- what exactly are the goals?
- How much information is going to be provided, messages?
- What mechanisms will likely be employed
The vital PSYCHOLOGICAL questions that the communication strategy must address
Kotter illustrates this the anecdote of Martin Luther King who failed to stand up facing the Lincoln Memorial and say: "I've a fantastic strategy" and exemplify it with 10 great reasons why it was a great strategy.
William Bridges focuses on the psychological and emotional impact and facet of the change - and poses these 3 easy questions:
to the drivers that make it essential
(1) what's changing? Bridges offers the next guidance - the change leader's communication statement must:- Certainly express the change leader's understanding and intention
- "Sell the problem before you try to offer the option."
- Not use jargon
(2) what'll actually be different due to the change? Bridges says: "I go into organizations where a change initiative is well underway, and that i inquire what's going to vary when the change is done-and no one can answer the question... a change might appear very important and extremely real to the leader, but to the people that need to make it work it seems fairly subjective and vague until genuine differences it will make begin to eventually become clear... the drive to get those differences clear should be a significant priority on the planners' list of activities to do."
(3) who is planning to lose what? Bridges maintains that the situational changes are as easy for companies to make as the Internal communications strategy emotional transitions of individuals impacted by the change. Transition direction is all about seeing the specific situation through the eyes of the other guy. This is an outlook depending on empathy. It is communicating and management process that recognises and affirms people's realities and works together to bring them through the transition. Failure to achieve this, around the section of change leaders, as well as 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 outline the 5 directing principles of a good change management communication strategy are as follows:
- Clarity of message - to ensure relevance and recognition
- Resonance of message - the message's emotional tone and delivery
- Precise targeting - to reach the right people together with the message that is right
- Timing program - to achieve timely targeting of messages
- Feedback process - to ensure two way communication that is genuine
Failure reasons varied and in change management are many. But one thing is painfully clear. Any organisational initiative that creates change - or has an important change component - has a 70% likelihood of not achieving what was originally envisaged.
The cause is a deficiency of communicating and dearth of clarity. This is what a Programme Management based approach to change is all about and why it so significant.
