There is a communication problem growing quietly around us, and it is costing us trust every single day. Not because people are rude. Not because they don’t care. But because silence, delays, and half-answers have become normalised and we’ve convinced ourselves that this is acceptable communication. It isn’t. Today, communication challenges are showing up in very specific ways: delayed responses with no acknowledgment, phone calls that ring endlessly without follow-up, changes that happen but are communicated too late, and answers like “yes” or “no problem” given to questions that clearly require clarity, context, or explanation. ALSO READ: Five quick wins to improve service in any business What worries me most is that many of these behaviors don’t come from bad intentions. They come from fear. Fear of giving the wrong answer. Fear of admitting we don’t know yet. Fear of saying no. So, instead, we respond for the sake of responding not for the sake of connection. ALSO READ: How can we expect excellence from staff who’ve never experienced it? And when we don’t know what to say, we say nothing at all. Recently, I experienced this in a way that struck a nerve. I had a promising meeting with someone about a potential partnership. The conversation was positive, energising, and they asked me to send a follow-up email with details. I did so promptly, feeling hopeful. Then... silence. No acknowledgment. No “received.” No “I’ll review and revert.” ALSO READ: Expectation vs. experience: The real gap in customer service I followed up. Silence. I called. Day one, no response. Day two, no response. I sent a text message. Silence. Eventually, I sent another email saying I was simply checking in and genuinely hoping everything was okay, because the silence itself had become unsettling. Only then did a response come: “Yes, I received your proposal. I am reviewing.” Here’s the thing; acknowledging an email does not take more than a minute. If you are busy, an hour. If you are extremely busy, one working day. Silence for days communicates something very clearly, whether we intend it or not. It breaks trust. If you cannot acknowledge communication, how can someone trust that you can manage a project, honour timelines, or collaborate effectively when things get difficult? Communication is not a “soft skill.” It is the backbone of every professional relationship. Sometimes, silence is simply an indirect way of saying no. And while rejection is never easy, most of us would prefer a clear no to being strung along for days, weeks, or even months. Silence wastes time, creates anxiety, and leaves people questioning their own judgment. all to avoid a difficult but honest response. This challenge doesn’t stop at emails and phone calls. It shows up in meetings too. We schedule time together. You block your calendar. I block mine. We agree to be present. Yet in the middle of the conversation, phones come out. Calls are taken. Messages are answered. Bodies turn away. Attention drifts. What message does that send? That this conversation doesn’t matter. That the person in front of you is secondary to whatever else might come in. That your time is flexible, but theirs is not. Communication is not just about words. It is about presence. Face the person you are speaking to. Listen without interrupting. Allow others to finish their thoughts. Respect the space you intentionally created to connect. Every interruption chips away at trust. Poor communication doesn’t only affect business. It touches every part of our lives, family, friendships, workplaces, leadership, and service delivery. In organizations, it shows up as service failure. Customers don’t always complain about systems; they complain about how they were kept in the dark. This is why faster acknowledgment matters. Not faster solutions, faster acknowledgment. When something changes, say it early. When you need time to think, say so. When you don’t know yet, say “I don’t know yet, but here’s when I’ll update you.” When a process is delayed, give a timeline. When a conversation ends, close the loop. This is where the 1-1-1 communication discipline becomes powerful: Acknowledge within one hour (or one working hour). Provide clarity or direction within one working day. Close the loop within one week, even if the answer is no. This is not about being perfect. It is about being responsible. Many organisations believe they are communicating, but what they are actually doing is avoiding accountability. Silence feels safer than clarity. Delay feels easier than commitment. Vague responses feel kinder than honest ones. But silence is never neutral. It always communicates something and rarely something positive. If we want to grow as professionals, leaders, and service providers, we must confront this honestly. Communication does not fail because we are busy. It fails because we do not prioritise it. And what we do not prioritise eventually becomes our weakness. So here is the real question to sit with not just as organisations, but as individuals: When you don’t respond, when you delay, when you stay silent, are you avoiding communication, or are you avoiding accountability? Because in today’s world, trust is built not by having the perfect answer, but by having the courage to respond. And silence, no matter how polite, will always speak louder than words. The author is a certified hospitality trainer and founder of Outstanding Solutions Afrika, a boutique hospitality and tourism consulting firm dedicated to transforming service excellence.
