If you sometimes feel you could never get it right in change communications, you're not alone. Is there a specific aspect of communication you know is not quite working? Are you aware of areas that need improvement in your change communication efforts? Change practitioners often encounter communication challenges during organisational transformations.
Challenges with Change Communications
There can be a lack of clarity if leaders sometimes fail to clearly articulate the goals and scope of the change. This can lead to confusion and misalignment among the senior team and the delivery team. If there's confusion and misalignment, it's no surprise if inconsistent messaging results. Inconsistent and conflicting messages create uncertainty, disgruntlement and mistrust. It's crucial to ensure that all communications are aligned and consistent.
And what about insufficient communication? Not communicating enough or using limited channels can leave stakeholders feeling uninformed and disengaged. Delivering messages at the wrong time or through inappropriate mediums can result in important information being missed. Leaders may avoid addressing tough topics, which can lead to unresolved issues and increased resistance to change. When communication becomes one-sided, messaging focusses solely on what leaders want to convey without considering the audience's needs.
One-sided communication implies you're probably not getting much feedback coming into the delivery team. Foregoing feedback can hinder effective change management because it spells a lack of buy-in and input from those affected most by the change.
Failure to communicate the 'why' is another common communication challenge. This can mean the reasons behind the change have not been explained and stakeholders and impacted groups have simply never felt engaged. Meanwhile, if the delivery team is working hard on the solution this disengagement can result in solutions that are completely disconnected from user input.
Addressing these challenges involves being clear, consistent, setting an intentional plan and being inclusive in your communication efforts. Needs-based stakeholder analysis, creating a cohesive voice, understanding your channels and setting a rhythm for communication can significantly improve the effectiveness of awareness and change communications.
Top Three Tips for Effective Change Communications
Understand the Needs of the Audience
People impacted by change will already be experiencing a degree of burden from their existing workload and other areas of their lives. This can come across in stress behaviours towards change, because change adds uncertainty and complexity into the mix. By understanding what's driving people, and addressing their needs, change communications can be made a lot more effective.
Messaging that addresses needs:
is clear and empathetic
provides the right level of detailed information about the change, its reasons, and the support available
acknowledges potential concerns
offers avenues for feedback and assistance.
By contrast, a brief email that lacks detail and does not address the concerns of the audience can do more harm than good, leading to confusion and anxiety.
Create a Cohesive Voice
If your organisational change is like most, there will be numerous leaders involved who could potentially be giving out impressions, messaging and communications about the change. All this messaging needs to be brought into a cohesive plan - one that understands the change, the persona of the audience and the channels available for effectively addressing them. By creating a cohesive voice in your change program, you reduce confusion and convey the sense that there will be calm leadership presence throughout the change.
Set a Rhythm for Communications
By organising your communications into a rhythm, you can effectively leverage any existing communication channels and support functions in your organisation. Further, you create a sense of predictability and allay fears with regular updates. This reassures change audiences that information will always be available when needed. Without a communication rhythm, it can be difficult for change audiences to gain a sense of the 'personality' of the change; or the team that's delivering it. If the change lacks 'personality' or presence, it it easier to ignore and it becomes more difficult to trust the team.
Three Top Tips for Change Communicators
Successful change communication hinges on transparency, consistency, and engagement. By clearly understanding the audience, creating a cohesive voice and setting a rhythm for communications, change practitioners can foster a supportive environment that minimises resistance and builds trust. With these three top tips for change communicators, effective communication not only addresses the informational needs of employees but also acknowledges their emotional responses.
Well-executed change communication is a critical component in achieving the desired outcomes and sustaining long-term organisational success. For help in establishing successful change communications, book in a confidential discussion.
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