Connect Change Comm 2010 (1)

November 2010

Why Change Communication An introduction

Copyright Connect Consulting Group LLC. All rights reserved.2

Change communication: enabling glue

Investors

Suppliers

Community

Government

Strategic partners

Board

Customers

Communication


Change communication: why do it

Everything communicates!

So tell your story before others create one for you!

And get results!

What the research shows

• Effective employee communication: a leading indicator of financial performance and a driver of employee engagement.

• Companies that are highly effective communicators had a 47% higher total return to shareholders over the last five years compared with firms that are the least effective communicators.

• Firms that communicate effectively are 4 times more likely to report high levels of employee engagement versus those that communicate less effectively.

• A significant improvement in communication effectiveness is associated with a 15.7% increase in market value.

Research conducted by Towers Watson.

7 typical mistakes when communicating

1. Emphasizing the change in isolation …without drawing a vision for the future.

2. Focusing on facts…and either ignoring or discounting the emotions associated with the change.

3. Treating everyone equally…without recognizing the different impact on the various stakeholders, as well as their diverse interest levels.


Continued…

7 typical mistakes when communicating

4. Telling and selling…rather than listening and then making a clear, compelling, and easy-to-comprehend “ask.”

5. Editing—and re-editing—words…at the expense of taking into account that your actions speak louder, as well as your informal exchanges with people.

6. Discounting details….not recognizing that the finer points add up.

7. Keep moving…without taking a pause to acknowledge and celebrate the milestones you reach along the way.


What to do

7

We must reach people’s hearts and minds for them to believe and behave consistently.

From Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, 2010

We also must shape a path to provide guidance and support .

Heart, head and path are all elements of

effective communication.

How to reach hearts & heads and provide path

8

First, develop a communication plan to start to engage employees around the change.

Then execute against it, refining as needed

5 Plan Elements

* Tied to the critical success factors of the change and the organization.

Be balanced with tactics

9

CultureBusiness information

Leaders’ words & actions

formal &

informal communication

Other actions to achieve success

• Avoid mistakes– Or recover quickly if you misstep

• Get leader buy-in and commitment– Including visibility

• Practice 3 C’s– Clarity—especially around the “ask”– Consistency– Continuity


Questions and comments


Documents

Connect Change Comm 2010 (1)