You placed a candidate who interviewed brilliantly. Ninety days later, the client is asking why they're not landing with the team. Your reputation was riding on a read you couldn't actually verify.
An interview tells you how someone performs under interview conditions. It doesn't tell you how they'll communicate under deadline pressure, in conflict, or in front of a client. Silk gives you that evidence — a standardised Communication Signature™ you can put behind a placement, not just a hunch.
Methodology open to independent academic review — see the reviewer pack. Booking and contact options are at the bottom of the page.
Request a pilot Communication Intelligence Brief.
Two live candidates — plus a third candidate free. Three full recruiter-facing briefs delivered within 24 hours. Fixed £1,500 — no subscription, no implementation.
£1,500 — two live candidates, plus a third candidate free. Full Communication Intelligence Brief for each, delivered within 24 hours. Share a few details and we'll confirm within one working day.
Communication capability remains one of the least directly measured variables in senior selection.
Interviews surface prepared performance. References describe past behaviour second-hand. Psychometrics describe trait disposition. None of these instruments observe communication effectiveness itself.
Silk Clarity provides a structured framework for assessing how candidates establish credibility, calibrate to stakeholders, navigate scrutiny, and influence outcomes — a measurable communication profile that sits alongside the instruments search firms already trust.
One Communication Signature™. Many evidence sources.
AI synthesises evidence. People make decisions. Every insight is traceable to its source.
- Communication BaselineRequired
Unprompted spoken sample captured before any reflection.
Establishes an unprimed reference point for every dimension.
- Self-ReportRequired
Structured reflection on self-perceived communication.
Adds the participant's own perspective alongside observed behaviour.
- Professional Communication ExerciseRequired
Scenario-based communication activities under realistic professional demands.
Provides observable behaviour in defined communication contexts.
- Live Communication AssessmentOptional
Live practitioner conversation adding dynamic behavioural evidence.
Adds interactive, dynamic evidence not visible in asynchronous formats.
- Written Communication Sample
- Multi-Rater Observation
What the brief delivers.
Stronger basis for shortlist recommendation
Reduced reliance on impressionistic judgement
Earlier visibility of leadership communication risk
Calibrated input to client-facing recommendation
Structured input to onboarding and first-90-days planning
Material differentiation against fixed-fee market entrants
How a brief is produced.
Invite from your portal
A shortlisted candidate is added inside the Silk Clarity Hiring portal and receives an invitation co-presented as part of your search process — not positioned as a test.
Candidate completes a 10–12 minute assessment
The same methodology commissioned directly by senior executives reviewing their own communication. Calibrated, signal-rich, and respectful of candidate time.
The brief is delivered
Within 24 hours: a structured, client-ready analysis of how the candidate communicates, where the signal is strong, and where it narrows under pressure.
Designed for how senior searches actually run.
Run briefs on your final 3–5. Compare side by side.
Attach the brief to your candidate dossier. Cite specifics in your verbal recommendation.
Use the Interview Readiness section to brief your client's interview panel on what to probe.
Hand the brief to the candidate's onboarding sponsor — communication risks become development priorities, not surprises.
A measurable profile — not a personality label
Every brief contains five components, designed for client-facing use.
1. Communication Recommendation
A clear, structured assessment indicating the candidate's communication readiness for the role context — calibrated to the seniority and stakeholder profile of the mandate. Not a pass/fail. A defensible position you can stand behind.
2. Communication profile
The candidate's behavioural evidence across Silk Clarity's six communication dimensions — Clarity, Credibility, Integrity, Composure, Influence and Adaptability — with an Executive Presence Analysis derived from Clarity, Credibility, Composure and Influence.
3. Interference patterns in high-stakes moments
The signature patterns that emerge under pressure — the specific moments where communication tends to degrade and what triggers it. This is the layer interviews cannot see and references rarely articulate clearly.
4. Interview Readiness Brief
Tailored questions and probes for your client's final-stage panel — written so the panel can pressure-test the exact areas the brief surfaces. Turns your client's interview into the most informed one they've ever run.
5. Candidate Comparison Framework
Side-by-side view of every candidate you've assessed for the mandate. Same dimensions, same methodology, like-for-like — the comparison shortlist clients have always wanted and never had.
The strongest recommendation in the room is the one with the most evidence behind it.
Shortlist presentation moves from impression to evidence. Clients register the difference immediately.
A category of analysis competitor firms are not yet offering. Material differentiator in retained mandates and PE portfolio placements.
Independent communication intelligence supports retained fee positioning against fixed-fee market entrants.
Clients exposed to a single brief frequently request it across subsequent searches.
Communication risks surfaced at shortlist stage do not arrive as first-90-days surprises.
Senior candidates report the assessment as one of the more considered elements of the search process.
Built by a practitioner, used by senior leaders.
Two decades advising senior executives, founders and boards on how they are heard in the rooms that decide their careers.
Silk Clarity is built by Darcy Quinn, a communication strategist whose individual practice works with senior executives, founders, and board members on the same questions search firms care about: how a leader is heard, how they are read, and how they hold a room when it matters.
The Silk Clarity Communication Framework™ is the same instrument used by individual executives who commission a Communication Signature™ Audit on themselves at €495 — frequently in preparation for the very roles search firms are placing them into. The assessment your candidates take is the assessment senior leaders willingly pay for.
Silk Clarity does not coach, train, or place candidates. We are an evidence layer, not a competing service. Your candidate relationship — and your client relationship — stays entirely yours.
Silk Clarity vs. the tools you already use
A different layer of evidence — designed to sit alongside what you already trust, not replace it.
| Silk Clarity | Psychometrics (Hogan / SHL) | References | Interviews | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Communication behaviour under pressure | Personality traits & tendencies | Past behaviour, second-hand | Prepared communication |
| Independent of candidate framing | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Like-for-like across shortlist | Yes — same instrument | Yes | No | Partial |
| Client-ready evidence | Structured brief + comparison | Trait report | Verbal / written notes | Recruiter narrative |
| Time required | 10–12 min candidate · 24 hr delivery | 30–60 min + interpretation session | Days to weeks | 60–90 min per interview |
| Surfaces first-90-days risk | Yes — specific patterns | Indirect | Sometimes | Rarely |
Most firms run Silk Clarity alongside their existing psychometric and reference workflow. It is additive evidence — not a replacement for human judgement.
Personality tools and Silk Clarity answer different shortlist questions.
Personality instruments describe how a candidate understands their own preferences and tendencies. Silk Clarity provides a different layer — recruiter-facing evidence of observable communication behaviour, applied identically across every candidate on the shortlist. Most firms use both.
Two different questions
Personality assessments ask who someone is — the preferences and tendencies that shape how they work. Silk Clarity asks how someone communicates — the observable behaviour a client, board or team actually experiences. These are different psychometric constructs, not competing answers to the same question.
Behaviour measured directly, not inferred
Silk Clarity does not infer communication from personality. It observes communication directly through structured evidence streams — baseline, self-report, behavioural observation, evidence synthesis, cross-validation, and an optional video response as an additional layer — so the measurement is of the behaviour itself, not a proxy for it.
Self-report profile and independent behavioural evidence
Personality instruments describe how a candidate sees their own preferences and tendencies — valuable context for a search consultant. Silk Clarity adds a different type of evidence: recruiter-facing observations from a spontaneous Behavioural Communication Baseline and structured scenarios, applied identically across every candidate on the shortlist.
Trait insight and first-90-days communication picture
Personality reports describe enduring traits and tendencies that inform how a candidate is likely to operate. Silk Clarity focuses specifically on the observable communication behaviours a client will encounter in board meetings, investor conversations and stakeholder pressure — the patterns most relevant to the first ninety days in role.
| Dimension | Personality assessment | Silk Clarity |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | Who is this candidate? | How does this candidate communicate? |
| Construct measured | Personality preferences | Observable communication behaviour |
| Primary use | Candidate context and development insight | Recruiter-facing shortlist evidence |
| Evidence basis | Primarily candidate self-report | Baseline, self-report, behavioural observation, evidence synthesis, cross-validation |
| What the client sees | Trait or tendency profile | Communication Intelligence Brief with named patterns |
| Like-for-like across shortlist | Yes — same instrument | Yes — same instrument, independently observed |
| Type of evidence | How the candidate sees themselves | How the candidate communicates in structured tasks |
| First-90-days communication picture | General tendencies | Specific behaviours in role-relevant contexts |
| Candidate time commitment | 30–60 min plus interpretation | 10–12 min · brief delivered within 24 hr |
"The candidate tends toward analytical thinking, prefers independent work and is likely to be detail-oriented. They may need time to process information before responding and can be cautious in unfamiliar group settings."
General tendencies — useful context, not observed behaviour.
"The candidate communicates with high clarity in prepared settings and structures complex information well. Under spontaneous pressure their composure drops: pacing quickens, qualifiers increase and stakeholder reassurance weakens. These patterns are consistent across baseline and structured tasks."
Named behaviours the client will see in the first 90 days.
- Month 1: Pre-brief investor conversations with a scripted reassurance frame
- Month 2: Weekly 15-minute stakeholder pulse checks to reduce qualifier drift
- Month 3: Re-assess communication under pressure; compare to baseline
The distinction is fundamental: Silk Clarity is not another personality assessment. It is a behavioural communication assessment.
Common questions from search consultants comparing the two.
Short answers to the practical questions recruiters ask when deciding how Silk Clarity fits alongside their existing personality and psychometric workflow.
Do we need to drop our existing personality assessment to use Silk Clarity?+
No. Silk Clarity is designed to sit alongside personality tools, not replace them. Most search firms continue with their existing psychometric or personality provider and use Silk Clarity as an additional, recruiter-facing layer of observed communication evidence on the shortlist.
How do we position this to candidates who have already completed a personality assessment?+
The two answer different questions. A personality assessment describes how a candidate understands themselves. Silk Clarity captures how they communicate in a set of structured professional scenarios. Senior candidates generally accept the distinction quickly and often welcome a spoken, behavioural element in the process.
What does the client actually receive?+
A Communication Intelligence Brief per candidate — recruiter-facing, structured to the same methodology across the shortlist, with named behavioural patterns rather than personality labels. You decide whether to share the brief in full, in summary or verbally.
Does Silk Clarity produce a hire / no-hire recommendation?+
No. Silk Clarity provides structured behavioural evidence. Hiring decisions remain with the search firm and the client — Silk Clarity supports that judgement rather than replacing it.
How does this affect candidate experience?+
The behavioural component takes around 10–12 minutes and is delivered as a structured professional task rather than a personality quiz. Candidates also receive their own personal Communication Signature™, which most senior candidates read as a considered element of the process.
Is this like-for-like across every candidate?+
Yes. Every candidate on the shortlist completes the same instrument, in the same conditions, and is observed against the same methodology. That consistency is what allows the brief to be used as comparative evidence.
Common questions from search consultants
Will candidates feel “tested”?+
No. The assessment is positioned as part of your search process and frequently received as a premium signal. The same instrument is used by senior executives on themselves. Candidate satisfaction in pilot programmes has been consistently high.
How is this different from psychometrics like Hogan or SHL?+
Psychometrics measure traits and tendencies. Silk Clarity measures communication behaviour under pressure — what actually shows up in board meetings, with investors, and in front of teams. It sits alongside psychometrics, not in place of them.
How is this different from a reference check?+
References describe past communication second-hand, filtered through the referee's relationship and agenda. Silk Clarity is independent, first-hand, and methodologically consistent across every candidate on the shortlist.
Does the framework penalise accent, non-native English, or neurodivergent communication styles?+
No. The methodology measures clarity, calibration, and signal — not accent, fluency, or conformity to a single communicative norm. It is explicitly designed to surface communication strengths in candidates whose style does not match a default executive template, and to flag where a panel may misread difference as a capability gap. Briefs name interference patterns, not personalities.
Who sees the brief?+
By default: you and your team. You decide whether to share the brief — in full, in summary, or verbally — with your client. Most firms share excerpts and reference the brief in their verbal recommendation.
Does the candidate see anything?+
Candidates who complete the assessment receive their own personal Communication Signature™ — a developmental report, separate from the recruiter brief. This is part of why senior candidates respond positively to the invitation.
What if the brief flags concerns about a strong candidate?+
That is precisely the value. It does not disqualify the candidate — it tells you what their first 90 days will demand and gives your client the panel questions to probe. Many of the most successful placements involve candidates whose briefs surfaced specific, manageable risks.
How long does it take?+
Candidate-side: 10–12 minutes. Brief delivery: within 24 hours. Pilot setup: same day.
Data, privacy, and GDPR?+
Each candidate provides informed consent before completing the assessment. Data is processed in line with GDPR, with a Data Processing Agreement available for firm-level engagements. Briefs are retained only for the duration of your active mandate unless agreed otherwise.
What does it cost?+
The pilot is a fixed £1,500 for two live candidates, with a third candidate included free — a full Communication Intelligence Brief for each and a recruiter review call. Larger mandate assessments and recruiter licences are scoped on the pilot discussion — pricing depends on volume, firm size, and integration scope.
Run two candidates through Silk for £1,500 — third candidate free.
A fixed £1,500 pilot on two live shortlisted candidates, with a third candidate included free — full Communication Intelligence Brief for each, delivered within 24 hours, no subscription, no ongoing commitment.
Two candidates from a live mandate, plus a third candidate free. Three complete recruiter-facing briefs delivered within 24 hours. Fixed fee of £1,500 — no subscription, no implementation, no ongoing commitment.
The brief sets out how the candidate communicates, where they establish trust and influence, and where communication performance is likely to narrow under pressure.
The intent is to allow the firm to assess insight quality, candidate experience, and client value on a real search before considering wider use.
- · Two full Communication Intelligence Briefs, plus a third candidate free (fixed £1,500 total)
- · Each candidate completes the assessment in approximately 10–12 minutes
- · Briefs delivered within 24 hours of candidate completion
- · Full recruiter-facing analysis
- · Communication Recommendation
- · Communication profile (six dimensions)
- · Communication Interference Patterns
- · Interview Readiness Brief
- · Recruiter review call
Executive recruiters should evaluate Silk Clarity the same way they evaluate candidates: against real evidence on a real mandate.
The pilot is a calibration exercise, not a trial. It establishes whether the methodology produces signal of sufficient quality to belong in the firm's process.
A 20-minute discussion to identify a suitable candidate from a current search and confirm how the process runs.
Why communication carries decision weight.
Most hiring processes evaluate experience, credentials, technical capability, and cultural fit.
Communication effectiveness governs how those capabilities are perceived, trusted, and acted upon. It is the variable through which every other capability is filtered.
Communication is the operative signal in:
The variable is rarely measured directly. Interviews reveal a fraction of how an individual communicates under pressure, scrutiny, disagreement, and ambiguity. References describe past behaviour second-hand. Psychometrics describe trait disposition.
Silk Clarity assesses communication effectiveness itself.
The result is an additional layer of evidence that supports more calibrated recommendation at shortlist stage and reduces the gap between selection and first-90-days performance.
The communication layer missing from executive recruitment.
Help explain personality.
Provide historical perspective.
Assess prepared performance.
Evaluates communication effectiveness.
Silk Clarity provides a structured, measurable view of how candidates establish credibility, calibrate to stakeholders, navigate scrutiny, and communicate when outcomes carry weight.
Designed specifically for executive recruitment, it adds an evidence layer that conventional hiring instruments do not capture.
Authored by a practitioner of high-stakes communication.
Silk Clarity was founded by Darcy Quinn, a communication strategist with more than two decades advising senior executives, founders, and boards on how they are heard, understood, and trusted in consequential environments.
The methodology is informed by executive advisory work and by direct operation in settings where clarity, calibration, credibility, and composure determine outcome.
Silk Clarity exists to make communication effectiveness observable and measurable for the decision-makers responsible for selecting and developing leaders.
The same assessment senior executives choose for themselves.
The assessment candidates complete is the same Communication Signature™ methodology commissioned directly by senior executives, founders, and business leaders seeking independent insight into how they communicate.
The methodology was not designed solely for recruitment. It is a communication performance methodology already commissioned by senior professionals reviewing their own leadership effectiveness.
Recruiters gain access to the same evidence layer senior executives use on themselves.
Calibrated progression, at the firm's pace.
£1,500 pilot — two briefs, third free
Evaluate the methodology on two live shortlisted candidates for a fixed £1,500, with a third candidate included free. Briefs delivered within 24 hours. No subscription, no implementation.
Multi-candidate mandate assessment
Assess a full shortlist against a single, methodologically consistent communication methodology.
Recruiter licence
Integrate Communication Intelligence Briefs into retained search, leadership hiring, and succession planning processes.
The progression allows firms to evaluate the methodology before extending its use across multiple searches and client engagements.
Silk Clarity assesses one of the least directly measured drivers of leadership outcome: communication effectiveness itself.
The next mandate is the right one to evaluate it on.
A 20-minute discussion to scope the pilot against a live search. No deck, no procurement track — a working conversation about whether Silk Clarity belongs in the firm's evidence layer.
Or email hello@silkclarity.com.
£1,500 — two live candidates, plus a third candidate free. Full Communication Intelligence Brief for each, delivered within 24 hours. Share a few details and we'll confirm within one working day.