05/07/2026
All too often I see change messaging that is largely meaningless and boring.
In a world where people are so busy, constantly being distracted, and dealing with several changes all at once, we can't afford to be lazy or 'corporate' in our change messaging.
Instead, try this:
- Talk about the benefits of the change (for each audience), not just the features. For example, implementing a new software platform? Talk about how that helps your audience, not just the functionality.
- Take the audience's perspective, not the business's. This is especially important when talking about the 'why'.
- Be open about the potential challenges people will encounter along the way, and how you might navigate those together. If it's all sunshine and rainbows, you're setting up impossible expectations, and people's BS radars will be pinging.
- If you can, show how the change addresses a pain point your audience has raised, so you can demonstrate that it helps to solve a problem they have. You're not just doing this for funsies.
- Be specific, relevant, and tangible in your description of what's changing, when, how, and why. The vague, high-level corporate speak does not inspire confidence, and can often be confusing or come across as patronising.
What else you would you add to this list? Share the love in the comments!
[Image description: Pale green tile with black headline text that reads 'How to message your change'. Below are two columns titled 'do this' and 'not this' featuring the do's and don'ts from this post.]
