Drawing the Line: What Communications Is — And Isn’t

Most communications professionals know the feeling: you’re looped in late, after the decisions are made, the strategy is set, and now it’s time for a press release, a slide deck, and a social plan. We’ve long advocated for earlier involvement, and rightly so. Our work shapes how something is understood and received, which means we need a seat at the table from the start.

But just as importantly, we need to be clear about what communications doesn’t own.

We are responsible for the corporate voice and channels. And while we can support more individual or program-specific content, we do so as strategic partners, not as owners. When those boundaries blur, roles get distorted, expectations drift, and the work suffers on all sides.

Communications is a soft discipline. It’s not always well-defined. It straddles strategy, operations, storytelling, and service. The lack of hard edges can make our roles feel fluid, and fluidity can be a strength, up to a point. But it also opens the door to scope creep, burnout, and confusion. Even experienced communicators can take years to understand the contours of their role in a particular organization. What do we own and what do we advise on? When are we collaborators and when are we service providers?

The answers shift depending on team size, culture, and leadership expectations, but some version of the same dilemmas crops up repeatedly. Your fundraising team wants to launch a campaign. Who sets the message and who executes the tactics? A program lead gets a complaint from a client. Do you write the response or just review it? HR is hiring. Do you help with positioning or are you suddenly responsible for the posting and promotion? A team needs a deck for an event. Are you building it or refining what they’ve drafted?

Most of us have found ourselves, more than once, wondering if we’re being too generous — or too uncooperative. While there is no one-size-fits-all rulebook, I’ve found a few principles that help draw the line without damaging the relationships that matter.

Start With the Generalist/Expert Model

One of the simplest, most respectful boundary-setting tools is this: remind your colleagues that they are the subject matter experts and you are the generalist helping shape their insight into something that resonates.

This framing does two important things. First, it affirms their expertise; you’re not taking over, you’re amplifying. Second, it clarifies yours. You’re not there to be the authority on content, but to make the content understandable, engaging, and aligned with the corporate voice.

Campaigns We Don’t Own But Can Help Make Stronger

In a well-functioning organization, every team brings expertise, and with that comes ownership. When HR launches a recruitment effort or fundraising leads a donor campaign, those initiatives belong to them. They set the strategy, know the audience, and understand what moves the needle.

However, because these campaigns are fundamentally about communication — with potential candidates, donors, or partners — the lines between functions can get fuzzy. Is the comms team being asked to advise, or to write? To review a plan or to own it? To support or to lead?

Here’s the thing: HR and fundraising are already strong communicators. They bring deep expertise in how to reach and resonate with their specific audiences. They know the tactics that typically work, and they understand the nuances that can make or break a campaign in their space.

Our role in communications isn’t to replace that — it’s to elevate it. We can offer a strategic lens, sharpen messaging, ensure alignment with the organizational voice, values, and brand identity. We’re also the bridge to broader visibility, helping surface campaigns across corporate platforms when it makes sense.

When ‘Can You Just Write This?’ Is a Red Flag

Let’s say your colleague has been asked to present on a program to an external audience of specific stakeholders. Instead of drafting the content, they send over several background documents and ask, “Can you pull together a presentation?”

If you recommended doing a news release for this, then yes, you’d be writing it, after combing through the documents. That would be a generalist type of document, meant for a broader audience. But for a presentation that they will be doing a to a select, probably somewhat specialized external group that requires more policy knowledge and nuance, that’s a no.

That’s their job. They know the content. They understand what matters. They’re the ones who need to decide what to focus on and what the key takeaway is. In this case, synthesis is part of their responsibility, not yours. Your role kicks in after they’ve put together a rough draft, or at least a clear outline. Then you can step in to elevate it: polish the language, ensure alignment with voice and values, and make the final product visually sharp and on brand.

Make Exceptions Deliberately, Not by Default

Sometimes, you’ll break your own rule. You’ll write the deck. You’ll take on the full draft. You’ll carry a project further than planned because someone’s overwhelmed, or saying no just isn’t viable. This is especially true in smaller organizations where the communications team may need to stretch beyond its usual boundaries.

It’s also important to recognize the dynamics at play. If a senior executive personally asks for support, if a program is under intense pressure, or if the organization is navigating massive change, these situations call for a different kind of treatment.

That’s okay. That’s real life. But make those calls deliberately. When you consistently take things on, people assume it’s your job — and that’s how communications roles get distorted.

Push Back Without Creating Friction

Boundary-setting in communications often happens in the gray. You’re negotiating roles in real time, often with teams you want strong relationships with. The pushback has to feel collaborative. A few go-to phrases that help:

• Let’s divide and conquer. You bring the content; I’ll help shape it.
• You know this space better than I do. I’ll need your input to get it right.
• That sounds like a great idea. Why don’t you sketch the approach and I’ll help position it?

Small shifts like these can set big boundaries — without making waves.

Why Boundaries Make You Better at Your Job

Every time you stay out of content development that doesn’t require your expertise, you preserve energy for the work that does. You make space for strategy. You catch reputational risks before they escalate. You spot messaging gaps and align narratives across silos. You think about what audiences need — and shape stories that resonate.

That’s not extra. That’s the job. Which is why it’s worth defending your role — not with rigidity, but with clarity.