Everyone knows communication during change is important. But, when youโre talking about transformational change it becomes imperative. In fact, in our 30 โ years of working on transformation projects in multiple industries including ๐ข and ๐ฅ, we have yet to come across a client who has ever over-communicated during transformational change. Itโs also absolutely essential that your communication provide the psychological cues that this is radical change!
So, what are the best ways to ๐ข? Is it just about coming up with an ๐ง campaign and a project ๐ป? Based on our experiences in the change management industry, weโve come up with the helpful tips ๐ on how to communicate your Transformational Change.
โ Communicate Early โฐ, Communicate Often โณ
Unfortunately, all too often there is a tendency to wait until all the information is available before sending out communications. But the vacuum created by ๐ซ communication reinforces the ๐ฑ of the unknown, which can generate resistance. On the other hand, if all you do is communicate, and do nothing else, you may also generate more resistance. Why? Because people will sense that there is nothing Transformational about how you are implementing this change! No psychological cue that this change is indeed different.
So, at the beginning of the project, it is important to set the expectation that there will be regular communication that is credible and comprehensive. If you donโt have all the โน๏ธ readily available, tell people what you do know, and what you don't know. Let people know that you will come back often as more information becomes available. Because some information > no information at all! ๐
Continuing to communicate is just as important as the original message. Use frequent ๐ of messages throughout the lifecycle of the change using different words and different examples. Then โ๏ธ your communication to ensure you are on ๐ฏ.
โ Communication Should Not Come Only From ๐ Getting an email from a high-level executive about the โwonderful rationaleโ of a change is an all too common occurrence in organizations today. Many leaders simply believe if they send an email to the organization explaining the change, new behaviors will magically appear and there will be no resistance, ๐. But, the fact is, resistance to change isn't logical and you will never combat it by communicating elegant messages from the top. In reality, the ๐ to behavior change is the reinforcement by managers, not a โ๏ธmessage. In Transformational Change in particular, there is an extremely high level of disruption, so resistance should be anticipated rather than hoping communication will combat or eliminate it entirely!
โ Use โTarget Specificโ Communication
All communications need to be targeted and audience-specific. In other words, it must be translated into the Frame of Reference of the Targets, not the Frame of Reference of top managers. All communication must address the 2 most important โs from a Targetโs point of view:
- โWhatโs in it for me?โ
- โWhat does it mean to me?โ
And needless to say, different Target groups will have different answers to those questions!
The type of language used in your communications matters and should be different for different Target groups. For example, are the targets Millennials? Thereโs a good chance that they may be as this group of young ๐ฉ ๐ฑ ๐จ is quickly becoming the largest generation in the current workforce. Millennials are very familiar with communication styles and โค๏ธ to use ๐, casual messages. So, while it may not be appropriate in every workplace culture, the use of Emojis in some workplace communications might be worth a try in others! ๐
โ Donโt Rely ONLY on Email
Generally speaking, the average ๐ด gets more than 5๏ธโฃ 0๏ธโฃ emails a ๐. This fact alone makes it very difficult for emails to have much of an impact. Think of it like this... no one will change what they are currently doing solely because an email has gone out saying they should!
Instead, use a variety of communication methods such as:
๐ Small Group Sessions
๐ One-on-One Meetings
๐ Focus Groups
๐ Surveys ๐
๐ Team Meetings
๐ Hot Lines โ๏ธ
๐ Social Media
Remember, even in todayโs ๐ฑ -driven world, ๐ฆ-to-๐ง discussion remains the most powerful method for communication. To that end, find as many ways as possible to meet either in small groups or in one-on-one sessions with the Targets of the change. Even if that is by necessity done virtually.
โ All Communication Should Include a Feedback Loop
During a change, communications need to be sent through a variety of means, and must always provide a feedback loop. Feedback loops are crucial in order to allow individuals to express their thoughts and feelings about the change. And, itโs a perfect way for Change Agents to gather information about any potential sources of resistance.
Caution Ahead ๐
A word of caution for those of you who are ๐ out right now to plan your communications for your Transformation. While creating a Communication Plan for a Transformational Change is extremely important... it is not enough! Donโt mistake a Communication Plan for an Implementation Plan. ๐ฌ
Communication is definitely an important area to plan for, but it needs to be integrated with the other elements in implementing organizational change such as Defining the Change, Generating Sponsorship, Creating Readiness and Developing a Reinforcement Strategy, all key elements of the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM).
So, now that youโve ๐ our attempt at communicating in a new wayโฆweโd๐ to ๐ how you are going to transform yours. Ready. Set. Go! ๐