Achieved Strategies

You’ve heard it and possibly participated in it at one time – water cooler conversations. Gossip. Feeding the grape vine.  It’s conversations about someone who isn’t present or about something and there is no first hand knowledge or a clear understanding of the topic.

During times of change, water cooler conversations can seriously cripple or completely wipe out a change initiative.

I read a recent blog post about how IBM is using social media to communicate with staff. What stood out, in part because it was bolded type, was this quote: “Not mass communication, but masses of communicators.”  Brilliant!

During times of change, you need your people, the masses, communicating, spreading the word, about what’s going on – not just the leadership team. Gone are the days where a top down change initiative brings transformation.

Here are three ways to use inspire the masses and bring death to the water cooler conversation:

Tip 1: Straight Talk – Before you can have masses of people spreading the word, you’ve got to have a policy of straight talk. We’ve seen many managers be tempted to water down difficult messages thinking the truth will disrupt “production.” Employees can smell BS a mile away.

Share what you can and then explain that some details aren’t ready to be shared. When communicating during times of change, you are always building trust. It is built on a foundation of straight talk.

Tip 2: Use Social Media Principles – This isn’t saying implement a social media strategy or technology. Social media principles are about connecting with others to build relationships and share ideas.  It’s two-way communication.

To that end, change leaders and agents must listen more than talk. Genuinely give employees a voice by listening to their ideas, concerns, and questions. Have face-to-face and live video presentations. The purpose is to get input on what needs to be done or learn what isn’t working. Then involve them to recommend solutions.

What makes social media so powerful is that it taps into the wisdom of people and connects them. Use this principle to build your masses.  It’s a bonus if you use social media technology like Twitter, Yammar, blogs, etc. These connect people in powerful ways.

Tip 3: Keep It Visible – Communicate through visuals. Communicate often. Communicate sooner than you think.

• Create a change scorecard to show progress on change initiatives and their impact.  Publish on your intranet. Post in public places. Handout copies at important meetings.

• Tap into your people’s talents by hosting a contest for the best graphical depiction of the project’s timeline. Let the organization vote to identify the best image. Share important information about the change to ensure the art is relevant to what you want to accomplish.

• Use videos to give updates. Use videos to supplement an important meeting. Create video blogs from fellow employees and leadership.  The technology to do this simply and affordably has improved greatly.

Inspiring the masses to communicate is only possible when trust is established and nurtured.  When employees can participate in the conversation and influence the outcome, you will create a willing group of collaborators in your change.