Change with Confidence: Answers to the 50 Biggest Questions that Keep Change Leaders Up at Night

Chapter 26

How Do I Communicate to the Organization?

Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.

—Charles Dickens

Communication sets the tone for the project, provides knowledge to individuals, and reinforces behaviors that support the change deemed necessary. When done well, the results are brilliant; when done poorly, it leads to unclear messaging, incorrect perceptions, and disenfranchised employees.

Communicating well about a project is difficult, although it can appear easy. Colleagues have different communication preferences (from visual to audio to kinesthetic), but generally only a fraction of messages register when they are received. If ...