Change communication
Making change understandable and enabling dialogue
We develop change communication from strategic direction to ongoing implementation. Together, we clarify what different groups need to know and understand, which messages provide guidance, and where dialogue and participation are necessary.
This isn’t just about sending information. Good change communication makes it clear why something is changing, what’s already decided, what’s still open, and what the next steps are. At the same time, it creates opportunities for questions, feedback, and exchange.
Depending on the change, we develop a communication strategy and architecture, support managers and multipliers, and take on specific communication tasks as needed.
What communication task are you dealing with in this change process?
Tell us what’s changing in your organization and where communication is particularly needed right now. In a no-obligation consultation, we’ll work together to determine what kind of support would be helpful for your change process.
What kind of support do you need in change communication?
Change communication can be strategically redesigned, further developed in a targeted manner, or supported during the ongoing change process.
Strategically align communication
Who needs what information and what kind of dialogue, and when? We analyze stakeholders and communication needs, clarify roles and responsibilities, and develop a communication architecture that meaningfully connects topics, target groups, formats, and timing.
Sharpen existing communication
Communication exists, but it doesn’t reach all relevant groups or adequately answer key questions. We examine messages, communication channels, and feedback from within the organization and develop concrete starting points for further communication.
Shaping dialogue and participation
Change creates questions, differing interests, and sometimes even contradiction. We develop formats that enable exchange, incorporate feedback, and allow relevant groups to be specifically involved in the change process.
Continuously manage communication
Prolonged change processes continuously generate new communication challenges. We provide support in planning and management, further develop communication measures, and, if required, take on clearly defined work packages during implementation.
A change story creates a shared communicative framework.
A change story connects the reason for the change, the desired future vision, and key messages in a coherent way. It creates a common framework upon which leaders, the change team, and further communication efforts can build.
We develop change stories together with relevant stakeholders, test them within the organization, and refine them as the change process progresses.
This is how you create orientation in the change process
Change communication helps employees and managers understand and contextualize a change. This requires more than just regular updates: relevant connections must be made clear, open questions must remain visible, and the impact on different groups must be considered.
Make the reason for the change understandable.
To understand where a change leads, one must also understand why it is necessary. We help to clearly connect the initial situation, the need for action, and the desired development.
Clearly distinguish between fixed and open elements.
In complex change processes, not all answers are available from the outset. Good change communication makes transparent what has already been decided, which questions remain open, and when further clarifications can be expected.
Specifying the impact on different groups
The same change can have very different consequences for managers, employees, or individual departments. Therefore, we focus our communication not only on general core messages, but also on the specific information and dialogue needs of relevant groups.
Use feedback for further communication
Questions, reactions, and feedback reveal what is understood, where uncertainty arises, and which topics require additional attention. This feedback is incorporated into further communication planning.
Effective change communication answers four key questions
The DVPK model structures key aspects of change communication. It combines four questions that help stakeholders understand change and orient themselves within the process.
URGENT: WHY IS CHANGE NECESSARY?
People need a clear understanding of why the current approach cannot continue unchanged. Urgency makes the need for action visible without unnecessarily dramatizing problems.
VISION: WHERE SHOULD THE CHANGE LEAD?
A vision of the future provides direction. It describes what the change is intended to achieve and what those involved can use as a guide for further development.
PRINCIPLES: WHAT GUIDES THE PATH?
Especially when not every step is yet clear, common principles provide guidance for behavior and decisions in the change process.
CLARITY: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN CONCRETE TERMS?
Clarity comes from concrete information: What happens next? What roles are involved? When will further information be available? Where can I get involved and what support is available?
Change communication is not a one-way street.
Information alone is not enough in change processes. Communication must also enable questions to be asked, impacts to be discussed, and feedback from within the organization to be received.
Empower managers to communicate effectively and take action
Managers are often key contacts for employees during periods of change. They need a shared understanding of the change, clarity about their communication role, and sufficient space to receive and answer questions from their teams.
; involve multipliers and change agents;
Multipliers and change agents can disseminate information to different areas, gauge sentiment and questions, and strengthen communication with the change team. Their role and integration into the communication architecture should therefore be carefully planned.
If employees need targeted preparation for this task, we offer suitable change management training and development programs .
organize dialogue and participation;
Workshops, dialogue formats, town halls, and digital exchange opportunities fulfill different tasks. What matters is not the number of formats, but whether they are suitable for the specific communication task and enable genuine exchange.
firmly plan feedback loops.
Short surveys, discussions, and other feedback formats reveal how communication is received and where additional information or dialogue is needed. This allows change communication to be specifically adapted as it progresses.
Rethinking change communication
Rethinking change communication
DVPK: Designing change communication systematically
Combining urgency, vision, principles, and clarity
OKR and Change Communication
What an OKR implementation reveals about communication during change
Communication in Atruvia's transformation journey
Participation and dialogue in a comprehensive transformation
Change topics at a glance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is change communication?
Change communication, also known as transformation communication, accompanies change processes through communication. It clarifies the reason for, goal of, and progress of the change, provides orientation regarding next steps, and facilitates dialogue, participation, and feedback.
Why is communication important in change processes?
Change creates a need for information and often also uncertainty. Change communication helps to make connections understandable, to address open questions transparently, and to reach different groups with the information and dialogue opportunities they need for the change process.
What constitutes a change communication strategy?
A change communication strategy clarifies, among other things, which stakeholders are relevant, what information and dialogue needs exist, which messages should be conveyed, who assumes communicative responsibility, and which formats, channels, and times are suitable.
When should change communication begin?
Change communication should be an early part of the planning process for any change initiative. Questions arise right from the start regarding the reason for the change, its goals, the approach, and its potential impact. Even if not all the answers are yet clear, it’s important to communicate transparently what is known, what still needs clarification, and what the next steps in the process will be.
How do you communicate during a change process when not all the answers are yet clear?
Not every open question needs to be answered immediately. It’s important to clearly distinguish between points that have already been decided, those that are still open, and those that can only be clarified later. Additionally, it should be transparent how and when further decisions or information can be expected.
What role do managers play in change communication?
Leaders often translate changes into the specific work context of their teams and are key contacts for questions and feedback. For this, they need a shared understanding of the change initiative, clear key messages, and confidence in their own communication role.
What role do multipliers and change agents play?
Multipliers and change agents create additional connections between the change team and the organization. They can disseminate information, gather questions and assess sentiments, and support dialogue in various areas. Their tasks and involvement should therefore be clearly defined.
What is a change story?
How can dialogue and feedback be integrated into change communication?
Dialogue can be organized through workshops, leadership formats, town halls, multiplier networks, or digital exchange formats. Supplementary surveys and feedback loops reveal which questions remain unanswered and where communication needs to be adjusted.
What is the difference between change communication and strategy communication?
Change communication accompanies a change process and addresses not only the goal and direction but also the progress, impact, open questions, participation, and feedback. Strategy communication focuses on making a strategic direction understandable and supporting its implementation through communication. In transformation processes, these two tasks can overlap but should be clearly coordinated.
Can cidpartners also handle operational change communication?
Yes. In addition to consulting, communication strategy, and communication architecture, we can also handle the implementation of agreed-upon communication tasks. The specific scope depends on the skills and resources available internally and where additional support is needed.