WASHINGTON, DC — Communicators need to fight the tendency to be risk-averse and encourage clients to question the way things have always been done and leaders to admit to uncertainty, PRovokeGlobal's Summit heard today.

Speaking during a panel discussion with author and social entrepreneur Seth Goldenberg, Havas PR Collective global chair and CEO of Red Havas James Wright said there was more openness especially at C-suite level to be OK with not knowing all the answers.

"It's better to build trust by saying I don't have all the answers right now, but we're going to put 110% effort into finding those answers. That builds trust, and the journey is as important as the answers themselves," he said.

Wright and Goldenberg were discussing the concept of "radical curiosity", after which Goldenberg's new book is named.

"Radical curiosity is about questioning commonly-held beliefs to imagine a flourishing future," Goldenberg said. "As a society, uncertainty is our worst enemy and part of what I believe radical curiosity can do is require us to get comfortable with not knowing. The communicator has an opportunity to listen and articulate."

Wright agreed: "It's our job as communicators, certainly in agencies, to push clients to be more curious."

The concept can also be applied to corporate culture, and Wright cited the example of "quiet quitting", the phenomenon highlighted by a Tik Tok video of people working only the exact hours and tasks their jobs demand.

"It should be a noisy debate around where are the boundaries between work and home — we should be having these candid conversations," said Wright.

Goldenberg added that the pandemic had caused many assumptions to be "fundamentally shaken". 

"Honing the skill to thrive within uncertainty will be a new kind of recognition."