Communication Strategy

Purposeful Communication

What doesn’t get communicated doesn’t get managed. For an organizational initiative to be successful, a communication strategy is essential. Organizations should create a clear and well-defined organizational change management communication strategy to achieve purposeful, targeted, and impactful communication about change.

A well-defined OCM communication strategy drives purposeful, targeted, and impactful communication about change.

Making Communication Happen

Creating a Communication Strategy is an essential component of any organizational change management plan. This strategy outlines how communication will be managed and executed during a change initiative within the organization. It is a systematic approach to effectively communicate information to employees, stakeholders, and other parties involved in the change, including its purpose and impact. The main objective of the communication strategy is to foster understanding, engagement, and support among those affected by the change. Some of the primary components of a communication strategy include:

• Clear objectives:  To effectively communicate during a change initiative, it’s essential to establish clear objectives that align with the overall goals. These objectives may involve raising awareness, promoting understanding, addressing concerns, gathering feedback, and fostering a sense of ownership and commitment among stakeholders.
• Stakeholder analysis:  A stakeholder analysis considers the diverse stakeholders the change will impact.  It involves analyzing their communication preferences, needs, and concerns.  Understanding each stakeholder group’s specific characteristics and interests helps tailor the communication approach to reach and engage them effectively.
• Key messages:  A successful change initiative requires a communication strategy effectively conveys its purpose, vision, and benefits. Key messages must be crafted to be concise, clear, and engaging, addressing stakeholders’ concerns and explaining the rationale for the change. In addition, emphasizing positive outcomes can generate support and enthusiasm for the initiative.
• Communication channels:  To effectively convey messages to stakeholders, a communication strategy must identify the most suitable channels and mediums. These may include in-person meetings, emails, newsletters, intranet portals, videos, social media, and other communication platforms. The channels chosen depend on factors such as the target audience, the message’s nature, and the organization’s communication infrastructure.
• Timing and frequency:  A communication strategy is important for a successful change initiative as it specifies the timeline and frequency of communication activities. It considers the various stages of the change process and guarantees that communication is prompt, applicable, and unbroken. Consistent updates and progress reports are necessary to retain stakeholder involvement and tackle new problems or worries.
• Two-way communication:  A successful communication approach fosters a two-way conversation, allowing stakeholders to share their feedback, ask questions, and voice any concerns.  This involves creating channels for dialogue, for instance, town hall meetings, focus groups, or online forums, to facilitate open and transparent communication. In addition, it is important to actively listen and respond promptly to stakeholders’ input to establish a relationship based on trust and credibility.
• Change champions and influencers:  To effectively spread the message of change within an organization, it is essential to identify influential figures such as change champions and leaders. These individuals act as advocates and inspire others to embrace the new direction while addressing any concerns. In addition, managers and other employees with influence can also play a crucial role in promoting change.
• Feedback and evaluation:  Our strategy involves gathering feedback and evaluating our efforts to deliver effective communication. We use surveys, feedback loops, and other methods to measure stakeholder understanding, satisfaction, and engagement.  This feedback helps us refine our approach and address any communication gaps that may arise.
• Integration with other change activities:  The strategy for communication is designed to complement other activities and initiatives related to change management.  It is coordinated with training programs, initiatives to engage employees, and other interventions to facilitate change.  By doing so, it creates a unified and consistent approach to managing the process of change.

Organizations can deliver purposefully, targeted, and impactful communication about change by developing a well-defined organizational change management communication strategy. This approach helps manage expectations, builds understanding, and fosters a supportive environment for successful change implementation.

WiserWulff helps organizations develop and implement effective communication strategies.  We bring knowledge, experience, and objective perspectives to drive effective communication during the change process.  We support our clients in the following ways with communication strategy development:

1. Assessing communication needs:  To develop a communication strategy, we examine the organization’s communication requirements concerning the change initiative. This involves evaluating the objectives of the change, the extent of its impact, and the parties affected.  We comprehensively understand the communication obstacles and necessities by conducting interviews, surveys, and data analysis.
2. Developing the communication strategy:  Following our assessment, we work with our client’s leadership and change management team to establish a robust communication strategy.  Our approach involves working together to determine communication objectives, crafting key messages, identifying target audiences, selecting communication channels, and outlining the overall communication plan.  We drive alignment of the strategy with the organization’s objectives and the unique needs of the change initiative.
3. Crafting key messages:  Our team of management consultants can create impactful messages that effectively communicate any change’s purpose, benefits, and impact. We collaborate with the organization’s leaders to produce concise, compelling messages connecting with stakeholders. Our messages are designed to address stakeholders’ concerns, align with the change’s overall narrative, and cater to diverse audience groups.
4. Selecting communication channels:  Our team helps clients choose the best communication channels to reach various stakeholder groups. We consider elements like the organization’s communication infrastructure, stakeholders’ preferences, and the message’s nature. We suggest a combination of channels, like town hall meetings, newsletters, intranet portals, emails, videos, social media, and other suitable platforms.
5. Planning communication activities:  Our team supports our clients in planning and organizing their communication activities during the change process. We work closely with the change management team to assess communication events’ timing, frequency, and sequence.  Our services include creating a communication timeline, scheduling town hall meetings or workshops, and ensuring the timely release of communication materials.  We ensure that our communication activities are coordinated with other change management activities and milestones for maximum effectiveness.
6. Guiding effective communication techniques:  We guide effective communication techniques and approaches.  We help the organization’s leaders and change agents enhance their communication skills, such as active listening, empathy, and clarity in messaging.  We also conduct training sessions or workshops to equip leaders with communication skills and tools to engage stakeholders effectively.
7. Monitoring and feedback:  Our team believes effective communication should be monitored and feedback collected from stakeholders.  We closely analyze all feedback received, identifying any communication gaps and providing recommendations for adjustments or improvements to the communication strategy. By regularly assessing the impact of communication, our clients can make informed decisions and refine messaging as necessary.
8. Coaching and supporting change agents:  During the change process, we offer coaching and support to the change agents within the organization who are responsible for communication. Our guidance helps them address resistance, manage difficult conversations, and handle challenging communication situations. Additionally, we aim to build the confidence and capability of change agents to deliver the communication strategy effectively.

We utilize our proficiency in communication and change management to aid in creating and executing an efficient communication strategy for organizational change management. Our consultants help organizations deliver communications that correspond with the change objectives, involve all stakeholders, and cultivate a constructive and encouraging atmosphere for the successful implementation of change.