A change communication checklist.

During times of change you might not have all the answers. You may know where you’re going, but not be sure of all the steps along the way. That’s ok. It’s better to admit that you don’t have it all figured out yet, then for people to think you’re keeping information from them. People would rather have an honest yet ambiguous answer than feel they’re being left in the dark.

Building a communication plan is a critical part of planning for change in your company. You need to decide what the right amount of transparency is for your organization, and then craft messages to include and inform while keeping panic at bay. There’s no one size fits all guide to change communication, but there are a few areas to think about while building your communication plan for nearly any situation:

Define the changes and ensure your leadership team is aligned

• What is changing

• Why

• When

• What do we not yet know, and when do we expect to have answers to the unknowns

Identify who needs to know about the changes

• Employees

• Customers

• Partners

• Other stakeholders

Put on their shoes and think about what scares them about this transition

• What will they be worried about

• What are the top 5 questions each group might have

Schedule phased communications for each audience

• Before the change begins

• During the transition

• After the change is in place

Determine the best way to reach each audience

• How do they prefer to receive information

• How often do they need to be updated

• How much messaging redundancy do we need to deliver to ensure they get it

Capitalize on existing relationships in choosing the best person to deliver these messages

• Who does each audience trust

• Who has strong relationships, authority and respect

Decide how much input you want from those impacted by the changes

• Are you locked into a path, or do you have room to change course based on the feedback you get from your organization

• Only ask for input if you’re able to act on it

Asking yourself these questions as you start to talk about upcoming changes will help you craft more productive messages. I’ll dive deeper into some of these areas in the coming months so check back for more tips on crafting effective change communication plans.