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Communicating During Times of
Transition - During
times of transition, it is very important to provide as much information
as possible and to repeat the information on several
occasions. We tend to assume that people know what’s
going on. Don’t assume. Here are some thoughts
from author William Bridges:
“They don’t need to know
yet. We’ll tell them when the time comes. It will just upset them now.” For every week of
upset that you avoid by hiding the truth, you gain a month of
bitterness and mistrust. Besides, the grapevine already has the
news, so don’t imagine that your information is a secret.
“They already know. We
announced it.” Okay,
you told them, but it didn’t sink in. Threatening
information is absorbed remarkably slowly. Say it again. Find
different ways to say it and through different media (large
meetings, one-on-ones, memos, company paper article).
“I told the supervisors.
It’s their job to tell the staff.” The supervisors are likely to be in transitions
themselves, and they might not even sufficiently understand the
information to convey it accurately. Maybe they are still in
denial. Information is power, so they might not want to share it
yet. Don’t assume that information trickles down through
the organization reliably or in a timely fashion.
“We don’t know all the
details ourselves yet, so there is no point in saying anything
until everything has been decided.” In the meantime, people can get more frightened and
resentful. Much better to say what you do know, say that you
don’t know more, and provide a timetable for additional
information. If information isn’t available later as
promised, be sure to say something to show that you haven’t
forgotten or broken your word.
For more information on how E. K.
Ward & Associates, an OI Partner, can assist you with your
communications campaign during times of transition, contact us
at: (716) 626-1188 or email@ekward.com
(Subject line: Transitions Communications Campaign).
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