Keeping people informed.
WHY IT MATTERS CONTINUOUSLY
Silence during change is filled with speculation, and speculation is always worse than reality.
WHAT TO COMMUNICATE
What is happening What has been decided What has not been decided What happens next and when What is expected of people
WHY STATING WHAT IS UNDECIDED
It prevents assumption and it is more credible than pretending everything is settled.
HOW OFTEN
More frequently than feels necessary.
WHY
People need repetition, and gaps are filled with rumour.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
A regular update, even when there is little to report.
WHY EVEN THEN
Absence of news is interpreted as problems.
WHAT CHANNELS TO USE
In person, for significant matters Written, for reference Through managers, for their own teams
WHY IN PERSON FOR SIGNIFICANT MATTERS
It permits questions and it demonstrates seriousness.
WHAT TO PROVIDE
An opportunity to ask, genuinely.
WHAT TO DO WITH QUESTIONS YOU CANNOT ANSWER
Say so, and say when you will.
WHY
Invented answers are discovered.
WHAT TO ENSURE
That managers know before their teams.
WHY
A manager who cannot answer their team's questions loses authority.
WHAT TO BRIEF MANAGERS ON
The reasoning, not just the announcement.
WHY
They must explain it, repeatedly, in their own words.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
What people are actually concerned about.
WHAT TO ADJUST
The communication, based on what is being misunderstood.
WHAT TO AVOID
Announcing significant news at the end of a week Different messages to different groups
