Managing internal communications during change

During change, people are hungry for news and opportunities to have their say.

Here are ten tips to help you meet both of those needs.

1. Avoid the void

If you let too much silence reign people will fill the gap with their own interpretation of what’s going on.  Remember to communicate with your audiences at all times. Keep the information flowing; do not let it dry up, even when there is not a lot to say.

2. Repeat key messages

People do not always ‘get it’ first time round, or even tenth time round. So think about different ways of presenting the same information to sustain interest. For example, perhaps a written article on the intranet or in the company newsletter can be followed-up by line managers’ team discussions.

3. Check your facts

It is possible to get things wrong and issue false information. Careful approval procedures for messages can be a pain to stick to, but the cost of sending out inaccurate information can be huge.

Make sure the important people in the change project team understand they have a responsibility to provide the people responsible for internal communications with information - and to quickly ‘sign off’ messages when they are asked for their approval.

4. Provide written briefs to managers

There’s always a lot of ‘talk’ during times of change.  By all means, in your planning ensure managers are talking to their teams - in fact it’s essential. But always provide written briefs for managers to use to support their oral messages – include all the salient facts and figures to avoid misrepresentation.  Do not give managers opportunities to accidentally invent information.

5. Tailor the message for each audience.

Remember the ‘what’s in it for me’ factor. Make sure the messages are relevant to each audience and pick out specific ‘local’ information that’s significant to the group. But always present company information consistently to each stakeholder group and do not alter facts.

Even better, let individuals know how the change is going to affect them personally. You can guide line managers on the need for this and give them the tools to ensure they communicate effectively with each member of their team.

6. Adopt the best method of delivery

Create a range of methods and choose the most appropriate one each time. For instance, an ‘all employee’ meeting may not be the best method of delivering what may be viewed as bad news; a cascade from line managers may be a better option.

7. The CEO or MD must walk the talk

Create opportunities for the top executive to interact with people. For example, ensure he/she has regular meetings with small groups of managers and staff to deliver their own ‘take’.  This helps people to feel involved and important.

8. Always give background information to corporate change

Corporate messages can sometimes seem hollow and insincere. Make sure people know how the company is doing and why things have to change. It is dangerous, and patronising, to assume that either staff will not be interested or they won’t understand.

9. Feedback is vital

Always ensure an effective feedback process is in place.  Communication is two-way but delivering a message without seeking the audience’s feedback is only one-way.

(See the bottom of this page to order a free information sheet with advice on how to ensure you have effective feedback systems.)

10. Check external messages

Good internal communications programmes take into account external audiences too. So develop good relationships with the marketing and PR people in your organisation. Make sure you all understand each other’s roles and that everybody’s communication schedules fit together.

For more free advice and inspiration . . .

Use the form on our contact page to request your free information sheet with two more articles:

·         An easy-to-use seven stage communication process.

·         How to create effective feedback systems.

NOTE: I operate a careful privacy policy. I will never sell or rent your email address or other contact details to anyone else. You will never get mail from other organisations as a result of requesting free information sheets. You might receive additional information from us from time to time, but this won't happen often and you will be able to ask that we stop sending you emails at any time. In short, I hate spam and I will never send any.
Richard Groom, Owner & Senior Writer    

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Ó Sally Newman & Richard Groom 2003