5 Tips for Effective Change Communications
Organizations don’t change — people do. When creating a change management communications plan, make sure you’re considering how the plan will motivate, engage, and equip your people to navigate change more smoothly.
5 Tips for Effective Change Communications
- Begin with empathy — Developing communications that inspire people to change begins with putting yourself in their shoes and thinking about what matters to them and what concerns they might have. Putting people at the center will help you be more intentional in both what and how to successfully communicate with them.
- Develop a compelling why — When leading your team through change, it’s important to craft an authentic and powerful statement that communicates why the change is necessary. When people understand both the emotions and logic of the change (versus just “what’s in it for them”), they are much more likely to join the change effort.
- Make it a two-way street — Lasting change happens with people, not to them. When your team feels involved in the change process, they’re more likely to engage with it. Make sure your communications plan leaves room for people to give input, surface questions, and share feedback to include in your plan.
Kickstart your change management communications plan
- Be proactive, transparent, and clear — When there is a lack of information, it’s human nature for people to make assumptions. Get in front of that by sharing as much as you can, as soon as you can. Sometimes, this means communicating “we don’t know yet,” but your authenticity and commitment to finding an answer will go a long way.
- Include a call to action or next step — Information is great, but what is the behavior you’re trying to drive among your team? People support what they helped to build, so think about tangible ways each person can contribute to the change effort.
Need support with leading change? Learn more about our approach to change management.