Communicating in change

Communicating
change
A Small introduction into Leading
people through their change
experience

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
Z One success story of change managed right; a working framework
http://www.slideshare.net/eklemola/a-working-change-management-framework-25158331
Z Testing readiness for change
http://www.slideshare.net/eklemola/testing-organizational-readiness-for-change
THIS PRESENTATION IS PART OF A COLLECTION OF
CHANGE MANAGEMENT RELATED PUBLICATIONS.
THE PREVIOUS PARTS INCLUDE:

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
THIS PRESENTATION IS ABOUT THE ISSUES YOU NEED
TO ADDRESS WHILE COMMUNICATING IN A PROJECT
OR A CHANGE PROGRAM.
It’s not about, which tool to use or what to say exactly, but more
about how to identify and react to your target audiences’ needs.
Show your audience that you care and they’ll care as well!

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
Communication in change
• Communication is a tricky issue,
because it’s affected by:
• Some project managers take it for
granted and don’t really think about it.
If you don’t pay attention to it, you’re not
allowed to complain when no ones listening
”Communication
is the key
~everyone knows
that. Of course I
communicate all the
time.”
”Can you describe
your methods? ~To
whom, how and how
do you schedule it?”
”~huh?”
Reaction?Target?Why?RACIChannels
What,
how
when?
• You
• The target and
personal preferences
• The environment
• The mood
• The volume, channel
and background noise
• What you say, how,
when
~and what not
1/3

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
What,
how
when?
• A change program or a development project can be
initiated by an outside force or an internal need.
• Regardless of the reason, the change affects peoples’
capabilities and (usually) ways of working or thinking.
• Regardless of the change theory there’s always
• A first part in which the change is initiated, people are given
a vision and explained why.
• A middle part, where the change is in action and you need
to keep peoples’ morale as high as possible.
• The finishing stage, where the change is embedded into
normal daily routines.
2/3

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
What,
how
when?
• All of the stages require different kind of action or
simply listening from different people with different
interested in the program.
• Also the time it takes (or which is given) to get from the
start to the goal differs case by case.
• You need to speed things up or slow down depending on the
situation.
• You need to manage expectations.
There are no exact rules or templates, which would get you through
this. But there are guiding ideas, which will certainly help you out.
3/3

Whose your target
audience and what to
you want them to do?

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
To whom am I speaking?
• The first thing on your list must be: to whom am I
speaking. ~Really. That’s it.
”I’m
currently
speaking
to:…”
…a professional
or a student
who’s got a
limited amount
of time and
doesn’t want
to waste it
who’s been
reading formal
mumbo-jumbo all
day
who’s currently
having a
relaxing break
or is looking
for an idea
or an
inspiration!
”hence I…”
speak in a non-formal
manner, with pictures, frames
and drawn arrows. I use
breadcrumbs in he side, to
help you navigate. I use soft
tones and handwritten fonts
to add to the lightness and
friendliness. I want you to be
able browse these through,
but I also what you to be
engaged enough to read.
Success? You tell me..
What,
how
when?
1/2

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
To whom am I speaking?
What,
how
when?
2/2
Your target
audiences may be
anything from
internal project
customer to
corporate
shareholders
Reporting
Project
Organization
Internal
customers
End users
Financiers
External
customers
Etc…
You need to figure out
how your different
stakeholders want to
be spoken to; some of
them may want
electronic messages
and some illustrated
and visual instructions
with a possibility to
reply.
Find out and act
accordingly!
Management
Suppliers

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
Which reaction do I want?
• I would never speak like this, if I wanted a reaction.
~I’m just speaking; not looking for a reply, hence an easy
flow of words should do just fine.
• In other scenarios:
If you want someone to
do something, responsible
or accountable, you need
to:
• Tell them why!
• Tell them what exactly.
• Give advice on how to
do and how everyone
else is affected.
• Explain what if!
If you need someone to
give you advice on
something, consult, you
need to:
• Tell them why!
• Tell them what you
need, when and in what
format.
• Explain what if!
If you need to inform
someone (you just want them to
read),
you need to:
• Ask them to read ~in
the title /topic
preferably!
• Tell them what and why.
• Explain how everyone /-
thing is affected.
Source: Leeuwen, Winkel,
Dijkstra; Vision, Mission,
Compassion 2007
What,
how
when?

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
Notice how RACI was used?
• The easies way to figure out, what to say and to
whom, is to use RACI and divide your organization
into:
• Communicate this to everyone, so that people know
what to expect. ~sometimes people think they need more
information than is actually appropriate and get annoyed
when it’s not given to them.
• Responsible
• Accountable
• Who you need to consult
• Who need to be informed
What,
how
when?

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
Don’t forget your channels
Source: C. Pritchard; The Project
Management Communications Toolkit
2004
Most of the time
organizational
communication has
set channels:
…and what not.
Using the well known
ways is comfortable
and easy for all, but
please make sure
that they are the
right ones for the
occasion!
emailsmessage
boards intranets
community
tools
• The function for calculating the
number of communication lines is:
• If you have 20 A,R or C people, you
have 190 communication lines to handle.
• Give each 30 min. ;let alone if you engage in
a real 2-hour conversation, and you will spend
appr. 13 days / month just
communicating!
I ’d recommend a community –tool…
1/2
What,
how
when?

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
Don’t forget your channels
Remember your
other
communication
channels as well:
KPI report
Project Plan
WBS
Presentations
Tests &
measurements
Process
Flowcharts
Project
Progress
report
Instructions
Etc…
These and every other
communication channel
are a part of your
communications kit,
which sets the tone
for the whole project /
change program. If you
want a change to be
positive and people
engaged; all of these
need to reflect that
goal.
2/2
What,
how
when?

What should you say?
Does it matter how
you say it?or when?

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
What should I say?
• This is what we all think about, when we speak about
communication, isn’t it. ~management studies often
emphasize the Message over Source, Channel and the
Receiver.
S CR
1/3
What,
how
when?

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
What should I say?
• The message should be clear, go to the point, have
only 1 instruction per message… ~that’s what each
communications book says, right?
Shouldn’t we be avoiding despair and leading towards integration?
Giving short step-by-step instructions seems like poison to that goal.!
• But if we look at the change
curve… isn’t that kind of
communication the exact
wrong thing to do? ~giving
short sighted messages doesn’t
prepare for what’s coming.
2/3
What,
how
when?

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
What should I say?
For the same reason, I don’t use a navigator in my car.. I
need to see the big picture, not just the next corner!
Hence, I declare that the most important thing isn’t the
Message, it’s understanding the needs of the Receiver.
SMC
3/3
What,
how
when?

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
How should I say it?
• The theory says that, if you want to achieve a certain
objective, you should speak in a certain manner. ~I
dare you to try these:
Engage or motivate
• APPRECIATE the
target audience and
their feelings.
• RELATE to them and
their emotions.
Merge or create new
groups
• UNIFY people, give
them a joint goal or
an activity.
• Let them know you
REALIZE what it
means to them
individually and as a
group.
Embed or change ones
behavior
• MATERIALIZE the
desired action or
outcome –training,
personal guidance, good
instructions etc…
• PRODUCE the change
yourself! -Show how it’s
done. Lead by example!
What,
how
when?
Source: Leeuwen, Winkel,
Dijkstra; Vision, Mission,
Compassion 2007

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
Most importantly: when?
• Remember testing for organizational readiness for
change? ~here’s one application.
Readiness
• It’s simple: The readier
your organization, the
later you communicate.
• Speak too soon and
they get bored; speak
late and they’ll hate
you.
1/2
What,
how
when?

© 2 0 1 3 E r j a K l e m o l a
Most importantly: when?
• If you’re at the doctors, he/she will increase your
readiness by:
1. Telling you what’s
happening.
2. Giving you time to
adjust to the
information.
3. Only then injecting
you with a needle.
You’re not scared at all, are you? So why not treat everyone with the
same courtesy..
Readiness
2/2
What,
how
when?

T h i s p r e s e n t a t i o n w a s w r i t t e n a n d c r e a t e d b y
E r j a K l e m o l a , w o r k i n g a s a n I C T A d v i s o r f o r S o f i g a t e O y
“
“
Conclusions and last words
Communicating isn’t about forming the message, but a
combination of you, the message, the channel, your capability
to understand the needs of the receiver and then
communicating at the right time.
Yes, it’s your responsibility to get to know your target
audience. Would be selfish not to…

Communicating in change

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Communicating in change