Create a shared understanding of client requirements in just one meeting — Outlining the communications requirements for a change project that just secured funding is always daunting — especially when you’re trying to understand what the scope might look like in 6–12 months time. I created the following list of questions to ask program/project managers during an initial 30-minute briefing call to…

How to know when employees are ready to hear about — and respond positively to — the next workplace transformation — I’ve spoken with people at organizations lately about rolling out large-scale workplace transformations in the coming months. Their employees have all recently returned to the office after two years of remote work and it’s a big (and sometimes stressful) adjustment for most. So I knew that launching a new communications…

Advice for writing compelling change narratives — I’ve been asked many times to translate corporate pillars, program milestones and practice goals into stories that motivate people to change — and it’s ALWAYS a time-consuming challenge. Change management presentations and tools are sometimes packed full of technical information that doesn’t easily translate into user-friendly content — let alone…

5 tools for creating content people are actually interested in — You developed plenty of ‘broadbrush’ communications for employees about upcoming changes at work. But nobody seems to care — or worse, they’re openly hostile about learning new ways of working. Sound familiar? Ineffective change communications content is one of the top reasons workplace transformations fail. And one of the biggest…

How to get everyone on the same page — You received a new project brief for a workplace transformation — and timings were tight. So you swiftly presented a proposal for approval. But the entire plan is on hold because your stakeholders don’t agree on how to talk about upcoming changes with employees. And time is ticking… Not being…

What it is — and why it’s the most important skill set for 2022 — I’ve spent the past year trying to solve a billion-dollar business problem: why do so many workplace transformations fail despite huge investments in time, money and expertise? The answer is sometimes simple: because they don’t know how to have meaningful conversations with employees about change. This mistake is costing companies…

Here’s how to fix it — 2022 is the Year of Change. Companies are planning to spend more than ever on workplace transformations this year, in the hopes they won’t become part of the 70% of organizations who regularly fail at creating meaningful change. But the secret to success isn’t always found in your change management…

The biggest workplace changes of 2022 and how to talk about them with employees — As a change communications consultant, I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to shift people’s behavior. It’s a long, sometimes complicated process that’s doomed to fail unless you spend time listening to people’s concerns. Many of my colleagues are currently agonizing over decisions that will require thousands of people to make…

Better communications tactics for getting feedback and meeting deadlines — Inboxes full of unread emails are guaranteed to interfere with completing important tasks— especially if you’re a change communications consultant like me who relies on getting sign-off before finalizing content. Luckily, new ways of working make it easier to meet project deadlines. Here are some innovative ways I get feedback…