🎤 “Radical candour — brutal honesty with respect — makes the relationship work and gets you to better work.” 🎤

— Hattie, Laura, and Fern from Uncharted Studio

For the first time ever, I met up with 3 lovely people at once for a “Quick Conversation 🎤” — and I hope you think we get away with it!

Huge thanks to Hattie Matthews (CEO), Laura Jordan Bernbach (Chief Creative Officer), and Fern Miller (CSO) from Uncharted Studio for the Quick Conversation

So I asked:

👉 What’s The Key 🔑 to successful client–agency relationships?

🧠 The consensus from the Uncharted team: Radical candour.

Brutal honesty, tempered by respect.

Here are some of the highlights:

1️⃣ Hattie: “Create a safe space for listening where clients feel they’re actually being heard.”

2️⃣ Fern: “Agree up front that it’s okay to disagree — and know it’s not personal.”

3️⃣ Fern (quoting Simon Gill): “Be hard on the work, gentle on the people.”

4️⃣ Laura: “There’s a difference between listening and really listening — it’s about responding thoughtfully, not just selling.”

5️⃣ Hattie: “Blunt feedback, handled with openness, can lead to some of the best work.”

In their words, this approach helps turn clients into collaborators — working together to produce bold, brave ideas.

🙏 Huge thanks to Hattie, Laura, and Fern for this insightful conversation, and for showing how radical candour can create strong partnerships and better creative.

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