Four Elements of an Effective Change Communication Strategy
What makes communication during change effective?
When I ask that question, employees and leaders consistently respond with the same qualities: consistency, accuracy, relevance, clarity, timeliness, and transparency.
The foundation for building that level of communication is your change communication strategy.
Communicating to create healthy and sustainable change involves much more than simply giving and receiving information. It is the way we interact and engage with people, interpret data, make meaning, develop understanding, and build (or, in the case of poor communication, destroy) relationships.
Communication is the thread that weaves through every aspect of your change efforts and your organization. It is reflected in what you say, what you do, and even what you don’t say or do. It is an essential element of every change.
Although communication serves many purposes throughout the change process, it has one overarching purpose:
To invite, guide, and help people navigate their journey through the change process.
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What Is a Change Communication Strategy?
A change communication strategy provides a clear, planned approach for ensuring people have what they need to build readiness and navigate their change journey.
It is about creating a responsive, adaptable, and supportive communication process for those experiencing the change.
A change communication strategy is not a static document. It’s a flexible approach that includes the sequence and pattern of conversations, and other communication methods that are informed by, aligned with, and evolve with people’s level of readiness.
It also does not replace your organization’s overall communication strategy.
If your organization has a communications department or communications professional, involve them in developing your change communication strategy. Their insights are valuable, especially to align your strategy with the broader communication goals and values of your organization.
Four Elements of an Effective Change Communication Strategy
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Understand the Change Recipient’s Journey
It is easy to initiate and launch a change from your own perspective. However, the perception of the people who will do the heavy lifting will determine whether you achieve your intended outcome.
Your communication strategy must therefore be developed from the perspective of the change recipients.
For example, a change that appears small and straightforward at the executive or leadership level may be much more complex and risky for the people who will experience it directly.
Different groups will also be affected differently and will require different communication to build readiness.
Consider a new CRM system. For a sales team, the system may transform how they work. They will need to be actively involved and will require much more communication than the accounting department, which receives reports from the system.
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Choose a Variety of Communication Methods and Interactions
Leaders often tend to rely on only a few communication methods—for example, presentations, emails, town halls, and meetings.
During change, communication is not simply about sending information. It is about engaging, involving, and interacting with people to help guide their journey through the change process.
Think about each group of change recipients. What does the change look like from their perspective? What will help them navigate the journey?
In one large transformation, a leader engaged the most affected change recipients early in the process. The leader initiated a small group discussion. Together they explored why the change was needed and what it meant for them. As a result, participants were engaged, felt calmer, and expressed a willingness to help.
One of the first steps we take when developing a communication strategy with clients is a current communication assessment. This assessment provides insight into all the communication methods currently being used. It then identifies each method’s strengths and weaknesses and evaluates their usefulness in supporting their change efforts.
The results help organizations build on existing communication methods. At the same time, the leaders can identify modifications and new approaches needed to enable their change initiatives.
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Recognize and Include Informal Communication Channels
Often, when leaders think of developing a communication strategy, they focus on formal communication channels. Things like the company newsletter, emails, town hall meetings, presentations, your intranet site and even department or other staff meetings.
These communication methods can all be valuable, and evaluated for how well they support your change efforts.
However, it’s important not to overlook the informal communication channels.
Informal communication often moves faster and has greater influence than official communication. These channels include impromptu encounters, conversations before meetings begin, discussions after meetings end, side conversations, and the familiar “water cooler” conversations.
Together they form your organizational grapevine.
The grapevine is powerful because it is faster and more accessible than formal communication.
Informal communication creates and enables your organizational grapevine to thrive. So, it’s essential to recognize and use your informal channels thoughtfully to avoid misinformation and build trust.
When designing your communication strategy, you must involve informal leaders. You want to ensure they have the skills, information, confidence, expectations, and permission to share accurate, timely, and helpful information.
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Focus on Active Communication and Balance It with Passive Communication
Passive communication methods, including emails, newsletters, and even some town hall meetings, are primarily one-way communication. They provide little opportunity for interaction with either the message or the messenger.
Email is one of the most common forms of passive communication and can quickly sabotage a change effort before it even begins.
Active communication, through conversation, allows people to interact with information both intellectually and emotionally. Real-time conversations allow you to gauge reactions and understanding while adjusting your message as people interpret and respond to it.
Conversation is one of the most powerful yet often underused communication methods for enabling change.
We use conversation to make sense of our world.
Think about it: you know more about the world through your conversations than through direct experience.
Both formal and informal conversations should be intentionally included in your change communication strategy.
Building a Communication Strategy That Enables Change
By making the time to develop a communication strategy that understands the change recipient’s journey, using a variety of communication methods, recognizing the influence of informal communication, and balancing active and passive communication, you can create a communication strategy that supports your change efforts and provides your team with what they need to navigate the change process successfully.
When you’re ready to help your people transition through change with ease, I can help. Book your Change Strategy Call with me today.
