You Can Over-Communicate

We hear it all the time in leadership: “You can’t over-communicate.” But that’s not always true. In this solo episode of Relationships at Work, Russel Lolacher explores how too much communication can feel patronizing, overwhelming, or even damaging to trust. This episode looks at why great leadership communication isn’t about repetition for repetition’s sake—it’s about reading the room, understanding your audience, and adapting your message with intention. 

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Transcript

Welcome back to Relationships At Work – A leadership podcast helping you build workplace connection, improve culture, and avoid blind spots. I’m your host Russel Lolacher

I’m a communications and leadership nerd with a couple of decades of experience and a heap of curiosity on how we can make the workplace better.

This mini-episode is a quick and valuable bit of information to help your mindset for the week ahead.

Inspired by our R@W Note Newsletter, I’m passing on to you…

You Can Over-Communicate

There’s a phrase I’ve heard countless times in leadership circles: “You can’t over-communicate.” It sounds practical, even noble—better to share more than risk leaving people in the dark, right? I certainly have found myself saying it over the years.

But at a conference this year, during a conversation with an HR professional, I heard something that stuck with me. They shared how one of their executives kept repeating the same things over and over. And the feedback they got from employess was, “Do they think we’re stupid?” Their tone was half frustrated, half incredulous.

It was a moment of clarity. Because while under-communication is dangerous and far too common in leadership, over-communication isn’t the solution. Like most things in leadership, context matters.

Here's the reality:

• Neurodivergent employees may experience over-communication as patronizing.Repetition can come across as a lack of trust in their ability to process or retain information. Instead of helping, it erodes confidence and connection.
• Some people truly do need repetition.Maybe they’re juggling ten priorities at once, and hearing a message multiple times helps cut through the noise. Over-communication for them isn’t about doubt, it’s about connection.
• Some leaders default to what works for them, not always what works for others.It's easier to stick to a general strategy than to consider the diversity of the audience. Rinse and repeat.

Great leadership isn’t about blasting the same message until it sticks. It’s about tuning your communication like an instrument. That means considering:

• The audience.Are they neurodivergent? Overloaded with competing demands? Early in their career or seasoned professionals?
• The channel.Does repeating a point in an email feel different than emphasizing it once in a team huddle?
• The intent.Is your repetition reinforcing clarity, or is it masking a lack of trust in your team?

Just like leadership styles, leaders don’t succeed by having one communication style. They succeed by adapting to meet their people where they are.

We all want to avoid the pitfalls of under-communication—ambiguity, confusion, missed deadlines, eroded trust. But over-correcting into over-communication doesn’t solve those problems. It creates new ones.

The balance lies in awareness. It requires leaders to recognize that communication isn’t a one-size-fits-all act. It’s a relationship-building practice that adapts to context and individuals.

The Question: How do we know the frequency in which to communicate to a diverse audience?

The Action(s):

• Ask, Don’t Assume - Instead of guessing, leaders can directly ask their teams what works best for them. A simple, “How often do you want updates on this?” or “Do you prefer hearing reminders once or multiple times?” empowers employees and shows respect for their preferences.
• Diversify Your Channels - Saying the same thing the same way too many times can feel redundant. But reinforcing a message across different channels—once in a meeting, once in a follow-up email, once in a Slack thread—gives people multiple opportunities to absorb the information without it feeling repetitive.
• Read the Room - Pay attention to cues. If someone says, “Yes, we’ve got it,” or seems frustrated when you circle back again, believe them. On the other hand, if deadlines are slipping or tasks are missed, increase your frequency with that audience. Leadership is about staying situationally aware and adjusting accordingly.

You can over-communicate. The key is to calibrate—understanding when more is helpful, and when it crosses into patronizing or overwhelming. True leadership isn’t about constant reminders. It’s about building trust that your team is capable, competent, and worthy of being treated that way.