Let’s not become the missing chapter in the change story
by Victoria Ford
For a year or so now I’ve been playing around in my mind with the role of comms people in business change. The two disciplines are so closely linked (indeed I led business change for an organisation before becoming a head of comms!), but there are distinct differences. There’s a danger that someone doing business change thinks they have comms nailed, when what they have actually done is identified a need for comms, and a comms person thinks they have business change covered when they are only addressing one part of it.
My ponderings have led me to three main conclusions:
all comms roles involve (or should involve) change, whether that is whole organisation transformation, supporting a project or initiative or helping a specific behaviour change
whilst as a profession we’re becoming better at behaviour change there is a real gap in the capability of comms teams to support project and whole organisation change
if we’re going to get better at it as an industry we need to understand the principles of change first
You’ll have heard it time and time again, but the pace and scale of change continues to get faster and broader. The challenges for an organisation vary, but financial pressures, increase in demand and the changing expectations of society all have a part to play in prompting change.
There can be, and usually are, a number of reasons why an organisation needs to change. Having a clear reason to change makes change easier to deliver and support, providing momentum and focus. Whether this is financial, changing expectations or the uncertainty of the industry and environment your organisation is working in, part of the role of comms people has to be to help shape that change story and ensure clarity and focus so that we can share stories that resonate with users and colleagues alike.
If we accept that the role of the comms professional is to work alongside change and business change colleagues to support transformation and make sure change works, what can we do as comms people to get better at communicating change?
Here’s 7 points to get you started:
Be part of it - get involved early on, understand the drivers for change, the purpose and the intent.
Challenge everything in (1) to make sure it is clear and that everyone is on the same page
Understand how you as an individual respond to change. What are your trigger points? What takes you out of your comfort zone? How do you work best?
Don’t be afraid of new terminology and ways of working, ask the stupid questions and learn from those around you.
Remember your strengths and what you bring to the table and use them to make change better.
Get some models, proformas and approaches into your toolbox. Good, repeatable processes build capability and confidence.
Work out loud - share what you are learning and doing and learn from others in return.
I may still be pondering the business change vs communications disciplines, but I do know that as comms people we have a key role to play in delivery of successful change and we have a responsibility to upskill ourselves and our organisations to get this right. Let’s not become the missing chapter in the change story.
Want to learn more about how to create and deliver effective change comms?
Victoria Ford and Perago Wales has just launched a brand new Change Comms workshop in Birmingham, Cardiff and, soon to announced, Glasgow.
More info and bookings here:
Cardiff - 24-25 February
Birmingham – 9-10 March
Glasgow – 4-5 May
Victoria Ford is director at Perago-Wales and a former director of comms in central government
Image via New York Public Library
