creates not just a more informed audience, but advocates who will defend, promote and trust your organisation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Winning Strategies, Pt 2: Borrow Trust

16 min

The Borrow Trust strategy. If you want reach and credibility, then work with those who already have it. Build partnerships with credible voices who share your goals and values and command your audience’s attention and trust. The same media fragmentation that makes it difficult to cut through with traditional channels, has also created an opening: thousands of micro-communities with trusted messengers. By partnering with those messengers you can create great content for them, relevant messages for their audience, and increased trust, reach and attention for your brand. And that is our second Winning Strategy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Winning Strategies, Pt 1: Earn Trust

15 min

In this series, I’m looking at five ways organisations are responding to our changed information environment and modernising their communications operations to build trust. This first episode is the Delivery Playbook. It is a strategy built on the insight that in a world of abundant content and fragmented attention trust can be built, through local, relevant, and useful experiences. It is transforming how UK Government is thinking about communicating with a sceptical public. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

How to build trust

13 min

When you aren’t trusted, even your best decisions won’t cut through. This episode looks at why trust matters, why it is eroding across government, business and media, and what the evidence tells us about how trust is built. It also sets up a harder question: how do you build trust when almost every feature of today’s information environment works against you? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Beyond the hype: Five practical AI actions for communications leaders

18 min

This episode looks at five practical AI actions communications leaders should focus on this year: How to understand what AI is saying about you, train an AI model, use AI for dialogue not output, scale AI tools successfully, and prepare for an AI deepfake crisis. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

BONUS: Why you should read Dario Amodei's article on AI alignment

17 min

Dario Amodei is the CEO and founder of the AI company Anthropic. When I was in Government Communications we chose Anthropic’s Claude large language model as our AI tool of choice, partly because we felt Anthropic took AI safety and security seriously. So I was interested to read an essay Dario has just published on confronting AI safety and risks. And having done so I want to strongly recommend it to you too. It is long, and knowing that people are time poor, I thought it might be helpful to share two short excerpts in full here. I hope they illustrate why I found the full article unsettling, even hair-raising, at times. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Why is communications so difficult today? Pt 4: AI Transformers, Rise of the Machines

22 min

In this, the last of my series on how our media and information environment has changed, I look at AI and what it means for the future of communications. Thanks for listening to Cut Through! please subscribe for free to receive new episodes and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Why is communications so difficult today? Pt 3: The age of the algorithm

18 min

The central argument of Cut Through! is that our information environment has changed more quickly than our communications practice. To catch up, we need to understand what has changed and why. In this series I have argued that our information environment has become more: Democratised, Fragmented, Abundant, Corroded, and Concentrated. Episode 3 looks at a change that was hardly noticed by social media users when it was introduced back in 2010, but which would fundamentally alter how we consume information, perhaps even how we perceive reality. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Why is communications so difficult today? Pt 2: The start of the scroll

16 min

The central argument of Cut Through! is that our information environment has changed more quickly than our communications practice. To catch up, we need to understand what has changed and why. Our information environment has become more democratised, fragmented, abundant, corroded and concentrated. In this episode we look at two product launches from the 2000s - Facebook and the iPhone - and the consequences for communicators today. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Why is communications so difficult today? Pt 1: The Wizards of Menlo Park

14 min

Why does communication feel so difficult today? Our information environment has changed more quickly than our communications practice. To catch up, we need to explore what has changed and why. Over the next four weeks, Cut Through! explores how communications has changed through the stories of four technological breakthroughs that reshaped our world: Google Search; the iPhone; the Facebook News Feed; and AI. This is Part 1: The Wizards of Menlo Park This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

A Christmas Carol for Communicators

13 min

Christmas isn’t Christmas until you’ve listened to at least one version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Here is my humble contribution to the genre…and a cautionary tale for communicators. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

What should Keir Starmer learn from Trump's communication?

10 min

In my final months leading UK Government Communications, people often asked me whether Keir Starmer’s communication should be more like Donald Trump’s. So what are the lessons for government and communicators from how Donald Trump deals with the media and communicates with the American public? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Lessons from Agent Garbo: the Spanish chicken farmer who tricked the Nazis

14 min

An important skill for any communications leader is presenting ideas with confidence. Yet most of us feel nervous when doing so. Maybe we even have a voice in our head telling us the audience is going to see through us. In this episode of Cut Through!, I explore what a Spanish chicken farmer who fooled the Nazi High Command can teach us about presenting with confidence and I explain why you should be more confident than you feel. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Ten behavioural science principles every communicator should know ranked

19 min

The number one rule of great communications is: know your audience. Yet most communicators still design messages for how they wish people thought, not how they actually do. Decades of behavioural science research reveal that most human decisions are fast, emotional and unconscious - so why are so many communications campaigns still written for the slow, logical brain? Here are ten behavioural science principles every communicator should know. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

Why you don't see reality (and what this means for communicators)

12 min

We like to think of ourselves as rational beings. Being "emotional" can even be a term of abuse, but the truth is human beings do not make decisions by weighing up the pros and cons of each option. We rely on mental shortcuts known as heuristics which let us make decisions quickly but also introduce predictable biases.   In a high-speed media market, the competition for attention is being won by communicators who know how to harness these dynamics. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonbaugh.substack.com

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