Top Mistakes in Change Comms
Most change initiatives don't fail because the strategy was wrong. They fail because the communication was. This is a long one - but it's also very scannable. Check it out and don't hesitate to reach out if I can help!
Here are the mistakes I see most often when leaders roll out a big change:
Treating then change as a one-time announcement, not an ongoing conversation. Leaders send the big reveal email or pump up a town hall and consider the job done, then wonder why questions and rumors keep surfacing weeks later.
AVOID this:
Build a beyond the launch calendar before you send the big reveal. Map out touchpoints for weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12, not just day one.
Create a standing AMA (ask me anything) channel or office hours so questions have a home other than the rumor mill.
Reframe success internally: the announcement is the start of the change, not the finish line. Make sure to say that explicitly to your leadership team.
Leading with logistics [instead of people]. Focusing energy on the new system, org chart, or process while treating the human experience of change as an afterthought is a mistake that will haunt you over and over.
AVOID this:
Before drafting any announcement, think about how this will feel for the person in the cubicle/on the floor. Then build the message around that.
Pair every logistics slide (new system, new org chart) with a what this means for you slide.
Ask a frontline employee or manager to review the plan before you launch. Ask them to point out where it may be confusing, cold or transactional.
Skipping the why and jumping straight to the what. Announcing the change without explaining the business reasons, the benefits (to your people), or what it actually means for someone's day-to-day role leaves employees to fill the gaps with fear. NOTE: nobody fills the unknown with happy wins – it’s always fear.
AVOID this:
Draft the why paragraph first, then you can define the what. If you can't write it in plain language, you're not ready to announce it.
Translate the business reason into a personal one. This matters to the company because X, and it matters to you because Y.
Remember fear-fills-the-gap. If you don't explain the why, assume employees will invent the worst version of it.
Underestimating resistance and skipping change-readiness work. Launching change without first assessing how people are likely to react, what they stand to lose (real or perceived), and what support they'll need will leave you scrambling.
AVOID this:
Run a quick pulse check (survey, focus groups, or informal manager conversations) before you launch to gauge sentiment and likely resistance.
Identify what people stand to lose - status, routine, relationships, competence - even if the loss is only perceived.
Use a structured baseline tool (ehm, like the Hardin Heights assessment tool) so readiness isn't a guess.
Silent sponsors. Executive sponsors who approve the initiative but don't communicate regularly leave a vacuum that managers can't fill alone.
AVOID this:
Manage up - give sponsors a script and a schedule. Don't assume visible support will happen organically. Make it easy for them too!
Ask leaders for what you want. Encourage a specific LIVE option - town hall, video, team meeting - as well as regular email/intranet updates. BONUS: provide the message (customize for their voice) if they need help.
Coordinate trickle down messaging with people managers reinforcing sponsor talking points so support cascades instead of stalling at the top. (see also: Leader Sneak Peeks)
Over-reliance on email and top-down channels. Sending emails and links over and over, while skipping conversations misses the mark. No flood of emails can never substitute for one real, two-way discussion.
AVOID this:
For every major update, pair the email with one live, two-way forum like a team huddle, Q&A, small-group discussion.
Audit your channel mix: if most of your communication is one-way, make sure to ensure you add in a feedback loop before the next update.
Train managers to have the conversation, not just forward the email. Give them a simple discussion guide. Not everyone has excellent comms instincts - help them grow that skill.
Fear-based and emotional messaging. Threats don't work. You should address detractors, yes. Address rumors for sure! But when you bark out "change or lose your jobs" I promise it'll backfire, causing people to shut down.
AVOID this:
Don’t use threatening or angry language. Focus on the changes, the benefits, and the expectations. More urgent conversations might become necessary later on – always in person, always in private, with respect and empathy.
Pressure-test messaging with a skeptical employee reviewer before it goes out. If it reads as a threat to them, rewrite it. Bonus - that employee will feel included and may buy in with more excitement!
Remember who leaves first: your best people have options. Your competitors want your top performers. Messaging should retain and engage them, not scare them into compliance.
Over-branding the initiative. Giving the change a cute or inspirational project name that employees mock, or forget isn't helpful. If you are rolling out an employee recognition program – just call it The Hardin Heights Employee Recognition Plan. Make it easy to find, easy to know what it is, and easy to use. If you need a code name for a pre-release project, change the name before launch.
AVOID this:
Default to descriptive names over clever ones — if you can't explain what it is from the name alone, rename it.
Test the name with a small employee group and ask "what would you assume this program does?" before it's finalized.
Skip the logo/campaign treatment unless it genuinely adds clarity — cute doesn't mean credible.
Over-communicating without substance. Scheduling regular updates just to hear your own voice won’t work. Update when you have something to say. I believe in manageable cadences to share updates – but cancel if there isn’t anything new. Empty updates will lead to your employees tuning out and will create cynicism just as much as silence.
AVOID this:
Set a rule: no update goes out unless it shares something new.
Build a flexible (but regular) plan instead of a rigid schedule.
If you skip a scheduled update, say so briefly: Hi team, we don't have an update for [project] as we are working on [xyz]. You can expect an update on [date]. This will ensure awareness, show progress (even without a milestone), and respect people's time.
Ignoring employees' preferred channels and timing. Pushing messages through channels they don't use, or at a time that isn't convenient will burn your people out, and create confusion.
AVOID this:
Ask (don't assume) how your team consumes information — establish the right channels and timing before rollout.
Segment your channel plan by role/location. Don't send frontline and remote teams emails. Don't require desk workers to attend a daily huddle. Unless teams ask for another option.
Watch for signs of message fatigue (declining opens, disengagement in meetings) and adjust your approach as needed. Don't just push through the pain.
Values disconnect. Standardization won't help creatives, unless you can show the benefits that will help them be MORE CREATIVE. Using a paper solution won't excite IT teams. Figure out what your team wants and needs - then share those benefits.
AVOID this:
Compare key messages to your actual culture — use language your team uses to describe themselves or their work.
Involve employees in reviewing drafts to catch language that might land as tone-deaf or jargon-y.
Focus on values that ARE established, not the values leadership wishes were in place.
Inconsistent messaging across leaders and levels. Unclear or contradictory communication will kill momentum. When you don’t have a shared vision, you’ll leave your people confused, and unable to see how the change will impact their day-to-day work.
AVOID this:
Create one shared messaging document (key facts, why, timeline, FAQs) that every leader and manager uses as their single source of truth.
Brief managers before employees hear anything publicly. Don't surprise people leaders by sharing everything with everyone at the same time.
Build in a quick alignment check (a 15-minute leader huddle) before each major update goes out, so nobody freelances the message.
This isn't a complete guide and every organization needs to evaluate what they do, how they do it, what their people want and need, and adapt. When you bring these options forward FIRST and make communications a priority, you'll start to see improvement across the organization. Remember, knowing is half the battle (yes, this will age me - if you all watched those after school specials).
The stakes are real: roughly 70% of change initiatives fail. This is a real number. In M&A deals specifically, McKinsey found that 80% of C-suite leaders believe their messaging is effective. Somehow, only 53% of employees agree. That gap is where trust, engagement, and deals themselves fall apart.
Communication isn't the soft part of change. It's the part that determines whether the change actually works and sticks. The cost of getting it wrong is devastating. Let's talk about what your people actually need to hear, and when.
