Not long ago, a client sent me a piece of communication, written by a colleague, and asked me if I could rework it. Believe it or not, this is how it began [specifics concealed]:
“[Company] in partnership with [Big Consulting Firm] is conducting a 90 Day [Department] study championed by [Executive’s Name], [Executive’s Lengthy Title], that supports understanding our business and Go-To Market strategies while leveraging existing functional strategies in Manufacturing, Logistics, Procurement, IT, as well as broader global blueprints from Europe and Latin America to define a transformational roadmap for our future.”
Fortunately, we worked this clicheosaurus into something meaningful.
But unfortunately, some communication like this is actually distributed. And tragically, such communication is often used to support major organizational changes, like combining businesses, shifting information systems, imposing new processes, shuffling staff or consolidating locations.
Why Communication is Important
Poor communication at the outset of a challenging organizational change can ruin its chances for success. Because employees, customers, suppliers and distributors are people, they:
- Need to understand a change before they can even begin to support it, let alone advocate it.
- May look unfavorably on something that is so shrouded in unclear language that there seems to be a conscious effort to hide what’s happening.
According to a 2007 study by the Computer Technology Industry Association, the top reason major information technology projects fail is poor communication.
Common Sense Goes a Long Way
Because of financial constraints, some critical corporate projects won’t get the benefit of professional communications resources. But common sense can go a long way toward harnessing the power of plain English.
Here are a couple imperatives for communication in the change management arena:
- Focus on the audience. Good communicators consider what the reader needs to receive in order to understand and embrace something. Look at your writing through a reader’s eye.
- Be honest. Even issues that are difficult are based on some rationale. Learn that rationale and use it as support to communicate honestly. That will advance your project more effectively than hedging and vagueness, which ruin credibility.
For more about the role of good communication in making good things happen, watch this blog. If you have a point of view on this rich subject, share it in the comment box.
