5 common change communication blunders

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.

When change is on the horizon, make sure managers are informed and equipped to cascade pertinent messaging to their teams. Managers are often the most crucial communication channel in your organization—treat them accordingly when change is afoot.

3. Measuring or monitoring the wrong stuff