- what exactly are the aims?
- How much advice is going to be provided, messages?
- What mechanisms will probably be used
The crucial EMOTIONAL questions your communication strategy must address
In regard to the emotional resonance characteristic of the communications, John Kotter makes the point that great change leaders are great at telling visual stories with high emotional impact. Kotter illustrates this the anecdote of Martin Luther King who didn't stand up facing the Lincoln Memorial and say: "I have a great strategy" and illustrate it with 10 great reasons why it was a great strategy. He said those immortal words: "I've a dream," and then he proceeded to reveal the folks what his dream was - he exemplified his image of the future and did so in a sense that had high psychological impact.
William Bridges focuses on aspect of the change and the psychological and mental impact - and introduces these 3 simple questions:
(1) What is altering? Bridges offers the following guidance - the change leader's communicating statement must:- Certainly express the change leader's understanding and intent
- Link the change to the drivers which make it crucial
- "Sell the problem before you attempt to offer the option."
- Not use jargon
- Be under 60 seconds in duration
(2) What will actually be different due to the change?
(3) Who's likely to lose what? Bridges maintains that the situational changes are not as difficult for businesses to make as the psychological transitions of the people impacted by the change. Transition direction is about seeing the situation through another guy's opinion. It really is an outlook predicated on empathy. It works with people to bring them through the transition and is communicating and direction process that recognises and affirms them's realities. Failure to get this done, on the section of change leaders, and a denial of the losses and "lettings go" that people are faced with, sows the seeds of mistrust.
5 guiding principles of a good change management communication strategy
So, in summation the 5 guiding principles of a good change management communication strategy are as follows:
- Resonance of message - delivery and the psychological tone of the message
- Precise targeting - to reach the right people together with the Change management process proper message
- Timing program - to attain timely targeting of messages
- Feedback procedure - to ensure two way communication that is actual
Failure reasons changed and in change management are many. But one thing is painfully clear. Any organisational initiative that creates change - or has an important change component to it - has a 70% likelihood of not achieving what was initially envisaged.
The cause of all this failure is dearth of clarity along with too little communication. This is exactly what a Programme Direction based approach to change is about and why it so important.
