RIP to all the changes that failed // Part 2

Do you remember the plane from the previous text ? The one who, instead of towards the sea, turned towards the mountains and no one knows what is happening?

Now imagine the development of the situation: the pilot finally answered and explained the direction. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. But after half an hour - silence, no new information. People are getting nervous again, questions are piling up: is this a temporary route? do we have enough fuel? when will we arrive? And that's exactly what most change communications in companies look like. You get the initial announcement, then silence. And he is worse than bad news.

We often forget that silence is also communication, and it is the one that gives the imagination the greatest freedom. While you are silent, everything good and bad that can ever occur to employees - occurs to them. Their fears and uncertainty deepen, and their trust in you and the chance to accept the change you introduce vanishes at the speed of light.

Seventy percent of changes "fail" due to poor communication. If you don't want to be part of these statistics, here's what you need to do:

1. Create a rhythm of change communication

Change without a rhythm is like a song without a chorus: no one knows when it's over and when what to expect. So set the pace in advance: weekly report, monthly Q&A, quarterly review of results... It doesn't have to be a spectacle every time, it's enough for there to be continuity, because you send a signal to employees that you didn't "throw a bomb" and disappear, but that you're leading the process.

2. Tell stories, not just facts about change

Numbers and graphics are important, but people remember stories. If you are introducing a new system, explain with a concrete example: "Marko from logistics now completes the same task in 15 minutes instead of an hour." Even if you publish Mark's picture and colleagues see his face and name behind the change, it will be easier for them to connect and understand why you are doing all this.

3. Work with managers, because they are your co-pilots of change

Line managers are the first and most reliable channel through which employees receive information. If they sound confused and disinterested, so will their teams, and the change loses. Therefore, teach them to answer the team's questions, to recognize resistance and to communicate in the same tone (and not only when there is a change, train them throughout the year, continuously ).

4. Prepare for resistance to change, because there will be

The biggest mistake we make is thinking that resistance is our enemy, but it is not. It is, in fact, an indicator that people's everyday life is really changing, and your task is not to ignore it or make it disappear, but to recognize it and address it: "I see that you are worried about how this will affect the volume of work, here is what we predicted..." Listen to the feedback and respond to it, because, when people feel that someone is hearing them, the resistance turns into a constructive discussion and improvement that everyone enjoys.

5. Don't use only official channels

We often forget that in our area, what we hear during a coffee break from colleagues is still believed more than what we read in an email. So let the agents of change into informal conversations in the hallway, over coffee, at lunch. Those spontaneous micro-communications very often carry more weight than "big h" posts.

6. Measure your efforts to know if you are on the right track

Do not rely on the assumption that "communication is going well", look for specific indicators. Ask people directly, run a short survey, measure the opening of emails, track what employees click on the most on the intranet... Data is your GPS and without it you risk that your plane ends up "above the mountains" instead of at sea.

7. Celebrate steps and progress.

Like a marathon, change requires serious preparation and strategy, but also support. A marathon without water and applause on the way to the finish is torture. Therefore, every time you successfully implement a part of the project - highlight that phase and the people who made it possible.

So change without communication is chaos, and change with poor communication is even worse chaos.

We are often silent and do not communicate because we either do not have all the information or we do not know

how to do it. Now you have seven suggestions how.

And don't forget: people aren't looking for perfection, they're looking for the security of someone holding the helm.

P.S. communication of change is one of my favorite topics, if you want to know and learn more about this topic check the following:

• sign up for the next topic of my MasterClass

• Change Comms FREE Cheat Sheets