You Didn’t Hear This From Me

When Maggie released a Dez Reads on the Normal Gossip podcast, I was thrilled as it has been a guilty pleasure of mine and frequent discussion topic with friends for the past few years. While Maggie is a Normal Gossip disciple, I’m more of a fair-weather fan who tunes in for the best episodes. It’s always fun to connect with people over shared interests and we both resonate deeply with the same absurd, anonymous stories despite having generally different interests.

Normal Gossip’s cross generation appeal got us thinking, why does this podcast feel so universal? It’s because gossip is the great equalizer. What started as watercooler banter about our guilty pleasure pastime overflowed into thinking more seriously about the role gossip plays in business, politics, media, and much more. Gossip is not just entertainment. It is a way people process information, build connections, and shape narratives. Whether intentional or not, gossip influences people. In communications and in crisis management, perception can shape outcomes more than facts can.

Gossip is often dismissed as idle chatter, but that underestimates its influence. It functions as an information network, a way to build trust, and in some cases, a weapon. In our work, gossip can be a strategic tool or a wildfire that needs to be managed.

Gossip as a Strategy

Gossip has always been a fixture in society. You can go back as far as Ancient Greece and see how mythology was shaped by word of mouth and then imagine how some of those stories likely developed into the tales we now share.

Until recently, what we now call gossip was simply how people shared news. Before modern communication tools existed, word of mouth, rumors, and handwritten letters spread most of the information. By World War I, gossip had become more formal through telegrams and intercepted messages. These signals were often incomplete but still carried significant weight. Soldiers used rumors to try to make sense of chaos. Narratives formed quickly from fragments of information.

That pattern still exists. Whether you call it gossip, intel, or inside knowledge, people rely on informal channels to understand what is really happening. In many organizations, those informal conversations carry more influence than the official memos or town halls.

Gossip as a Strength

Whisper networks and casual conversations are not just background noise. They can drive real results. One of the best recent examples was the campaign behind Barbie. Before the film was even released, it had already become a cultural event. That did not happen through trailers and traditional ads alone. It happened through tweets, memes, group chats, fashion blogs, think pieces, and everyday conversations. The campaign worked by embedding the film into culture before anyone could judge it on its own merit.

That is the effect of strong informal messaging. It makes people feel like insiders. It builds momentum.

For many of our clients, who are often under intense public scrutiny, learning to use these informal channels is essential. When paired with formal communications, strategic leaks and behind-the-scenes conversations can help shift the narrative. People are going to talk either way. It is often better to guide that conversation than ignore it.

For example, if a company is facing false allegations, a public denial may not resonate. People are often looking for something that feels more revealing. A leaked internal email, an off-the-record comment, or a quote placed in a niche outlet can often do more to influence perception than a formal statement.

Gossip as a Weakness

The downside is that once a rumor spreads, it becomes hard to contain. For example, NVIDIA experienced this recently when speculation about DeepSeek’s technology caused significant stock volatility. The rumors spread faster than the facts could catch up. That type of event shows how quickly misinformation can escalate, especially when the false version of a story is more compelling than the truth.

Managing gossip is not just about getting the correct information out. It requires understanding how narratives evolve and how to redirect them. That means identifying who is amplifying the story, tracking what versions of it are gaining traction, and deciding when and how to respond. Sometimes that involves introducing a different story that gains attention for the right reasons.

This does not only apply externally. Inside an organization, employees also talk. When there is internal unrest, such as a major policy change, speculation fills the gap left by slow communication. If leadership does not respond quickly and clearly, employees may feel ignored. Frustrations that could have been addressed internally often spill into the public and escalate. Leadership needs to communicate early, directly, and honestly so that people feel informed and heard before they draw their own conclusions.

Gossip as the Reality

Gossip is not just a distraction or a vice. It is a way people make sense of the world around them. As Kelsey McKinney writes in You Didn’t Hear This From Me, gossip helps people connect, assess their place in a group, and shape their understanding of events.

For people in communications, and especially in crisis work, that reality cannot be ignored. Gossip will always exist. The goal is not to eliminate it but to understand how it works and use it carefully.

Influence often comes down to controlling the story. In our world, the real advantage lies not just in knowing what people are saying -- but in helping shape what they say next.