CHAPTER 12
Building the Communication Plan
As outlined in the previous chapter, if we have been brought in to design and manage the communication for a change, then ideally we would also have been involved in scoping the change. This would put us in a strong position to devise the Communication Plan. Unfortunately, all too often, communication isn’t considered until change is well underway, often as a response to what is perceived as large-scale resistance. Of course, we now understand this resistance is simply the natural reaction of people experiencing the Change Curve en masse and it is to be expected, particularly without adequate communication up front. The problem is that it results in those delivering change feeling ambushed with questions to which they don’t have the answers.
Ideally, communication should be well thought-through and planned before the change starts, as it can smooth the process significantly. Good, proactive communication can overcome resistance and help individuals buy in to change before it is even necessary. It reduces the emotional toll on those delivering and affected by the change and it gives the Change Team time to consider implications of the change that hadn’t previously been considered.
How long ahead should we start communicating? Well, this depends on the size and scale of the change. Starting to plan three months ahead and rolling out the actual communications six weeks in advance would be a good guideline to work to for a large-scale change. Unfortunately, many of us have been saddled with the role of communicating change when it has already started. This forces us to be reactive and we can feel pushed into the position of damage limitation as opposed to positive communication. We should always try to go through the same thinking process about our Communication Plan, wherever and whenever we begin.
Kotter tells us that we need to communicate change ten times harder and more frequently than we think we need to. We know that communication is often the missing ingredient that can take us from ‘freeze’ to ‘change’ and back again. We have talked about individual communication and communication styles, but we haven’t yet looked at large-scale communication, which is so important during transformation yet very often overlooked and/or under-resourced.
In this chapter we are going to consider how we could put together a large-scale Communication Plan, the different types of message and media that we can use and a number of examples and templates within the online toolkit that you can use to build a Communication Plan for your own change programme.
There are four stages that we should go through when developing a Communication Plan.
• Understanding our audience.
• Defining key messages.
• Choosing a variety of methods to communicate.
• Refining communications in line with feedback.
Understanding our audience
In other chapters we have discussed universal reactions to change, such as the Change Curve. We have also considered personality in relation to change. All these aspects are still relevant; however, when considering our audience we should consider people’s relationship to the change in terms of their role as well as their levels of impact, influence and power in addition to individual personality. Using the term ‘stakeholder’ is a way of explaining the extent to which someone is affected by and/or can affect the change in question. We can use a stakeholder analysis to consider all the different types of people or stakeholders inside or outside the organization who are likely to be affected by the project or change. We can go on to consider what their possible response to the project or change is likely to be and whether they are most likely to be supporters or blockers. As we know, a few people (or stakeholders) can cause a project to succeed or fail.
During organizational change it is fairly obvious that it is important to first consider the impact on employees and managers, and there can be a whole subset of internal analysis in relation to the specific types of internal role or department that may be involved. However, some changes also require us to consider wider stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, trade unions or regulatory bodies. Some may be affected by the change and others may be able to impact the change; either way, they are still stakeholders.
Some initial questions to ask about stakeholders are as follows.
• Who will be directly/indirectly impacted by this change?
• How severe is the impact?
• Are they likely to perceive this as positive or negative change?
• How much power do they have as a group or individual?
• How much interest will they have in the change?
The four-box model below (Table 12.1) can be helpful for categorizing our stakeholders and means we can use this categorization to inform our Communication Plan. The two axes are power and interest, which results in four categories: high power with high interest, high power with low interest, low power with high interest and low power with low interest.
Low power with high interest (vocalizers) |
High power with high interest (key players) |
Low power with low interest (peripherals) |
High power with low interest (latents) |
Key players
Stakeholders with high power and high interest can make or break a change so their buy-in is important. Therefore, they need to be involved from the start and it may be beneficial to have a one-to-one communications channel open with them, potentially ahead of the wider communications. It can be important to get them to act as a sponsor by putting their name to key communications or involve them in refining key messages.
Latents
Stakeholders with high power and low interest should be kept informed and again it may be worth having a personal conversation with them up front. Although they may have low levels of interest, they can scupper a change at the last minute if kept out of the loop. It may even be possible to gain their interest and subsequently move them into the key player space. By involving them in the early stages of change we can gain their commitment to support the project and check that they are not aware of any competing demands on resources.
Vocalizers
Stakeholders with low power and high interest need to be kept well informed. They need to feel involved and consulted to maximize the chances of buy-in. Although they don’t have high power, they can come together as a collective to support or resist the change. Therefore, the communications should be positive and frequent, although this could be via video or email rather than one-to-one. With large-scale change, it is useful to have local Change Champions who can manage these stakeholders, helping them to feel supported without using up central Change Team resource.
Peripherals
Stakeholders with low power and low interest require less effort than the rest. They may just be informed of the change and any likely impact on them. Things can change, so it is worth monitoring them lightly.
Obviously, these are broad and blunt classifications, so it is important as a change manager to keep an eye on each stakeholder’s requirements as the change progresses because their power status may change.
Defining key messages
In the last chapter we talked about scoping and fact-finding, which included defining our change project clearly – in one or two sentences. It also involved the ability to explain why the change is necessary. As you would expect, both pieces of information are highly relevant for our Communication Plan. We need to consider which information is most relevant and/or motivational and therefore likely to encourage each set of stakeholders, whether internal or external, to buy in to the change. When we think about it, it is obvious that trade unions will have different views from senior managers who will have different views from any relevant government body. Therefore, when we are building our Communication Plan, we need to be prepared to tailor our communications to cater to these different perspectives. This isn’t about misleading people; it is about considering the change from their perspective and understanding what is most likely to be important to them. It is about focusing on the reasons for change that are most compelling and likely to resonate with each audience, motivating them to buy in.
Another aspect of planning change communications involves considering what the likely objections to the change are going to be and pre-empting these where possible. Pre-empting objections is about answering the questions that are in people’s heads before they ask them; again, the objections will vary with the views of the stakeholder groups. Pre-empting objections is a powerful way of influencing people because it demonstrates that you truly understand their unspoken needs.
There is a helpful model that can be used to structure this type of communication effectively, known as 4MAT. It was originally developed by Bernice McCarthy (1980) with reference to David Kolb’s (1984) well-known learning styles. Essentially, 4MAT is based on the premise that people ask four different questions when taking in information: ‘why?’; ‘what?’; ‘how?’; and ‘what if?’ We have already covered the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ to a large extent during our fact-finding. However, according to 4MAT we can make our communications even more effective for more people by also preparing to answer the ‘how’ and ‘what if’ questions.
We generally need to start by answering the ‘why’, because this provides the reason and motivation to change. ‘What’ questions will explain what the change is, probably to a level of detail that is relevant to each group of stakeholders. It is also helpful to explain ‘what’ will stay the same as part of our communications to help keep the perception of the impact of the change proportionate.
‘How’ questions are likely to be either practical or personal. Again, they will vary according to the stakeholder in question. People need to understand ‘how’ they will be involved in delivering the change, including what they will need to do as part of their role to support or facilitate the change. If they are also on the receiving end of the change, they need to know how they will personally be affected.
The ‘what if’ category is all about understanding the potential implications of us making the change or not. By doing this, we are answering the questions, or pre-empting the objections, that are often overlooked but are likely to be in the heads of 25% of our stakeholders. Ensuring that all four aspects of 4MAT are included in our planned communications means that they are likely to appeal to the maximum number of people.
Let’s consider a couple of examples.
Example 1
The change
A manufacturing business needs to move people from shift-based working with overtime to annualized hours, which means that the hours they are required to work will vary from week to week and overtime will not be payable.
Why?
• The parent company is demanding cost savings to deliver greater profitability.
• The marketplace has become extremely competitive and margins are being cut.
• Annualized hours are common practice for other competitors.
What?
• Staff will move from working fixed shifts to a variable working week that will be adjusted in line with demand.
• Overtime will no longer be available.
• The trade unions have been consulted and are reluctantly supportive.
How?
• This will be implemented from 1 April.
• Specific consultation on individual contracts will be available throughout February.
• Salaries will be averaged out over 12 months to allow for fluctuations.
What if we do?
• We will save enough money to remain open in the UK.
• A proportion of this revenue will be re-invested into R&D on this site.
• We will be able to keep 100% of current manufacturing jobs.
What if we don’t?
• The factory will continue to be loss-making.
• 30% of jobs will need to be cut within 18 months.
• A proportion of the factory will be relocated to China.
Example 2
The change
A higher-education institution wants to introduce an online personal development review (PDR) system and encourage more frequent performance conversations.
Why?
• This university has a strategic vision of significant growth and needs to have the right systems in place to deliver this.
• The higher-education marketplace is increasingly competitive for students.
• The staff survey recently highlighted that the current performance and development review (PDR) process is ineffective and is causing staff to leave.
What?
• We are introducing a new PDR system that is popular in other universities and will be used for all aspects of performance, development and career management.
• It has been configured to reflect a new, improved PDR process developed by key stakeholder focus groups.
• All staff will be expected to use the new system and process from September.
How?
• All managers will be trained in the system and process in September.
• Access to the system will be rolled out from department to department during September and October.
• The 2020/2021 appraisal process will be completed online.
What if we do?
• We will be able to use information in the system to identify and meet training needs earlier for all staff.
• We will be able to better manage and reward high and low performers.
• We will be able to present ourselves as a high-tech, visionary university to future staff and students.
What if we don’t?
• We will continue to struggle to manage staff career development effectively.
• We may not attract enough students to achieve our vision.
• Our staff will continue to leave due to our lack of performance management and development.
In both examples above, I chose three bullets in each area for ease, but don’t let this restrict you. Capture as many points as you can under each heading, and you can then use this as the basis for all communications. You may choose to put more detail in some types of communication than others, but the detail won’t be wasted. We will shortly move on to consider the different types of communications that we might choose to develop. However, first let us ensure that our communications are as powerful as possible, and this means we need to utilize the Change Agent Superpowers that we discussed in the first part of the book. In Chapter 3 on corroboration we talked about Cialdini’s influencing styles and in the chapter on communication we discussed differences in how people like to take information in. We need to integrate this thinking when we are building our Communication Plan.
What do I mean by this? Well, in my experience a lot of corporate change communication is logical but bland. It is rarely influential and compelling, yet with a little thought we can make it so much more powerful. If we refer back to Cialdini’s influencing model, there were six types of influence: authority, consensus, consistency, liking, reciprocity and scarcity. How can we incorporate these into our earlier change examples?
• Authority is used when we refer to the parent company or the trade unions and we would benefit by introducing a reference to authority in the second example, although the social proof of another university using the system may work as an alternative.
• Consensus is alluded to in the second example by reference to the staff survey and involvement of stakeholders.
• Consistency is referred to in both examples as the changes are being applied consistently across the relevant stakeholder groups.
• Reciprocity or exchange is evident to a degree by the R&D investment being offered and the annual salary being averaged out to accommodate any fluctuations. In the PDR example there is the offer of development and career opportunities.
• Scarcity could be seen to be demonstrated by the threat of closure or job cuts in the first example or lack of ability to attract students in the second.
• Liking is generally down to rapport, which would be more evident in the delivery of the message than the wording.
So, both examples show some evidence of using Cialdini’s model of influence and would be reasonably effective, but they could be bolstered with a little more thought. Other relevant models that we could consider are the meta-programs from Chapter 4 on communication. The ‘what if we do?’ and ‘what if we don’t?’ aspects of the 4MAT model should appeal to those who are towards or away-motivated, respectively. This helps reinforce the importance of including this aspect into any communications that we design. From our MBTI understanding from Chapter 7 we understand that some people will want the big picture and others will need more specific detail. We also appreciate that people have different preferences for visual, auditory or kinaesthetic language.
The basic principle is that we are trying to design communications that are going to be effective for the maximum number of people. We will have our own preferences and blind spots, so referring back to these models is a great way of spotting and addressing any gaps.
Choosing a variety of methods to communicate
Having considered the written messaging, it is now worth focusing on the method of delivery and to be mindful of the fact that it is virtually impossible to overcommunicate a change. We need to think about the methods of communication and the potential media we can use. It is not surprising that change doesn’t happen when simply sent out in an uninspiring email.
So, we can communicate in writing and email is of course an option. We should also consider options like posters, websites or webpages with FAQs. Perhaps we can involve marketing and develop a brand for our change along with themed items. Then there is face-to-face communication, which might be one-to-many at conferences, meetings or town halls or to small groups or even one-to-one. We might create PowerPoint presentations or videos that are inspirational or authoritative. Can we get key sponsors to create individual video clips or messages that can be sent out to people, or to create video clips of people adopting the change or sharing their views about it? Can we ask managers to discuss and share information at team meetings? How about audio files or creating a podcast that can be listened to, particularly by employees who travel a lot?
We should make use of social media to reinforce key messages and make full use of collaboration technologies that are available to us or over web meetings. The routes and methods of communication open to us increase all the time and we should use as many as we can.
However, as the Change Agent responsible for communications, we are planning the communications and not necessarily delivering them, so we need to find ways of ensuring that the communications are well shared by others. If we can get an influential sponsor to deliver a live kick-off or launch and video it, then we can be sure that the message is consistent. Consider arming your Change League with key message ‘crib sheets’ and give them the opportunity to practise and rehearse the change story so they can deliver it with authenticity.
Plan regular communication updates at every available opportunity; grab a slot at internal conferences, in team briefings and newsletters. Communicate the progress and the ‘quick wins’ widely and in the early stages deal with those who are not progressing with a quiet word.
If your change has board sponsorship, consider how you can provide them with monthly or quarterly information; ideally, make it visual and consider the use of statistics of take-up or league tables. There is no doubt that a healthy bit of competition between internal departments driven from the top can result in a flurry of communication from those with power and accelerate the success of your initiative. In conclusion, remember that communication does not automatically mean action when it comes to change. This is why Kotter believes we should communicate so much more than we think we need to. However, if we put thought and effort into the types of communications that we deliver and make them relevant and influential, then they are far more likely to have the desired impact.
Refining communications in line with feedback
So, we have defined and started to roll out our communication and we know that we need to continue to communicate more thoroughly and for longer than we might have otherwise. We have already alluded to Kotter a number of times in this book and our next and final chapter goes on to explain his eight-step process for change. As you would expect, communication figures a number of times in this process and we should ensure that we are creative with our methods of delivery while still being consistent with our message.
However, we should also be prepared to seek feedback along the way, to understand how the messaging is being received. Are there certain questions that are being asked that we haven’t prepared answers for? Perhaps we can update our FAQs or Change Agent crib sheets to accommodate these or release a video responding to some of them. We could survey certain stakeholders or Change Agents to find out how well they understand or have bought into the messaging or change and again adapt accordingly.
We should be prepared to adapt or clarify our messaging if it is being misinterpreted or not being well understood. There will be occasions when the message is understood but isn’t particularly palatable and is met with resistance. The temptation can be for us to want to withdraw to avoid conflict but this is when our ability to communicate clearly, consistently and with empathy is most important. We need to look for positives and early signs of success and be sure to share these with others to reinforce the behaviours of those who are changing. We may want to tweak messaging or stand firm, depending on the feedback that we receive. Continuing to communicate even after a change becomes ‘business as usual’ is the key to ensuring change becomes fully embedded and we don’t slip back around the transition curve.
So now we have considered who, what and how we should plan and communicate change to be successful. Our next and concluding chapter will allow us to bring all this knowledge together by applying it to Kotter’s eight-step process for change.
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Quick recap on building the Communication Plan • Start by understanding key stakeholders and what they want to hear. • Use the 4MAT structure to plan the communication. • Incorporate all of our other Superpowers to maximize the power of our communications. • Give the Change League the opportunity to practise the messages. • Don’t stop communicating in a wide and creative fashion until the change is embedded. |
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Online toolkit The following free change resources can be downloaded via: www.changesuperhero.com • Stakeholder analysis planner • 4MAT communication planner |
