The missing link in your change comms
The Missing Link In Your Change Communications
Earlier this week, I shared one of my superpowers that started in my corporate days - getting people to the right place for answers. I wasn’t the expert on every system or policy, but I almost always knew who was, and I followed up until the loop was closed. That made me valuable, not because I knew everything, but because people trusted that if they came to me, they wouldn’t stay stuck. Sometimes just making sure things get done is enough to keep others coming back for more.
This is especially true in my business ownership era. My ability to connect, re-direct AND follow up has proven a very valuable trait; one that a lot of people don’t have. When I started consulting, I worried I’d lose that part of my work. No central directory. No corporate org chart. No “oh, that’s the person who owns this process” baked into my day. But I knew I wanted to keep connecting people, and I decided to build that skill into my business on purpose. Now, I don’t just connect leaders to better messaging, I connect people to each other, on purpose and with intention.
When there is change happening, the messengers obsess over announcements, FAQs, town halls, decks, and intranet posts, especially during M&As, reorganizations, and big system changes. But if you watch what actually helps teams move through change, it’s rarely [only] a beautifully written email. It’s a conversation between two people who understand what’s really happening and what it means in their world. That conversation almost never happens by accident.
Someone has to:
Notice who’s asking [the same] questions.
See where work overlaps.
Understand who has the scar tissue, the shortcuts, or the context.
Make a pointed and meaningful intro.
During transitions, I dig in with clients to find out all the stuff that matters - what's changing, when, where to go for answers - blah blah blah. But I also root out how they connect people to each other - if they do that at all. It's not just about the latest blog post, update, or email.
When a plant manager is rolling out new work instructions, who gets paired with the veteran who’s already lived through three process overhauls?
When a software change is announced, which teams get introduced because their workflows are about to collide?
Who is the peer-level ambassador to answer questions in the moment?
These connections often get overlooked in change communications.
A thoughtful connection can:
Transfer trust from you to someone else on the team.
Avoid the bottleneck AND expand the knowledge pool.
Reduce resistance, because people hear from peers, not just leaders.
Build informal support networks that last far beyond the project.
Create leaders from curious individual contributors.
And yes, sometimes, you get to write an intro that lands so well someone says, “I think this may be the best intro I’ve ever read.” I shared my smile‑file moment earlier this week when I got that exact feedback. When a connection lands, it’s a signal that says, someone cared enough to make this this connection on purpose. This wasn’t just “Meet Sarah, she’s great.” It was specific, intentional, and rooted in what each person needed next.
So here’s your nudge: as you plan your next comms around a reorg, system upgrade, or leadership change, don’t stop at what do people need to know? Add who needs to know each other? to your checklist. Make connections part of your communication plan.
Interested in some of the ways I’ve actually used connections during times of change? Make sure to sign up for my emails. I always share the best stuff with my readers first!
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