He’d score low on our change management metrics.

We were asked recently to identify the most critical imperatives for communicating major changes in a corporate environment.

And although we would never suggest that change is easy, these six guidelines will certainly make it easier to maximize support for even the most dramatic changes.

• Tell the Truth: Be clear and forthright about exactly what’s happening. Blurriness and hedging can undermine trust and dilute the support needed to embed change. Come clean with the facts and the rationale for the change.|
• Make the Case: There’s a reason you’re making these changes. Don’t be shy about conveying it. Employees and other key audiences need to know our rationale—even if they do not agree with it. A good case will maximize support and limit resistance.
• Be Consistent: Get a foundational FAQ and key facts and messages in place early and make sure key managers understand them. Don’t suffer any wildcat messages, even if they’re accurate. Consistency in look is important, too.
• Use Plain English: Gobbledygook, bureaucrat-ese and other forms of poor language come off as fudging or hiding. Communicate benefits clearly and sharply, even if employees are not used to it, in order to nurture understanding and acceptance.
  
• Measure and Monitor: Surveys that measure awareness and understanding are easy. Knowing where the needle rests is important to moving it. Allow for comments. Employees and others appreciate the chance to add input.
• Make it Fun. Even if the subject matter is dry, the communication can add spark. One client even let us do a comic strip that advanced a major change initiative by, in part, lampooning the as-is environment.

If you’d like a PDF of our communications imperatives for change management, you can download it here.

If you have a point of view on this subject, we welcome your comments below.

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Dan Pecchia is a change management communications consultant based in Youngstown, Ohio. He’s served in communications lead roles with Whirlpool, Timken, AkzoNobel Paints, Republic Engineered Products and others.