Start with Clarity: 5 Questions to Refocus Your Communications This Year

The first few weeks of the year always feel like a blur.

We’re still catching up from the holidays, inboxes are overflowing, and there’s pressure to jump in to act fast, move quickly, and fill the calendar with campaigns.

But at SMJ, we believe clarity comes before momentum.

We’ve worked with school districts, nonprofits, and purpose-driven leaders across the country, and we see it every year: the teams who pause first to clarify their message and priorities are the ones who communicate with the most consistency, confidence, and connection throughout the year.

So before you publish another post or finalize a fundraising appeal, take 30 minutes to slow down and ask the questions that bring clarity to your communications.

Here are five questions we ask ourselves every quarter:

What are our top three communications priorities for Q1?

When everything feels important, it’s easy to lose focus. Start by defining the three most important outcomes you want to drive through communications this quarter. Are you focused on enrollment? Community engagement? Staff retention? Fundraising?

Write them down. Name them out loud. Share them with your team.

Then build your messaging and tactics around them.

What’s our anchor message this season?

Every campaign, post, email, or update should ladder up to one central idea. That’s your anchor message. It’s not a tagline, it’s a strategic throughline that reinforces your purpose.

Try finishing this sentence:

“The most important thing we want our community to understand this quarter is ___________.”

This is the starting point to the message that will shape your communications for the year. 

Are we clear on roles and workflows?

Confusion around ownership is one of the biggest blockers to strong communication. Who’s leading? Who’s reviewing? Who can post? Who handles urgent updates? Who’s checking for alignment across channels?

Don’t assume everyone knows. Clarify expectations now and revisit them often. When teams know who does what, you move faster with fewer mistakes.

What’s resonating with our audience?

Before building a new plan, look back. What worked last quarter? Which posts were most engaged with? What emails were opened and clicked?

Go beyond metrics. Think about the feedback you’ve heard from families, staff, or donors. What messages felt meaningful or sparked conversation?

Use what resonated to guide what comes next.

How will we create space for storytelling this year?

Your message matters, but so do your messengers. The strongest communications plans make space for voices beyond leadership, staff, students, families, alumni, and partners.

This year, build in space for real stories. Start a series. Create a process. Capture testimonials. Collect quotes. Storytelling is the difference between broadcasting and belonging.

Communication is Strategy.

We often say at SMJ: communication is not a task list. It’s a leadership tool. The clarity you create isn’t just about what you say, it’s about how you lead.

To help you get started, we created a free Communications Clarity Checklist with simple prompts and steps to guide your January reset. Whether you’re a one-person team or managing comms across a district, this tool can help you step into 2026 with confidence and clarity.

Download the checklist here.

Let’s start the year by moving intentionally!