How to communicate people change thoughtfully
So much of what we do as communicators revolves around some sort of change, whether it’s a small change like a new process, through to large-scale digital transformations. But when it comes to change involving people - particularly restructures - there is another level of care we need to take with our communication. Here’s our top tips on communicating people change to help protect your organisation’s reputation, inside and out.
Get ahead of it
Rumours circulate quickly, and an impending restructure is usually the worst-kept secret of all time! So it’s better to say something than nothing at all in the early stages or, even worse, lie and say there’s nothing happening. Be open and transparent from the beginning, and people will be more willing to come along the journey with you. Keep it simple if you need to, and talk to the fact that changes are in the works, and people will be consulted and kept up to date.
Target your comms
Restructures are never ‘one size fits all’. Different teams and individuals are impacted in different ways. So communication delivery needs to be tailored to each audience segment’s own needs. Highly personalised, two-way communication should be used with the most-impacted people.
Prepare your leaders
It usually rests with team leaders to deliver the news, so they need to be well prepared. This means offering briefings and tools - such as speaking points and FAQs - to support their communication with their teams.
Delivered poorly, restructures carry a high risk of reputation damage - internally and externally. So you may need to invest in leadership communication training if you have an inkling that segments of your leadership team will not have the capability or confidence to deliver the change communication thoughtfully.
Acknowledge people’s feelings
We are talking to humans, not robots. And humans have a lot of feelings, especially when it comes to change and uncertainty! If you want people to listen to your messages and engage in the journey, then you need to show you care by acknowledging what they might be feeling. It can be as simple as, ‘I know some of you will be worried about what this means to you, and I’m here to help answer your questions and make this change as smooth as possible.’
Own it
Like it or not, leaders own the restructure. So you can’t try and pass it off on a ‘company decision’ or ‘I’ve been told to tell you…’. In their messaging and delivery, leaders represent the broader organisation’s decision making, so they need to communicate with confidence and ownership. Yes, it sucks, especially when you need to deliver bad news. But that’s what leaders sign up for.
Have an open door
Some people take longer than others to process information, and others need time to really understand what the change will need for them. Part of communication during a restructure is having two-way communication channels so people have opportunity to ask questions, at a time that suits them. A one-off Q&A session with the CEO won’t cut it - many people won’t feel comfortable asking questions in such a setting. Individual leaders need to allow for 1:1 time.
It’s not about you!
We’ve seen this before: when leaders use lines like ‘I feel terrible about this…’ or, ‘When they told me our team was being restructured I felt really awful’, it comes across as being insensitive to the individual team members who are impacted. Quite honestly, if they’re losing their jobs or their responsibilities, they don’t care how bad you feel. They’re worried about themselves and need you to acknowledge that worry. It’s okay to show vulnerability, but not at the expense of the feelings of those who are impacted.
Tune in to my new podcast, Less Chatter, More Matter, where I share communication tips like these every week! Find it on most of the major podcast apps or click here.
