The only certainty in business is change. It typically comes out of nowhere and requires communicators to be tenacious, confident and competent in their approach.
Today I’d like to invite you to join me at my next Change Communication Masterclass on 20 June 2018.
How good are you at change communication? We all encounter situations in our career where we need to whip a change comms plan out of our back pocket. Do you need a hand?
Having the right resources and addressing change at the right time is hard to do (massive understatement!), but there are ideas you can put into place and strategies to help you succeed.
Read more: Salem, P (2008), The seven communication reasons organisations do not change. Corporate Communication: An International Journal Plus, Quirke, Bill. (2008) Making the Connections. 2nd ed. Surrey: Gower. Johansson, C. and Heide, M. (2008). Speaking of change: three communication approaches in studies of organisational change. Corporate Communication: An International Journal, 13(3), pp. 288 – 305).
Common conversations…
We hear about the pace of change a lot. Clients, peers and people in my network often express their frustration and I hear comments like:
“I’m being asked to communicate X. But I’m not being given the chance to understand it first, before being asked how we’re going to communicate it, where should I start?”
or
“Our company has just finished a big change project and now we’re talking about the next one. I’m worried the messaging we’ve just used now looks out of date, but I didn’t know what was around the corner. How can I restore trust and get people to even believe us?”
or
“I need to know more information, but I’m being asked for a comms plan with no idea what the timelines look like. It feels like my plan will become the timeline – is that right?”
Sound familiar?
What does change communication mean?
Change can happen as a result of an event, a regulatory change or a restructure. The phrase covers a multitude of situations and scenarios.
It can include (and is not limited to!…)
- Office closures
- Moving countries/site
- Redundancies
- New technology
- Regulatory changes
- Organisational restructures/redesign
- Change of leadership
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- New branding
- Revised company strategy
- New products and services.
If you are looking for help and a confidential space to air your challenges, hear some comms theory and discuss scenarios with your peers, I have just the course for you.
On 27 September 2017 I ran the first All Things IC Change Communication Masterclass. I ran it again on 30 January 2018 and would love you to join me in London for the day at my next one on 20 June 2018.
I’ve introduced it based on feedback from previous Masterclass attendees, clients and friends who have been asking me to run a change comms course.
Your wish is my command!
It’s now live and I invite you to sign up and invest a day in your career.
Below are some photographs of my previous Masterclasses. This is your space for the day, where no question is a daft one and no confession is too shocking (honestly!). There is no judgement or wrong answer.
What we’ll cover in the course:
- Looking at change communication theory
- Examining the role of the modern senior communicator and their team when communicating change
- Asking for advice with your change communication needs
- Knowing how other people communicate change including restructures, office moves and much more
- Analysing communication methods, including planning and stakeholders.
What it’s like to attend one of my Masterclasses
When you attend an All Things IC Masterclass, you are guaranteed to experience comprehensive teaching, a fantastic venue, delicious food and to leave feeling inspired.
Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what comms pros who attended my Internal Communication Masterclass a couple of weeks ago thought of their course:
“The All Things IC Comms Masterclass (on 27 June) was spot on for re-invigorating my passion for internal communications and providing a toolkit of great ideas and approaches to implement back in the office. The best part was spending time with like-minded comms professionals sharing ideas and experiences. I thoroughly recommend to anyone working in comms new or old to sign up to one of Rachel’s classes – plus she provides fab goodie bags!!” – Becky Wren, Marketing Manager, Screwfix.
I can’t tell you how proud that makes me. I regularly get updates from attendees who keep me posted with how they are translating the ideas we came up with into action.
“Rachel’s IC knowledge is immense, and she’s incredibly generous with it. The Masterclass was well structured and interesting, with a good mix of theory and practical skills. I left full of ideas, with a reading and action list I’m looking forward to getting stuck into. Thanks Rachel!” – Lindsay Narey, Communications Executive, Metropolitan.
It’s important to take time out to invest in and develop ourselves professionally, I’ve certainly been doing the same recently. Thank you Becky, Lindsay and Alison for your feedback from the Masterclass:
I came away completely buzzing with inspiration and ideas and happy that I’d had the space to take a step back and think creatively about what we’re doing and why. Having time to think and reflect always feels like a bit of a luxury but it’s so important. Thank you Rachel for a brilliant day. – Alison Robinson, Internal Communications Officer, Birketts LLP
Save money on communication training
Choose from Change Communication, Internal Communication or Strategic Internal Communication.
If you work for a nonprofit organisation or are a Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) or Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC) member, you can save 20% using my discount codes.
Members can also earn CPD points/hours by attending an All Things IC Masterclass. My one-day courses are worth six hours for IoIC members and 10 points for CIPR members, so you can earn while you learn.
See the Masterclasses website to discover the codes and to save your place.
Sensitive change issue?
If you are working on something super sensitive and would like to pick my brain privately, I have the solution – sign up to a 1-2-1 coaching session.
We can spend a whole day together concentrating on you. I can help you brainstorm, review what you’ve done and we can create a plan of action.
I hire training rooms at WallaceSpace in Covent Garden, London, which are ours for the day. Find out more.
Further reading: How to become a Chartered PR Practitioner.
Further reading about communicating change
I’ve written about change communication numerous times in the eight years I’ve been blogging for. Here are some resources to help you.
Spotted something you think other comms pros would benefit from reading? Comment below or Tweet me @AllthingsIC to recommend your resources.
Why change comms should be drawn
How to measure communication
Changing behaviour for better business
Communicating change at Westminster City Council
Crisis communication checklist
Communicating change at the BBC
Communicating change at the Washington Post
Thank you for stopping by,
Rachel
Post author: Rachel Miller
First published on the All Things IC blog 14 July 2017. Updated 2018.
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