Enabling Innovation 
Through Strategic Communication

Storytelling, Strategy, and Skill-Building to Help You Engage Collaborators and Drive Change

Enabling Innovation 
Through Strategic Communication

Storytelling, Strategy, and Skill-Building to Help You Engage Collaborators and Drive Change

Enabling Innovation 
Through Strategic Communication

Storytelling, Strategy, and Skill-Building to Help You Engage Collaborators and Drive Change

Expertise comes with a heavy price:
the burden of knowledge translation

Some have called it "the curse of knowledge." We call it the Innovator's Paradox.

The more novel and complex your ideas, the harder it is to convey them effectively to someone who doesn't share your education and experience. And when you can't find the language and visuals to express your vision, it feels like your plans for innovation are stuck in a tangle of concepts and data.

We help you get unstuck so you can move your vision forward.

When you communicate with deep understanding and appreciation of your audience's perspective, you foster the human-to-human connection you need to bridge the gap between your world and theirs. 

If you're communicating with an internal audience, that means the difference between your technical documents or presentations getting read or tossed into the "Don't Understand, Don't Care" bin.

If you're targeting an external audience, it means the difference between messaging and content that gets people excited about your cutting-edge ideas and technology or just falls flat.

Expertise comes with a heavy price: the burden of knowledge translation

Some have called it "the curse of knowledge." We call it the Innovator's Paradox.

The more novel and complex your ideas, the harder it is to convey them effectively to someone who doesn't share your education and experience. And when you can't find the language and visuals to express your vision, it feels like your plans for innovation are stuck in a tangle of concepts and data.

We help you get unstuck so you can move your vision forward.

When you communicate with deep understanding and appreciation of your audience's perspective, you foster the human-to-human connection you need to bridge the gap between your world and theirs. 

If you're communicating with an internal audience, that means the difference between your technical documents or presentations getting read or tossed into the "Don't Understand, Don't Care" bin.

If you're targeting an external audience, it means the difference between messaging and content that gets people excited about your cutting-edge ideas and technology or just falls flat.

Expertise comes with a heavy price: the burden of knowledge translation

Some have called it "the curse of knowledge." We call it the Innovator's Paradox.

The more novel and complex your ideas, the harder it is to convey them effectively to someone who doesn't share your education and experience. And when you can't find the language and visuals to express your vision, it feels like your plans for innovation are stuck in a tangle of concepts and data.


We help you get unstuck so you can move your vision forward.

When you communicate with deep understanding and appreciation of your audience's perspective, you foster the human-to-human connection you need to bridge the gap between your world and theirs. 

If you're communicating with an internal audience, that means the difference between your technical documents or presentations getting read or tossed into the "Don't Understand, Don't Care" bin.

If you're targeting an external audience, it means the difference between messaging and content that gets people excited about your cutting-edge ideas and technology or just falls flat.

Is weak communication hindering your ability to innovate?

Strong, strategic communication promotes five critical factors needed for innovation to flourish:

  • Financial sustainability—Woo investors, win grants, and convince customers or clients to buy.

  • Productivity—Minimize bottlenecks in internal communication and the misunderstandings that cause costly project delays.

  • Creativity—Share emergent ideas in ways that kindle enthusiasm and spark creative contributions from others.

  • Collaboration—Get everyone focused on a common vision and motivated to work toward it, replacing friction with clarity and cooperation.

  • Change management—Help employees and others accept and embrace change so they become allies, not obstacles.

Which of these factors is holding your organization back?

What difference could it make to improve the quality of communication across your organization?

Is weak communication hindering your ability to innovate?

Strong, strategic communication promotes five critical factors needed for innovation to flourish:

  • Financial sustainability—Woo investors, win grants, and convince customers or clients to buy.

  • Productivity—Minimize bottlenecks in internal communication and the misunderstandings that cause costly project delays.

  • Creativity—Share emergent ideas in ways that kindle enthusiasm and spark creative contributions from others.

  • Collaboration—Get everyone focused on a common vision and motivated to work toward it, replacing friction with clarity and cooperation.

  • Change management—Help employees and others accept and embrace change so they become allies, not obstacles.

Which of these factors is holding your organization back?

What difference could it make to improve the quality of communication across your organization?

Our flexible approach moves at the pace of innovation

As a fast-moving organization operating at the edge of radical change, you need communication support that fits the way you work.

We integrate seamlessly into your team so you can access exactly the kind and level of support you need to get unblocked and increase your impact. 

No cookie-cutter approaches here. Depending on the innovation success factor you want to improve, we provide the customized service, or blend of services, that will help you meet your specific goals:

  • Storytelling—We'll take a communication product off your plate so you can focus on other, more pressing concerns. Our specialty is creating highly complex communication products, such as reports, white papers, proposals, eBooks, training materials, and grant applications.

  • Strategy—We'll help you develop a strategy to build the communication skills of your workforce or amplify your external messaging. We create training plans and strategic communication plans.

  • Skill-building—We'll conduct a needs assessment to help you decide on the best approach to building in-house capacity for communication. Then we'll provide group training, team coaching, or executive coaching targeting specific learning outcomes.

Our flexible approach moves at the pace of innovation

As a fast-moving organization operating at the edge of radical change, you need communication support that fits the way you work.

We integrate seamlessly into your team so you can access exactly the kind and level of support you need to get unblocked and increase your impact. 

No cookie-cutter approaches here. Depending on the innovation success factor you want to improve, we provide the customized service, or blend of services, that will help you meet your specific goals:

  • Storytelling—We'll take a communication product off your plate so you can focus on other, more pressing concerns. Our specialty is creating highly complex communication products, such as reports, white papers, proposals, eBooks, training materials, and grant applications.

  • Strategy—We'll help you develop a strategy to build the communication skills of your workforce or amplify your external messaging. We create training plans and strategic communication plans.

  • Skill-building—We'll conduct a needs assessment to help you decide on the best approach to building in-house capacity for communication. Then we'll provide group training, team coaching, or executive coaching targeting specific learning outcomes.

Wondering where to start tackling communication challenges?

We'll diagnose the specific issues gumming up the gears
of your internal work processes or your external communications (or both).

Then we'll work with you to develop a customized plan to overcome
those glitches and set you up for ongoing success.

Wondering where to start tackling communication challenges?

We'll diagnose the specific issues gumming up the gears of your internal work processes or your external communications (or both).

Then we'll work with you to develop a customized plan to overcome those glitches and set you up for ongoing success.

Your complex subject matter requires a deep-thinking collaborator

Hi! I'm Dr. Dawn Henwood, Founder of Clarity Connect.

I specialize in distilling complex ideas down to their essence and conveying that meaning to non-experts in ways that engage, educate, and inspire.

Over the past 25 years, I've taught or coached engineers, IT professionals, scientists, technical founders, consultants, and others with highly specialized knowledge. I've helped such clients produce academic writing, technical documents, pitch decks, research impact stories, online training, videos, reports, infographics, and more.

Along the way, I've written two books on business writing and created more than a dozen communication courses, including a multi-level writing program for IT consultants in a global consulting firm and the Technical Writing Certificate program offered through Dalhousie University's Faculty of Open Learning.


"As an academic, I have found knowledge translation to be an invaluable tool in disseminating my research to a wider audience. Leveraging her years of experience in knowledge translation, Dawn helped me communicate the significance and relevance of my work to individuals outside of my field, including policymakers, community leaders, and members of the general public. Working with Dawn has really enhanced my ability to impact the world through my research. Thanks again, Dawn!"

Dr. Ethan Pancer, Sobey Professor of Marketing at Saint Mary's University

We wrote the book on communicating innovative ideas


When you’re sharing novel ideas, your audience can’t rely on a pre-existing frame of reference. You need to think outside traditional textbook strategies for business or technical communication.

Business Writing for Innovators and Change-Makers enables you to meet your audience where they are and steer them toward your vision. Rooted in real-world advice from the startup ecosystem, it’s filled with practical ad vice and tools to help you change the world.

Your complex subject matter requires a deep-thinking collaborator

Hi! I'm Dr. Dawn Henwood, Founder of Clarity Connect.

I specialize in distilling complex ideas down to their essence and conveying that meaning to non-experts in ways that engage, educate, and inspire.

Over the past 25 years, I've taught or coached engineers, IT professionals, scientists, technical founders, consultants, and others with highly specialized knowledge. I've helped such clients produce academic writing, technical documents, pitch decks, research impact stories, online training, videos, reports, infographics, and more.

Along the way, I've written two books on business writing and created more than a dozen communication courses, including a multi-level writing program for IT consultants in a global consulting firm and the Technical Writing Certificate program offered through Dalhousie University's Faculty of Open Learning.

Your complex subject matter requires a deep-thinking collaborator

Hi! I'm Dr. Dawn Henwood, Founder of Clarity Connect.

I specialize in distilling complex ideas down to their essence and conveying that meaning to non-experts in ways that engage, educate, and inspire.

Over the past 25 years, I've taught or coached engineers, IT professionals, scientists, technical founders, consultants, and others with highly specialized knowledge. I've helped such clients produce academic writing, technical documents, pitch decks, research impact stories, online training, videos, reports, infographics, and more.

Along the way, I've written two books on business writing and created more than a dozen communication courses, including a multi-level writing program for IT consultants in a global consulting firm and the Technical Writing Certificate program offered through Dalhousie University's Faculty of Open Learning.

How well are your current communication products doing their job?

Grab your copy of the diagnostic tool we use with clients who face the difficult challenge of sharing complex concepts with audeinces outside their zone of expertise.

The tool comes with a video tutorial to help you use it effectively, either on your own or as part of a team.

Assessing your current performance is the first step toward enhancing it!


"As an academic, I have found knowledge translation to be an invaluable tool in disseminating my research to a wider audience. Leveraging her years of experience in knowledge translation, Dawn helped me communicate the significance and relevance of my work to individuals outside of my field, including policymakers, community leaders, and members of the general public. Working with Dawn has really enhanced my ability to impact the world through my research. Thanks again, Dawn!"

Dr. Ethan Pancer, Sobey Professor of Marketing at Saint Mary's University

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