In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine how companies can adjust their Washington strategies while maintaining credibility with employees and customers. Craig shares research across roughly 845 companies that found limited public communication about the midterms, with most statements focused on business implications rather than civic participation. Steve and Craig explore the consequences of political alignment, corporate silence, and commitments that remain on the public record long after companies stop discussing them. They outline how communications audits, employee conversations, and routine narrative governance can help companies explain what’s changing, what still stands, and why.

Takeaways

• Limited public communication about voting support doesn’t establish that companies discontinued benefits or stopped communicating internally. 
• Favorable policy decisions and approved deals don’t establish stakeholder trust. 
• Earlier commitments remain part of a company’s public record. 

Topics Mentioned
2026 midterms, corporate political alignment, civic participation, employee voting benefits, corporate silence, stakeholder trust, corporate values, congressional oversight, communications audits, narrative accretion, narrative governance, operational sequence integrity, employee communication, investor communication, diversity commitments, artificial intelligence, corporate reputation

Companies Mentioned
The Economist, Axios, Forbes, LinkedIn, Lyft, Patagonia, PayPal, PBS, OpenAI, Target, Costco, Exxon, Disney, The New York Times

Episode Hashtags
#TheEconomist #Axios #Forbes #LinkedIn #Lyft #Patagonia #PayPal #PBS #OpenAI #Target #Costco #Exxon #Disney #TheNewYorkTimes #CommunicationBreakdown #CorporateCommunications #PublicRelations #CorporateReputation #Midterms2026 #CorporateValues #StakeholderTrust #EmployeeCommunications #NarrativeGovernance #CongressionalOversight #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork

Communication Breakdown is a production of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation.
Hosted by Craig Carroll and Steve Dowling.
Produced in partnership with Advocast Leadership Advisory and  Shawn P Neal.

For questions, feedback, or episode suggestions, reach out at podcasts@ocrnetwork.com