UTS21895 Chap.9 Communicating Impact: the Walk and the Talk
Communicating Impact: the Walk and the Talk
Weeks 6 and 7 separate what an organisation does from what it says about it, and note that the two may pursue different objectives. That single separation produces four possible positions rather than two, and the one students almost never consider is substantial work reported badly.
The chapter uses the absence of an agreed definition as a working instruction, establish the context first, then covers the stakeholder-obligation framing, the persuasive and participatory modes and the trace that distinguishes them, the business case restated for communication, and three widening modes of reporting.
It closes on the five critical review questions the tutorial sets, the limits of third-party certification as evidence, and the digital opening the field describes as under-researched.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Action and communication as separate activities with separate objectives
- 02
Four possible positions, including the one that is usually ignored
- 03
Why the absence of an agreed definition is a working instruction
- 04
Four statements about stakeholder expectations, and the voluntary or mandatory test
- 05
Persuasive against participatory, and the trace that proves the difference
- 06
Choice of channel as part of the analysis rather than a detail of it
- 07
The business case restated one level up, for the talk rather than the walk
- 08
Three modes of reporting, in widening circles of audience
- 09
Certification as assurance over inputs, and what it cannot evidence
Reading one paragraph of report prose
- +1Separate the components. One output, the meeting count; one judgement, that the engagement was extensive; one claim about operations, that listening is central.
- +1Classify the mode. The organisation speaks and the audience receives, with no trace of the other party in the text, so this is persuasive rather than participatory communication.
- +1Write the participatory version. It would name one decision that changed and the input that changed it, which is the recommendation the analysis produces.
Key terms
- Responsibility communication
- How an organisation reports its responsibility actions to stakeholders. The material states no agreed definition exists and that the answer shifts with the firm and the situation, which makes establishing that situation the first analytical move.
- Persuasive communication
- Communication in which the organisation speaks and the audience receives. It is visible in the document itself and requires no trace of the other party, which is why it is the default reading when no such trace exists.
- Participatory communication
- Communication in which the audience is part of the process and the output shows it. Evidence for it is a consultation record, a response to a submission, or a change attributed to stakeholder input.
- Institutionalisation of reporting
- The state in which reporting has become an expectation rather than a choice. It explains the volume of modern impact reporting and means the act of publishing no longer signals anything in particular.
- Selective disclosure
- Reporting that covers performance where performance was strong and thins where it was not. The neutral statement of the finding is about what the document can and cannot support, not about intent.
- Third-party certification
- Independent verification that a set of practices met a standard at a point in time. It is assurance over inputs and activities rather than an outcome measure, so it cannot on its own support a claim about impact.
Communicating Impact: the Walk and the Talk FAQ
What is the difference between the walk and the talk?
The walk is responsibility action and the talk is responsibility communication, and the material states that the two may have different objectives. Because they can move independently, there are four possible positions rather than two: both present, talk without walk, walk without talk, and neither. Most student analyses test only for the second.
How do I tell persuasive communication from participatory communication?
Look for the trace of the other party. Persuasive communication is complete inside the document. Participatory communication requires evidence that someone outside was in the process: a consultation record, a response to a submission, or a decision attributed to stakeholder input. If there is no trace, the communication is persuasive whatever the introduction calls it.
Does a certification prove an organisation has real impact?
It proves that a set of practices met a standard at a point in time, which is assurance over inputs and activities. It is not an outcome measure, so it cannot on its own support a claim about impact. Saying exactly that in one sentence is worth more than a paragraph of general scepticism about certification schemes.
Why does it matter whether reporting is voluntary or mandatory?
Because it changes what publication evidences. Where reporting is required in an industry, the existence of a report evidences compliance rather than commitment, and the analytical interest moves to what was disclosed beyond the minimum. Where it is voluntary, the decision to publish is itself part of the communication strategy and can be read as such.
Assessment move
Start every analysis of a report with the five questions the tutorial sets, in their order, because they establish the context that the definition problem makes necessary: who is being communicated with, through what channels, why, how conflicting expectations are managed, and whether the report is voluntary or mandatory. Answer the last one first in practice, since it is quickest and it reframes everything else.
Build the habit of looking for the participation trace rather than for the word engagement, and keep a note of any decision a report says changed, because those sentences are rare and each one is worth a paragraph. When you assess certification, place it on the pathway rather than arguing about the scheme.
Watch for the quadrant you are not testing: if your analyses only ever find talk without walk, your method cannot find the other three states, and a marker who reads several essays will notice that the conclusion arrived before the evidence.
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