The rumor mill is hard to contain and impossible to stop.
After all, people are curious, and when they know change is coming, they want to know a few things
- How am I affected?
- When is it happening?
- Is it good or bad?
- How are those around me affected?
- Who do I go to with questions?
As leaders, our reports will expect us to answer these questions and more.
To better serve them, get a document started, have a meeting, or go to a Cafe with your peers and figure out as much information about the change.
Consider main themes such as
- Reporting structure
- Process
- Direction
- Compensation
- Timelines
- Documentations
- Reasoning
- Decision-makers
Next, consider the communication preferences and must-haves to disseminate the information, such as
- Legal requirements
- Communication channels — think meetings, documents, presentations, videos, phone calls
- Timing on communication
- Chain of responsibility for communication
By now, you should have a proper change management plan to execute on and hopefully slow down the rumors from presenting an inaccurate future.
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