Does anyone speak technobabble round here?
There is often a tension in an organisation when communicating change, between getting something out quickly or taking time to make it easily understandable. This may seem obvious but with conflicting pressures like an impending deadline, complex approval processes, pressure to act etc – this is often the reality.
The Covid-crisis is a real-time university of change management with important lessons on how to communicate and how not to do it. There has been much huff and puff about which country got it right and which country got it wrong – as if it is a one-off exam question, rather than a constantly unfolding tragedy. Often cited as star-pupil is Germany with France, Spain, Italy the UK, the US and Belgium firmly in the ‘could-do-better’ camp. And of course, then there is Sweden – but let’s not go there. I saw an interesting article which looked at the different strategies that had been adopted by each country. It was interesting because there was very little difference in strategy, with the possible exception of the speed with which those strategies were deployed. For example; masks; social distancing; handwashing; lockdowns; track and trace. Nearly all countries at some point adopted similar approaches.
There was however, one stand-out difference between the best and the worst (recognising that it is far too early to reach any final conclusions about the countries that got it right and those that did not). That difference boils down to the clarity and consistency of the communication. Put simply, did the population understand what they were being asked to do? Did they follow the advice? Will they continue to comply with that guidance? Where the message was well-explained and the messenger was believed, the death rate has been lower than those countries which have flip-flopped around on message and on the actions, citizens need to take.
So, what can be learned by change management professionals dedicated to delivering effective and sustainable transformation to the people in their organisations. Simplicity is key. Develop a clear message directly linked to the desired behaviours. Communicate via multiple channels with a consistent message and ensure the messenger has the authority to land the message effectively. When communicating technical information take the time to ‘translate it’ into plain, easily understood language. There is no place for technobabble – that is technical-speak or jargon – that is not understood by the target audience! Just because it suits the needs of the project team, that does not mean the message will be effective. It is almost always better to take the time to get it right rather than hit a project-driven deadline!
Brotzen Mayne advises global and national organisations on communicating effectively to deliver successful transformation programmes. The company has recently launched Communicate the Change, an on-line self-paced training programme. You can find out how it can help anyone responsible for delivering change to ensure the communication is understood and drives the relevant behaviours of people impacted by the change.
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