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A Change Will Do You Good
Change is a constant element in our lives today, especially in business. Often in today's economic environment we associate change with something negative such as plant closures or restructuring. Even when change is due to growth, such as a merger or a new product launch, it is likely to cause anxiety amongst some group of customers or employees.

Announcing change is important, yet often challenging and uncomfortable for leaders who may be anxious about the change as well. These communications should always be tailored to the specific announcement and audience, but there are guidelines to help. Good communication can ease the way for successful change, whereas a poorly communicated message will only cause roadblocks.

Begin crafting your communication with your audience in mind. When developing your change communication you should ensure it answers three questions:
  • 1. What is the change?
  • 2. Why change?
  • 3. How will the change impact your audience?

Covering these three elements will help get your communications off on the right foot.

1. What is the change?

  • Be sure to explain the change as best you can in a way that is appropriate for your audience. If the full extent of the change is not known, explain what you can and when you may know more. Especially when communicating complex changes or to a large audience, a well-designed graphic may help communicate your message far better than a long speech or word-y announcement.

2. Why change?
  • Change for the sake of change is frustrating to everyone. Explain why the change is occurring and be honest. Is it the market or economy that is driving the change? Has your business grown to the point where the old way doesn't support future growth? Especially if the impetus for change is likely to be perceived as negative, it may be helpful to highlight how this change better prepares your organization for the future.

3. How will the change impact your audience?
  • Answer "What does this mean for me?" for your audience and highlight audience-specific benefits of the change. This is another area where a graphic may make the task of communicating the change to your audience easier. A well-designed graphic can help individuals quickly identify and understand how the change impacts them. In many cases, a professionally designed graphic can be posted to your website or become a handout for people to refer back to later.