5 common change communication blunders

If you’re sending the same message to everyone, leaving managers in the dark or measuring ‘awareness,’ you should rethink your processes.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

Communicating change initiatives is tricky, and most organizations simply stink at it.

Here are five common mistakes:

1. Blasting the same message to everyone

Is your change initiative going to affect different groups of employees in different ways? If so, you should craft individualized messaging to address pertinent pain points or concerns. Blasting out the same message to everyone will only create friction, resistance or widespread confusion.

Instead, list all the different audiences the change affects, and spell out exactly what each group needs to know. For example, you might write special messaging for hourly employees or part-timers. If external audiences such as suppliers or customers are affected in any way, they deserve a tailored message, too.

2. Neglecting managers

If you leave managers in the dark, you’ll create a domino effect of miscommunication. This is an easy way to ruin employee morale, trust and engagement.

[RELATED: Make sure your team is up to date on the latest skills, strategies and practices. Learn more about Ragan Training.]

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.