TOP TIPS:

10 ways to supercharge your communication

The unrelenting pace of organizational change presents challenges for change specialists. Inform employees about the business issues being considered, and use these 9 other tips to drive momentum for change.

by Lorri Lennon, principal of Sydney-based consultancy, Business Interconnexions.

1. Be strategic
For employees to buy into your change program, they need to understand why it's required. It's much easier to present the all-important case for change when you take a strategic approach. Roger D'Aprix's 6-step process will help you do that.

2. Acknowledge change as a process, not an event
Real and lasting organizational change never happens overnight. It's a process, not an event. Daryl Connor1 identifies 3 specific stages in the commitment process:
preparation;
acceptance; and
commitment.

Your communication planning will benefit from factoring in this sequence of steps and acknowledging the time required to move through each one.

3. Enlist change champions
Research by the Corporate Leadership Council in 2004 shows that, on average, only 11% of employees are engaged. They're the high performers who constantly look for ways to do their jobs better. When it comes to change they're "active supporters". They champion change. As a result, they can be wonderful allies in the change process. Enlist their support. Use their influence and enthusiasm to bolster your communication efforts.

4. Form strategic alliances
Build alliances in addition to those within the change team. Important alliances include:
Communications people across the organization for consistency of messages.
HR to ensure cultural alignment.
The strategy, marketing and IT teams for business-related support.
The organization's people leaders who will deliver the communications.

If you find a silo mentality developing, form a "Change Coalition". Identify key "interested and affected parties". Invite them to be part of an alliance that cross-fertilizes ideas and strengthens relationships for the benefit of the change program.

5. Select channels according to need
Careful selection of the right communication channel can increase the chances of your messages being received and understood.

Face-to-face communication gives employees the opportunity to ask what’s in it for them. Online is a good repository of important facts and data. Communicate via paper when you're building awareness and understanding about complex or new ideas that need to be "digested".


6. Communicate sooner rather than later
T.J. Larkin2 advises that "rumors that can't be stopped in the first few days can't be stopped at all". Snuff out the potential power of the rumor mill by communicating as early as possible. In the early stages, acknowledge the uncertainty of what's happening by informing employees about the business issues being considered, including possible scenarios and various perspectives.

7. Account for 100% of the communication system
It's important that you account for 100% of your organization's communication system when developing and implementing your change communication strategy. According to global professional services firm, Towers Perrin, internal communication channels (formal and informal) account for only 15% of an organization's communication system. The organization's structure, systems and symbols account for 35%. Its leadership and management style dominate at 50%. Ensure your strategic plans reflect these weightings for optimum effectiveness of your change communications.

8. Create "CORE" messages
The "CORE tool" was developed by Joe Williams in the US, who based it on the communication needs of 376,000 employees. It's very helpful in crafting highly targeted messages. For each of the 4 critical components of any organization: performance, processes, people, products/services, you determine the core messages as follows:
Changes: What's changing?
Objectives: What are we trying to achieve as a result of these changes?
Reasons: What are the reasons for these decisions?
Effect: What's likely to happen as a result of these changes: to the organization; to my team; to me?

9. Use measurement as a lever
Apply valid measurement techniques such as establishing measurable objectives, tracking progress, evaluating the effectiveness of your approach, and refining and revising as required. Then go one step further. Use your data to identify and leverage support for issues that might not be on anyone else's radar, yet they're critical success factors. In other words, make the numbers work for the good of your communication and the overall benefit of the change program.


10. Build your own brand
Recently, there's been a shift in change-management fundamentals to include an increasing focus on relationships and collaboration. This represents a great opportunity to further build your brand as a communication professional.

Build your brand as a collaborator. Tap into your strong network of relationships and solve problems by drawing on cross-organizational sources of knowledge. Build your brand as an integrator by linking disparate groups. Or, build your brand as a "connector of the dots" by giving real meaning to the big-picture perspective of your change program.

References:
1. Connor, Daryl. Managing at the Speed of Change.
2. Larkin, T.J. & Sandar. Communicating the Big Change






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