How do you craft change communication plans that engage and inform?

1 Know your audience

Before you start writing or speaking, you need to know who you are communicating with and what they need to know. Different groups of stakeholders may have different levels of awareness, interest, and resistance to the change. You need to segment your audience based on their roles, expectations, concerns, and preferences. Then, you need to tailor your messages and channels to address their specific questions, needs, and emotions. For example, you may need to use more data and facts for senior leaders, more stories and examples for frontline staff, and more feedback and dialogue for key influencers.

2 Define your objectives

Once you have identified your audience, you need to define your communication objectives. What do you want them to know, feel, and do as a result of your communication? How will you measure the success of your communication? Your objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, you may want to increase the awareness of the change benefits by 50% among the affected staff within three months, or reduce the resistance to the change by 30% among the key stakeholders within six weeks.

3 Plan your strategy

After you have set your objectives, you need to plan your communication strategy. This includes deciding on the key messages, the communication channels, the frequency and timing, the roles and responsibilities, and the budget and resources. Your key messages should be clear, concise, and consistent across all channels and audiences. They should also highlight the benefits, the urgency, and the expectations of the change. Your communication channels should be appropriate, accessible, and engaging for your audience. They may include emails, newsletters, presentations, webinars, videos, podcasts, social media, intranet, or face-to-face meetings. Your frequency and timing should be aligned with the change milestones and the stakeholder readiness. You should communicate early and often, but not overwhelm or confuse your audience. Your roles and responsibilities should be clearly defined and communicated among the change team, the sponsors, the champions, and the communicators. You should also allocate sufficient budget and resources for your communication activities.

4 Execute your tactics

Once you have planned your strategy, you need to execute your communication tactics. This means creating and delivering your communication materials and activities according to your plan. You should use clear and simple language, avoid jargon and acronyms, and use visuals and examples to illustrate your points. You should also use a variety of formats and media to appeal to different learning styles and preferences. You should also ensure that your communication is two-way, not one-way. You should invite feedback, questions, suggestions, and concerns from your audience, and respond to them promptly and respectfully. You should also acknowledge and address any resistance or barriers to the change, and provide support and guidance to overcome them.

5 Evaluate your results

Finally, you need to evaluate your communication results. This means measuring and monitoring the impact and effectiveness of your communication against your objectives. You should use both quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and analyze data, such as surveys, polls, interviews, focus groups, observations, or analytics. You should also solicit feedback from your audience, your change team, and your sponsors on what worked well and what can be improved. You should then use the findings and insights to adjust and refine your communication plan as needed.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?