{"id":2948,"date":"2016-11-06T10:03:34","date_gmt":"2016-11-06T16:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/?p=2948"},"modified":"2025-03-15T10:05:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T15:05:44","slug":"straight-talk-about-communicating-change-part-3-by-david-cheatham-transform-communications-llc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/straight-talk-about-communicating-change-part-3-by-david-cheatham-transform-communications-llc\/","title":{"rendered":"Straight Talk About Communicating Change (part 3) \u2013 By David Cheatham, Transform Communications, LLC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Straight Talk About Communicating Change<\/strong>
\n(Third in a 3-part series)
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last time we discussed why managers should communicate change and practical ways to increase employee acceptance of change. In this last article in our series we will address the operational questions of sharing important news\u2014how, what and when.<\/p>\n

How should you communicate major news?<\/strong>
\nAs a manager you are responsible for understanding changes and positioning them with your employees in terms that speak directly to their concerns.<\/p>\n

Describe the change in a clear, straightforward manner\u2013no sugar-coating or jargon. Don\u2019t downplay the significance of the change. Don\u2019t make promises about the future that may not hold true. \"\"Explain why the action was taken: What\u2019s the logic? How does it support your mission? What was being done wrong? How will the action solve the problem?<\/p>\n

Deliver the message promptly. Reactive communication is defensive and apologetic. If the decision was painful to make, admit it. Outline the alternatives that were considered, and why they weren\u2019t implemented.<\/p>\n

Describe the action required and what can be done to avoid the problem in the future\u2013sales must increase, costs must be controlled, new performance expectations must be put in place, new quality standards must be adopted.<\/p>\n

Deliver key messages yourself. Communicate often\u2013and frequently in person. Display a willingness to address challenging questions. Listen carefully and then follow up with actions.<\/p>\n

Balance your information flow. The most common misconception is that \u201cwe can\u2019t communicate too much.\u201d That\u2019s like saying, \u201cI can\u2019t water my garden too much.\u201d Information, like water, can nourish or flood.<\/p>\n

\"\"What should you say?<\/strong>
\nCompanies often announce the solutions (\u201cWe\u2019re going to have layoffs\u201d) before they tell employees that they share common ground (\u201cThe market is changing\u201d). A steady flow of information puts bad news in perspective and makes good news more credible.<\/p>\n

As a manager, your communication objectives should be to:
\n\u2022 Explain and promote new programs and policies.
\n\u2022 Help employees understand the business direction and imperatives.
\n\u2022 Educate employees about the organization\u2019s values and culture.
\n\u2022 Provide information about issues that affect the corporation\u2019s performance.
\n\u2022 Tie that information into feedback to improve job performance.<\/p>\n

To accomplish these objectives, use downward and upward communication. When your team has too few, or infrequently used, feedback mechanisms, you risk being blind-sided by employee dissatisfiers.<\/p>\n

Speak frankly about changes. Regularly sample employee opinion. Measure communication effectiveness through informal meetings and focus groups.
\nCommunicate what you\u2019re not changing. This localizes the information and takes the wind out of rumors.<\/p>\n

What should you communicate? Everything that you\u2019d want to know.<\/p>\n

When should you deliver the news?<\/strong>
\nTimeliness is vital. Communicate what you know, when you know it: \u201cHere\u2019s what we know as of today.\u201d Don\u2019t wait until every detail is resolved to tell employees what the current situation is, and if it changes, tell them why you made the adjustment.<\/p>\n

Communicate continuously. In an information-rich environment employees are more forgiving of an occasional error.<\/p>\n

Tell employees when the change has been fully implemented. Explain the observed benefits. Give credit to employees who helped make it work.\u00a0\u00a0 When possible, give employees enough time to react so they can change behaviors, acquire new skills, find new jobs, or make other decisions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"David Cheatham is the founder of Transform Communications, LLC, a communications consultancy specializing in aligning employees and implementing change across the enterprise. The company\u2019s tagline sums up David\u2019s approach to the workplace: Inform, Engage, Inspire. \u00ae David also teaches in the School of Business at Rutgers University. Contact: David@Transform-Communications.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2015 David Cheatham<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Straight Talk About Communicating Change (Third in a 3-part series) Last time we discussed why managers should communicate change and practical ways to increase employee acceptance of change. In this last article in our series we will address the operational questions of sharing important news\u2014how, what and when. How should you communicate major news? As […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-information"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2948\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emersongroupinc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}