There are two aspects to your change management communication strategy the balance between information content and mental resonance; and second the stage of the initiative, in other words before the change and during.
The structural and content aspect of your communications
You are going to gain greatly in the discipline of a programme-based approach to handling and leading your change initiative, as your communication strategy will probably be based around the following:
- Stakeholder map and evaluation [everyone who will be impacted by the change and your assessments of these impacts as well as their reactions ]
- Pattern [ the clear definition and statement of the organization that is altered ]
- Vision statement and pre-programme preparation process [ the high-level vision as well as the follow-up preplanning procedure to unpack the vision and analyse the impacts ]
- Programme strategy [the measures which are taken to produce the changes and get the gains - a schedule of endeavors and endeavors and initiatives ]
The vital FACTUAL questions that your communication strategy need to address
and to what degree of detail?
- What will be the crucial used to disseminate information?
- Who are you trying be supported?
What advice a consequence of feedback?
- What are the objectives?
- How much advice is going to be supplied, messages?
- What mechanisms will be employed
The key PSYCHOLOGICAL questions your communication strategy need to address
Regarding the psychological resonance facet of the communications, John Kotter makes the point that change leaders that are great are great at telling stories that are visual with high mental impact. Kotter illustrates this the anecdote of Martin Luther King who did not stand up before the Lincoln Memorial and say: "I have a great strategy" and exemplify it with 10 great reasons why it was a good strategy. Kotter said those immortal words: "I Change management process have a dream," and then he continued to show the folks what his dream was - he illustrated his picture of the future and did so in a way that had high emotional impact.
William Bridges focuses on feature of the change and the psychological and mental impact - and poses these 3 easy questions:
to the motorists which make it essential
(1) What is altering? Bridges offers the next guidance - the change leader's communication statement must:- Clearly express the change leader's understanding and intention
- "Sell the problem before you try to sell the option."
- Not use jargon
(2) what'll really be different as a result of the change?
(3) who is likely to lose what? Bridges maintains the situational changes are as easy for firms to make as the psychological transitions of the people affected by the change. Transition direction is about seeing the specific situation through the eyes of another guy. It is a perspective centered on empathy. It is direction and communicating process that recognises and affirms people's realities and works together to bring them.
5 guiding principles of a change management communication strategy that is good
So, in outline the 5 guiding principles of a great change management communication strategy are as follows:
- Resonance of message - delivery and the emotional tone of the message
- Accurate targeting - to reach the right people with the right message
- Timing schedule - to reach timely targeting of messages
- Feedback procedure - to ensure genuine two way communication
Failure reasons in change management are many and changed. But one thing is painfully clear.
The cause of all this failure is too little communication along with lack of clarity. That is what a Programme Management based way of change is all about and why it so important.
