AHA Creative Strategies Inc.

04/01/2026

Today we are celebrating our 23rd anniversary here at AHA – no fooling! Did somebody say “cake”?

https://ahacreative.com/

AHA Creative Strategies

03/18/2026

Coming up with blog topics that will captivate your audience can be a challenge. Here is a little help to get you started.

https://www.cision.com/resources/articles/tips-tools-to-help-you-find-your-next-blog-post-topic/

Using the right tools can help you get an idea of what sorts of content your audience is looking for so that you can write content that’s going to appeal to...

10/31/2025

“Just send an email.” Sure, if your goal is to check a box – and not authentically and effectively communicate with your internal team or external audiences.

We recently had a meeting with a potential client where someone from the senior management team asked us to justify the cost of strategic communications. They wondered why they couldn’t just send an all-staff email instead. We thought it might be good to share the value of communications.

There are a few myths about communications that seem to be making a comeback:

• “We sent an email, so everyone knows.”
People are overwhelmed in their professional and personal lives. One message, one time, isn’t communication – it’s noise. Research shows that messages need to be seen three to five times before they stick.

• “Everyone consumes and interprets information in the same way.”
The medium matters – and so does the context. Some prefer to read, while others prefer to watch a video or listen to audio. Some need multiple mediums for a message to land. And – as importantly – what sounds like clarity in the boardroom can sound like confusion to others. Who is the audience? How do they consume information? How clear is the message to someone with little to no knowledge of the context? Is the language and information too complex? Can the language be made simpler without losing the integrity of the information?

• “Anyone can do communications.”
(This one makes me shake my head every time I see it!) Everyone can send messages. Not everyone can shape understanding, manage tone, use simple language to share complex ideas or plans, and align messaging with strategy. That takes skill, insight and experience. Communications is a profession, not a task done off the side of a desk.

Strategic, effective communications is both art and strategy – and when done well, it’s invisible and incredibly powerful. People understand the information you are sharing with them. But when it’s done poorly, everyone feels it. And no one knows what you want them to understand.

10/27/2025

Internal communications isn’t a “nice to have” – it’s the infrastructure of success.

Organizations rise or fall depending on how well they communicate internally.

Communication is what connects strategy to action, leaders to teams, and objectives to measurable results. Internally, when communication is strong, people feel informed, trusted and engaged. They understand why what they do matters.

When outreach is weak, confusion fills the gaps – and so do rumours, speculation, misinformation, silos and frustration. Strong communication builds credibility, builds reputation and supports culture.

Communication is not an “extra.” It’s the glue that holds everything together.

Poor communication looks like this: a policy update goes out in one all-staff email – no context, no clarity. Employees interpret it differently – leading to frustration, mistakes and misalignment, which disrupts focus and is costly in terms of time, money and morale.

Good communication occurs when senior leaders first brief managers, align talking points, and explain the why behind the change. Then it is followed up with other communications tactics such as town halls, Q&As, Intranet or web articles, podcasts or videos, department meetings and more. Implementation is faster and more effective, engagement increases and achievement is measurable.

If you want alignment, resilience and real results – invest in communications the same way you invest in operations, finance and technology, because every one of those relies on people understanding and acting on clear messages.

10/16/2025

When the stakes are high, you don’t need a vendor—you need a communications partner who’s been there before, knows what to do, and who cares.

With decades of experience in communications—as journalists, consultants and strategists—the AHA Creative Strategies team has seen how the right strategy can change everything. From translating complex biotech breakthroughs to navigating government reforms to guiding organizations through change (and so much more!), we work with leaders across the private and public sectors to help them to communicate with clarity and confidence.

At AHA, we’re more than consultants—we’re partners. We’re a seasoned team whose skills fit seamlessly together: strategy, design, project management, writing and editing. Clients trust us because we bring calmness, clarity and proven expertise—even in high-pressure situations.

When you choose AHA, you’re not just hiring a communicator—you’re gaining a strategic partner who anticipates risks, seizes opportunities and delivers measurable results. We’ve built our reputation on being the people you call when the stakes are high and communications have to be right.

10/14/2025

Listening to Your Communications Professional

The most expensive communications mistakes are often the ones you never saw coming—because they weren’t identified and prevented.

Strong communicators do more than wordsmith. We’re trained to see around corners—to anticipate how messages will land, where risks lie, and how to create impact that supports organizational goals. Interestingly enough, at least in our experience at AHA, employees also speak to us when they feel that something is wrong or an opportunity is being missed. We often recognize challenging trends as they are emerging.

When leaders listen to their communications professionals, they gain more than a polished news release or newsletter—they avoid costly mistakes, save time, and build trust with their employees and stakeholders.

We’ve all seen the alternative: a CEO firing off a late-night “casual” email about a failed project that ends up leaked to the media or blasted out on social media, an unhappy former employee airing grievances in the industry, confidential information “accidentally” being shared on LinkedIn, or an off-the-cuff comment in an interview that spirals into a reputational crisis. Those moments are difficult (and expensive) to undo.

Here’s what isn’t always visible from the outside: a strong communications professional is often behind the scenes shaping strategies, flagging risks before they become issues, and ensuring that the right tone reaches the right audience at the right time.

We act as trusted advisors to leaders—coaching them on media interviews, internal presentations, and sensitive or challenging conversations. That guidance often saves them from missteps—ones that never make the news precisely because they were prevented.

The impact isn’t just anecdotal. It’s measurable: higher employee engagement, an increase in business development opportunities and signed contracts, stronger stakeholder trust, favourable media coverage, better recruitment and retention, and a reputation that holds steady—even under pressure. None of this comes from one-off, responsive communications. It takes investment and a commitment to ongoing authentic, transparent and engaging communications efforts.

The paradox is that when communications is working well, it can feel invisible—like anyone could do it. However, when it’s missing, ignored or handed over to someone who doesn’t have the expertise, the gaps quickly become apparent.

Listening to your communications professional isn’t just helpful; it’s essential to long-term success. A smart organization sees their communications professional as a trusted strategic advisor—not an order taker.

10/08/2025

The Value of Internal Communications

Bad news spreads faster than facts—and without strong internal communications, rumours will always win.

Internal communications is often underestimated—until something goes wrong. When employees are unsure of what’s happening, rumours spread, confusion builds and productivity declines. We’ve all seen it: a restructuring email sent at 4:59 p.m. on a Friday, or a policy or process change explained so poorly that it creates more worry than clarity. The result? Frustration, loss of trust, and sometimes public fallout.

Professional internal communications makes all the difference. A clear, thoughtful approach keeps people informed, aligned and engaged. It ensures that staff understand not just the “what” but the “why,” building trust, morale and resilience—especially in tough times.

What often goes unseen is that skilled internal communicators do far more than write emails or build PowerPoint decks. They support leaders with professional messaging, coach junior staff on presentations and business etiquette, and raise the overall standard and effectiveness of communications across the organization.

The results are measurable: stronger engagement, fewer misunderstandings, more effective collaboration, lower turnover, and a culture where people feel informed and respected.

Internal communications isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a core strategic function that strengthens culture and ensures that the team feels valued and heard, and that the knowledge base across the organization is consistent.

10/06/2025

Words Matter During a Crisis

During emergencies – whether in housing, health care, public safety or an issue that happens to a private company – the words that leaders choose and how they say them can set the tone for how those impacted feel and respond. Clear, compassionate language can build trust and create calmness – while vague, careless or self-involved wording can fuel fear, anger, uncertainty or speculation.

In a crisis, people aren’t just looking for facts – they’re looking for direction, reassurance and compassion. In fact, one of the most well-known experts in high-risk communications, Dr. Vincent Covello, identifies three key points to remember when a challenge hits: Concern. Compassion. Optimism. This format has been validated over decades.

The way information is delivered often determines whether people feel confident in the response or feel adrift without clarity. A single phrase can de-escalate tension, show empathy and inspire collective action. Conversely, one poorly chosen word can spark confusion, mistrust or panic. That’s why communications in a crisis is more than just transmitting information – it’s about providing stability and building trust with those affected.

Using the skills of a professional communicator is one of the best things an organization can do for itself when facing a crisis. The right, authentic words can steady the ground beneath people’s feet, reminding them that someone who cares is listening and leading the way forward.

At its best, communications is more than messaging; it is a source of facts, trust, compassion and hope.

10/01/2025

Behind the Scenes: Writing for Humans

It’s easy to think that communications is about polishing words until they sound corporate or, worse, “intellectual.” (For the record – we love smart people, but writing to make yourself look intelligent isn’t what smart people do.) The fact is that effective writing isn’t about showing off. It’s about creating a genuine connection with the people reading, viewing or hearing what you have to say. It’s about understanding what they want to hear. It’s a two-way street.

That means stripping away jargon, steering clear of language that feels like a legal brief, resisting the urge to over-explain, and choosing words that are clear, relatable and human. Writing “simply” is often the hardest type of writing to achieve – but it’s what makes messages resonate and stick.

At its heart, a communicator’s role is to help clients share information in a way that engages, tells a story, and can be easily understood by the people who matter most. Achieving this isn’t easy. In fact, it’s challenging as heck – and we love it when we see our client’s message land and mean something to people. That is why we come to work every day. Of course, it’s also why you can see our writers looking off into space as they work through the language of the story they are helping a client share.

09/24/2025

Biotech. Policy. Agtech. The justice system. Policing. Health care. Forestry management. Education. Housing. Emergency management. Life sciences. Travel and tourism. The arts. Federal, provincial and regional governments…

Every field has its own language – and without careful translation, critical insights risk being lost. Strong communicators bridge the gap between experts and broader audiences, ensuring that technical brilliance informs real-world decisions.

Strategic communications is the art of turning complex ideas into clear, compelling stories that resonate with both subject matter experts and non-experts alike. Striking this balance is not easy, and it takes a skilled communicator to make it happen – and to sustain it.

09/22/2025

As communications professionals, we do our work in a volatile world. Shifting perceptions, actions and events that are out of our control, and political decisions in Victoria, Ottawa, Washington or beyond, can change public perception in a single headline.

When the world feels unpredictable, effective communicators know that being informed is key (you can’t just pay attention randomly; your attention has to be consistent) and that agility matters. It’s about anticipating change, monitoring signals, and crafting messages that keep organizations credible and steady – even when the external landscape is anything but.

It is a challenging role, but seasoned communications teams lean into it, helping clients to navigate the sometimes, or maybe often, rough waters we consistently seem to be in these days.