Five steps to effective change communication

Effective employee engagement when communicating about change? It’s not just luck. Plan properly and watch trust grow among your stakeholders.

This article from Prosci details five key ways to increase success when communicating about change.

Structure your efforts

No matter how small, planning for change is key to successful messaging. Well-crafted strategy and tactics ensure preparedness for potential issues and alignment across the organization. Make sure to have:

A strategy that:

• Identifies key audiences, develops targeted messages that answer the “what” and “why” of the change, and selects effective channels to address stakeholder concerns.
• Guides employees through each phase of change while reinforcing the organization's vision and goals.

A communications plan that:

• Is customized for various audiences yet remains consistent enough so all levels of the organization get the right information.
• Address the five building blocks a person needs to successfully adopt a change, defined by the Prosci ADKAR model.

Start sooner

Engaging employees early helps demonstrate respect and concern for how change impacts employees. If details remain unknown, rather than remaining silent, communicate a proposed timeline or specific dates when questions will be answered.

Do it more often

Communicating during change is not a single event that ends when you press "send." It takes five to seven messages for people to effectively grasp the significance of a change. Be sure to strike the delicate balance between frequency and information overload, which can risk disengagement.

Using different channels (e.g., newsletter, email, instant messenger chat) can make information feel fresh, grab attention at different times during the work week, and allow playing with style—without compromising the need-to-knows.

Answer the questions people have

Proactively plan to address questions from employees. Most importantly, people want to know how this change will directly impact them and how they need to prepare. Drafting thorough key messages and FAQs for reference, and updating them as feedback rolls in, will limit confusion and allow teams to have a “source of truth” to point to when needed.

Some other tips to keep in mind:

• Don’t talk solely about the vision and future. Individuals want to know what has and will impact them now.
• Make space for further questions and feedback through Q&As, feedback forms, or town halls.

Use preferred senders

Consider employee communication preferences for how they receive information during times of change. At the University, employees highly value staff meetings and 1:1 meetings with direct managers, according to our 2024 Internal Communications Preferences Survey.

While some news must come from a high-ranking leader, adapting the message for supervisors to share with their teams means people will hear about the change directly from a trusted source.

Connect with the Internal Communications team in University Marketing Communications at [email protected] with questions or counsel on communicating about change.