The art of communication

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

George Bernard Shaw – Irish playwright and political activist

The first rule of communication is to make sure you are clear, confirm the message has been heard, reinforce it, check again, and then ask them to repeat it. There are many variations of the last sentence, but the key point is that people rarely hear you the first time, and even if they do, it probably will not sink in. Add to this the fact that people resist change, so their first instinct is likely to be hoping you have made a mistake, that it won’t affect them or that you will just go away, and you can see why communication can be an issue. Here is a powerful model you can follow to both communicate and encourage engagement in your message.

Awareness – Identify the audience you need to communicate the message to. In the first instance, it may be stakeholders, then the team who will support the project and, finally, the division or the entire business. Design the message, ensuring it is audience-specific (you should vary the approach for different people), clear and well-crafted (written, video or in-person). Then deliver the message through the most effective and appropriate channels (again, the message may change according to the delivery method). Some channels worth considering include team meetings, face-to-face announcements, workshops, question and answer sessions, panel discussions, focus groups, one-to-ones, infographics, intranet website notifications, videos, webcasts or email messaging (including multi-email campaigns). I would suggest using a combination of these channels to ensure the message is heard, and ensure every communication gives the receiver a contact email or number to ask questions or raise concerns.

Understanding – After the awareness campaign has begun, start to open the door for feedback and actively look at any employee issues being highlighted. Your aim here is to get the most thorough understanding of the feelings and concerns being stirred by news of the change. You can then begin to formulate solutions and communicate back to the audience that you have heard, understood and responded to their issues.

Acceptance – By following this process, you should be able to remove or iron out future objections before the project has even begun. You may identify change champions to help support your subsequent efforts from the inside and smooth the way ahead. By demonstrating your commitment to clear and transparent two-way communication and cooperation, you build acceptance of the change, and employees will feel involved in the decision to proceed.

Commitment – I hope the last three sections have not made it seem easy to reach this stage. It generally isn’t and requires much thought, patience, professionalism and effort. But if you can reach the acceptance step of the model, this last one is relatively straightforward. It does still need to be executed, though, and not taken for granted. If someone (or the entire audience) displays acceptance of what is ahead, either because they recognise its necessity or they are excited by the possibility, you should still ask them to formally commit to change. This way, you will have a powerful team that is invested in supporting you through all the challenges ahead.

Simple, Accurate and Meaningful

Going back to the awareness part of this method, here is another formula I use to help build a clear message. It is known as the SAM method.

S IS FOR SIMPLE – We have already noted that people who decide if significant changes can happen or who might be affected by the change will be busy with other things. They have their own roles and responsibilities, so your news will not be high on their agenda when it arrives. Therefore, it is crucial your first message is simple and easy to understand (the detail can wait until another time). For now, you just want them to know what the change will mean to them and the headline facts and figures (cost, reason, process, etc.).

A IS FOR ACCURATE – Make sure that the message you deliver is true and accurate. It only takes one small detail to be incorrect for the receiver to begin doubting everything about your intention and possibly even your competence. Remember, people do not like change, so do not give them any reason not to like you or reject what you are telling them.

M IS FOR MEANINGFUL – It is often not enough to simply present a legal requirement, financial benefit or competitive advantage to a board of executives or employees. In today’s increasingly people-conscious organisations, there must be meaningful motivations behind every new initiative. It has to matter to the people involved and affected, so (while keeping the message simple and accurate) make it matter.

The better your communication when presenting a change project to various groups of people within an organisation, the more likely they will agree quickly.