CommStrat Communication & Ideation

07/09/2026

Some of the things that matter most will never appear on a scorecard.

I spend a great deal of my professional life thinking about change, leadership, strategy and impact. And then there are moments like this.

My grandson doesn't care about any of those things. He simply knows whether I am present. Whether I listen. Whether he feels safe, loved and delighted to be with me.

Perhaps there is something in that for leadership too.

Long after people have forgotten the presentation, the strategy or the clever words, they may still remember how it felt to work with us.
? Did we notice them?
? Did we believe in them?
? Did we make them a little braver?
? Did they grow because our paths crossed?

Maybe that is one of the most meaningful measures of a life well lived, and a leader well remembered.

24/07/2026

I’m very pleased to be serving a second term on the IABC Africa Region Board as Director of Quills.

I’ve chosen to continue because this work means a great deal to me.

Through the Africa Silver Quill Awards and the Africa Blue Ribbon Panel for the global Gold Quill Awards, I get to see some of the very best communication work being done across our continent and beyond.

It’s a privilege to help recognise work that doesn’t simply look good, but genuinely makes a difference.

Great communication helps organisations move forward. It builds trust, gives people clarity during change, strengthens relationships, protects reputation and helps turn strategy into action.

I also care deeply about ensuring that excellent African communication is seen, respected and celebrated on the global stage. There is extraordinary work being done across our continent, and African practitioners deserve to help shape the global conversation about what communication excellence looks like.

To fellow communication and PR practitioners: don’t build your career in isolation.

Join the conversations that stretch your thinking. Learn from others. Share what you know. Enter your best work. Help strengthen the profession we all care about.

And consider joining IABC.

Our profession becomes stronger when we don’t only work in it, but also help shape its future.

21/07/2026

We cannot ask people to carry change without first understanding what they are already carrying.
Today, I had the privilege of facilitating a deeply honest employee wellbeing and change session with the remarkable team.
Using the CommStrat Hybrid Change Model and Change Reflection Map, we explored the human experience of change: the pressure people carry, the energy they have available and the practical support they need from one another to keep moving forward.
What made the session powerful was not the model or the process. It was the people.
The Penreach team participated with openness, courage, creativity and genuine care for one another. They reminded me that meaningful change begins when people feel safe enough to speak honestly—and valued enough to know that their voices matter.
Thank you, Penreach, for once again entrusting CommStrat Communication & Ideation with your people and your purpose.
Supporting Penreach forms part of CommStrat’s annual Mandela Month commitment: using professional expertise to strengthen organisations whose work creates lasting change in the lives of others.
When we invest in the people who carry the purpose, the purpose becomes stronger.

26/05/2026

This month, I’ve spent more time than usual with leadership teams trying to understand why transformation efforts don’t land.

The work has taken me into different industries - manufacturing, insurance and global logistics - but the pattern is surprisingly similar. The strategy is usually not the real problem. The problem starts afterwards, when leaders and managers have to turn that strategy into something people can understand, explain and act on.

That’s where most transformation efforts I’m brought in to work on have already failed to launch.

Leaders don't always model the change consistently. Managers are expected to translate the change but are not always equipped to do that effectively.

Employees hear the direction, but don't always understand what it means for their own work. Communication happens, but it doesn't always build shared understanding and trust. And without follow-through, people quietly drift back to what they know.

People don't transform because they saw the slides, OR because it was mandated from the top.

They transform when the new way becomes visible, supported and part of daily work. And that's where communication becomes a leadership tool and where many transformation efforts quietly succeed or fail.

If your strategy is clear on paper but not landing - let’s talk.

17/05/2026

A first for me today.

Travel is a big part of my work, and one of the things I value most is that it takes me to new places and some of the most beautiful parts of our country.

But today was different.

For the first time, a client sent their own plane to collect me.

It was a special moment, but also a humbling one.

Because the real story is not the flight. It is the trust behind it. I'm off to work with a client and their management team as they formulate their business strategy.

These are the rooms where clarity matters. Where leaders pause, think carefully, make sense of the road ahead, and align around the decisions that will shape the business.

I never take that kind of trust lightly.

A memorable start to an important day of work.

13/05/2026

Super stoked to share this one.
When words save lives: Communication as a business control tool has been selected the 2026 IABC Gold Quill Best of the Best Award Winner in Internal Communication.
The work brought together strategic collaboration and co-creation between Christine Breet Communication and Elsabe Coetzee of CommStrat Communication and Ideation.
For CommStrat, this recognition is a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when communication specialists work together, challenge the thinking and stay focused on the real business problem.
Communication is not decoration. It is a business discipline.

09/04/2026

It has been both an honour and a privilege to lead IABC Africa’s Blue Ribbon Panel in the Gold Quill Awards Programme.
The true highlight, however, has been the opportunity to work alongside — and learn from — some of the most exceptional communication talent in the world.

09/04/2026

Today was a good day to be happy. It was a privilege to be part of TWK Agri Timber Division's IABC Africa's Silver Quill of Excellence Award for work that promotes Accountability, Growing trust, Resilience, and Innovation. Blessed to be working with business leaders who inspire! Dietmar Schroeder

05/04/2026

Working in the communication world in South Africa, our work often moves between business priorities and the broader social realities around us.

And sometimes, you come across work that stays with you. Hannah Trichardt

Feeding families where survival is uncertain. Creating safe spaces for children to grow and learn. Walking alongside women as they rebuild their lives with dignity and strength.

What resonates deeply with me is the work with children — especially in those early, formative years — and the quiet, critical support given when survival comes down to the next meal.

That is the work of the Hanna Charity and Empowerment Foundation.

A few hours ago, they were named Community Empowerment Organisation of the Year 2025/2026 in Miami.

And perhaps that matters — because it reflects something real:
this work is seen, it is felt, and it is changing lives in ways that truly matter.

To Hannah, and to Charlene, Sune, Karina, Lizal, Debbie, Zettie, Karin, Janetta — thank you for the lives you are touching, every single day.

If you’d like to see more about their work or support them:

Offering Hope, Restoring Dignity