Few days back I met a very old friend. Same profession, so same subject came up – Where is the corporate communication role heading up to!

I genuinely thought it would be an enriching conversation.

But strangely, it became one of the most difficult conversations I have had in a long time.

Every thought I shared was challenged.

Every sentence seemed to invite an argument.

It wasn’t a debate. It wasn’t about proving who was right. It was just a conversation. Yet there was very little patience to listen.

That is when I realised something.

One of the greatest ironies in corporate communication is that it is sometimes difficult to communicate with a communicator.

Perhaps experience makes us believe we already know the answer. Perhaps our professional identity quietly allows the ego to take over. And when that happens, we stop listening – not because the other person has nothing to say, but because we are already preparing our next response.

Over the years, I have learnt that communication is not about winning conversations. Every thought does not deserve a counterargument. Sometimes, acknowledging another perspective is a far greater strength than defending our own.

The day we stop listening is the day we stop growing.

And before we become the voice of an organisation, we must first become better listeners.