Making communications land - how to leverage the best mediums webinar Monday 4 December 2023 APM Enabling Change Specific Interest Group, APM People Specific Interest Group and Change Management Institute Presented by: Abimbola Oyekoya and Matthew Lawrence The link to the write up page and resources of this webinar: https://www.apm.org.uk/news/making-communications-land-how-to-leverage-the-best-mediums-webinar/ Content description: One of the most fundamental components of change delivery is communication. Whether that's the communications between project teams, to project sponsors or the impacted users, how effective we are as practitioners can have lasting impacts. In this session, we reviewed how an awareness of your change delivery environment might impact and influence your selection of communication channels and their ultimate effectiveness. Looking at case studies provided by APM and Change Management Institute practitioners, we will explore the following considerations: 1. The scale, scope and complexity of the project and how that should shape our comms approach 2. How mature the project is and what impact this might have on what you say, to who 3. Cultural nuances and their influence on what communication mechanisms are chosen, when, and why. Engage with the series: Making communications land - Pertinence and proximity webinar Wednesday 6 September 2023 https://www.apm.org.uk/news/making-communications-land-pertinence-and-proximity-webinar/

1. Making communications land - how to leverage
the best mediums
Joint webinar by APM Enabling Change SIG, APM People SIG and Change Management Institute
Abimbola Oyekoya and Matthew Lawrence
4 December 2023

2. Agenda
• Welcome
• Setting the scene
• Introductions
• Speakers Presentation
What is Communication | Common Communication mediums | Communication
content | Effective Communication | Key pointers for engagement | Summary
• Q&A
• Next Sessions
© 2023 Association for Project Management 2

3. Setting The Scene
• Latest in a series of joint webinars between APM and CMI on change management
• Today’s topic is : Making Communications Land - how to leverage the best mediums
• Objectives
• The scale, scope and complexity of the project and how that should shape our comms approach
• How mature the project is and what impact this might have on what you say, to who
• Cultural nuances and their influence on what communication mechanisms are chosen, when, and why
• Our speakers will jointly present this session… but, before we start …
© 2023 Association for Project Management 3

4. Introductions
4

5. People
Specific Interest Group (SIG)
The People SIG The SIG has a vision of ‘Inspired and
inspiring project managers’ Our primary focus groups are:
-Communication,
-Leadership,
-Stakeholder Engagement (SEFG), and
-Ethics and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
© 2023 Association for Project Management 5
Our mission is to:
raise awareness, inspire
thinking and influence
opinion around people and
project management.

6. Enabling Change
Specific Interest Group (SIG)
The Enabling Change SIG aims to develop and
sustain individual practitioner, team and
organisational change capability by facilitating
access to and exploration of change methods,
standards, case studies and good practices.
© 2023 Association for Project Management 6
Our mission is to:
Improve the change
capability of organisations,
teams and individuals

7. Learn more now by going to:
www.change-management-institute.com
About Us The Change Management Institute operates as a global
leader in strengthening, connecting and advancing the
change management profession.
We are committed to assisting members develop
Capability, Credibility and Connections in their
pursuit of professional excellence.

8. What is Communication
8
The imparting or
exchanging of
information
▪ We can make conscious efforts to
communicate but we also communicate
implicitly
▪ The actions we take to communicate
and even the lack of action
communicates something.
▪ As the scale, scope and complexity of
change increases, we need to consider
time and cost-efficient methods to
communicate.

9. Common Communication Mediums
9
Suitability and Proportionality are Key!
When selecting communication mediums, it's essential to consider the nature of the message, the target audience, and the most effective way to
convey information. Different mediums serve different purposes, and a combination of them may be used to ensure effective communication.
Printed Materials
Brochures
Flyers
Reports
Customer Relationship
Management (CRM)
Systems
For managing client interactions
Feedback and
Suggestion Boxes
Physical or virtual boxes for
collecting feedback anonymously
Company
Events
Town hall meetings
Conferences
Podcasts
Audio programs that can be
subscribed to and downloaded
Traditional Media
Television
Radio
Bulletin Boards
Physical or virtual boards
for posting
announcements and
information
Surveys and
Feedback Forms
Tools for gathering
opinions and feedback
Mobile
Applications
Apps designed for internal
communication or
information sharing
Press Releases
Official statements
distributed to media
outlets
Training Sessions
Workshops
Seminars
Newsletters
Regularly distributed
publications containing
news and updates
Video
Communication
Video Conferencing (e.g.,
Zoom, Skype)
Webinars
Project
Management Tools
Collaboration platforms
(e.g., Asana, Trello)
Task management tools
Company Intranet
Internal websites for
sharing information within
an organization
Online Platforms
Social Media (e.g.,
Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn)
Blogs
Audio
Communication
Phone calls
Voicemail
Digital
Communication
Instant Messaging (e.g.,
Slack, Teams), Text
Written
Communication
Emails, Letters, Memos
Face-to-Face
Communication:
In-person meetings
One-on-one discussions

10. Communication Content
10
Who needs to know what, when and why?
Consider the maturity of the change and what impact this might have on what you say, to who.
Why
Vision
How
Progress
Progression of the change
Communications
and engagement
with stakeholders

11. Effective Communication
11
Engagement is a
precursor to effective
communication
Know
Your
Audience
Clear Purpose
and Objectives
Clarity and
Simplicity
(Visual Aids)
Timing,
Consistency
Adaptability,
Credibility and
Trust
Use of Multiple
Channels
Two-way
Communication

12. 12
▪ Large scale and complex
change often involves
uncertainty.
▪ Consider your approach
to collaborating and
negotiating with
colleagues.
▪ Delegating responsibility
for managing the change
will generate a sense of
ownership in others.
Collaboration
▪ Use different approaches to
recognise and reward
colleagues for embracing
change - consider whether to
focus on colleague efforts or
results.
▪ Use project milestones to
celebrate success in addition
to recognising the
contributions of individuals.
▪ You can also ‘create’
intermediate milestones and
success to boost morale
(fresh start effect).
Recognition
▪ Listening to stakeholders
is a crucial. Very often we
create ‘telling’ plans rather
than engagement plan.
▪ The act of listening
reveals our priorities,
intentions, the value
placed on others opinion.
▪ Have the time for those
keen to explain their views
– you are important to
them and they to
achieving your goal.
Listening Role-modelling
▪ Role-modelling provides the
opportunity to lead by
example
▪ Role-models takes
responsibility for their
actions and encourage
others to do the same.
▪ Embracing the change and
demonstrating a move to
the new ways of working
builds credibility in yourself
and the change.
Effective communication requires intentional engagement
Key pointers for Engagement

13. ▪ Why is this communication needed?
(regulation/compliance, awareness,
engagement…?)
▪ When the communication happens,
what do I need people to think, feel,
say or do?
▪ How do I know the communication
has landed? (Evaluation)
13
Don’t assume communication has happened, evaluate the data to be certain.
Summary
Leveraging the best mediums
Awareness of
other changes
(Past, in-
flight, future)
Organisation
context
Learn from
lessons
Communication
culture