Communicating Change

Communicating Change

“Communication is key”, we hear this all the time when we hear someone talking about why we need communication. But what does it mean to you and how do you understand it? I, myself, would say that it is a key that can open many locks, the locks being the ways our audiences think. 

Now, how do we handle change and the communication that comes with it? 

Do we tuck it under the blanket and give it a sugar-coat? Or do we scream it into the abyss?

Neither.

Handling communication techniques require a certain finesse. You should know what to say, and more importantly, when to say it, and how to say it with conviction and sincerity. 

In many cases, what needs to be communicated may be uncomfortable for some recipients. A hard-sell do or die stance is not going to warm people to the idea; nor is the cotton wool approach going to develop credibility. 

Change is scary and uncomfortable; a lot of people are not very accepting of it and might not even know how to handle it. As PR practitioners, we try to get people to see both sides of the coin or try to shine a different light on what they might be afraid of. We try to open their minds. We inform, educate, persuade, convince, and reassure. Quite a task! 

In our communication arsenal we have visual, written, verbal, and of course non-verbal – because sometimes not saying much can mean a lot more. We use these tools to basically educate, inform, or engage with the general public. 

Deeper than this, we need to understand human triggers. We need to understand motivation, fears, challenges, and also outcome-benefit possibilities. Being aware of these factors helps us to curate messaging that not only resonates, but empowers and encourages our audiences to embrace change. They may not like the change per se, but if they can understand both its rationale and the benefits to them / society, the success of the communication initiative can increase.

Ultimately, communicating change is not an easy feat, but it is achievable, and it is necessary. Tact, detail, and genuine communication help to ensure its success.