Communicating Change

Communicating a Change

Part 1

Communicating change is one of the most challenging processes in organizations. People tend to assume change could bring instability and so communicating the change path, even if it is not fully laid out, helps to remain calm, and make good decisions. One of the most effective channels of communicating change to a team is email communication. Through email, the manager can communicate with a team in a formal way (Kwofie, Aigbavboa & Thwala, 2020). Managers can also attach several materials including documents, videos, and images as evidence of why there is an urgent need for change within the organization. Nonetheless, e-mail is universal and is being used by diverse employees. All workers have emails in which they use as mediums for communication.

To communicate change through email I will first lay out the purpose and specifics. To achieve this, I have to identify the reasons for change, the expected outcomes, and the actual process. I will create a purpose to help get the team engaged and interested in the change about to take place. In this case, the purpose will be to ensure that clients are satisfied, build trust, and ensure clients’ orders are in good condition, well packed, and delivered on time. During this process, it is critical to highlight when the change will take place and the significance of the new changes to the organization (Kwofie, Aigbavboa & Thwala, 2020). I will also highlight the benefits received by the team to encourage members on the team.

Another critical aspect to be considered while communicating change through email is the audience. In this case, the audience is the team members. I will consider how this change will impact the target audience and the need to include customers and outside vendors in the communication process. Leaving other members out of the communication process can be detrimental to productivity and relationships (Kwofie, Aigbavboa & Thwala, 2020). In the case of putting clients as propriety, I will notify all the team members concerning the change and consider educating customer service on how to engage with clients.

When drafting the message, the voice should be flexible to enable a change of voice tone depending on the information. The meaning of my words will be expressed and weighted through my voice tonality. The employees mostly want to hear the authenticity in the voice tone for them to embrace the needed changes. To speak with power and influence, be memorable and authentic, and deeply engage with the team, I should be able to switch roles from being a coach to motivator to a colleague and an educator by harnessing my voice.

Since emails are important and part of an employee’s daily workflow, it is important to ensure that the structure professional. First, I will use an email subject that addresses the issue at hand and why change is needed within the organization. The name of the sender, date, and recipient should also be included. What follows is a short, concise and clear message that uses proper spelling and grammar.

Part 2

WhatsApp is fast becoming our primary mode of communication and it can be used for business purposes. It will be a good tool for communication with the team as it is easily accessible. Managers can take advantage of being able to interact with the team in real-time and make sure they direct them in the right way. The best thing about WhatsApp is that most employees use it and do not need training. Managers do not have to ask their team to check WhatsApp explicitly. Also, it is quick and reliable.

To connect with the team on WhatsApp the message for communicating change needs to be modified. The message should be simple, clear, and compelling. Most WhatsApp messages are informal. Thus, it is critical to creating a message that is simpler and more understandable to ordinary people. Sentences should not be broken up but instead, paragraphs should be used. Bullet points will be effective to emphasize the key points while keeping communication short and clear. The tone should be courteous, confident, and nondiscriminatory. Generally, the message should be short in length to ensure that the team does not find it hard to interpret the message.

Reference

Kwofie, T. E., Aigbavboa, C., & Thwala, W. (2020). Understanding Communication Effectiveness. In Effective Construction Project Delivery (pp. 83-103). Springer, Cham.