Most leaders know they need to communicate when something changes, but that's not the hard part. The challenge lies in keeping people informed and engaged once the day-to-day work takes over and people start falling back into old habits.
A change communications plan helps you do that. It lays out who needs to hear what, when they need to hear it, and how you’ll keep the conversation going as the change rolls out. It also gives people a way to ask questions, share concerns, and understand what the change means for their own work.
When communication is clear and consistent, people have a better chance of understanding the change and feeling ready for it. Here’s how to build a plan that works in practice, drawing on Andrew Reise’s change management experience and our new eBook, What Makes Change Stick, featuring eight leaders who have helped organizations navigate transformation.
The short version
- Know your audiences. Executives, managers, and frontline employees need different information.
- Explain why the change is happening. Be clear about what’s changing, why it matters, and what people need to do.
- Keep communication going. Use a mix of channels and a steady rhythm of updates.
- Make room for questions and concerns. People need to be able to speak up and get honest answers.
- Pay attention to how people respond. Check whether they understand the change, and adjust your approach when they don’t.
Why Does Communication Matter During Change?
Even a well-planned change can run into trouble if people don’t understand what’s happening or why it matters to them.
Think about a company rolling out a new CRM. One approach is to send an all-staff email announcing the new system and leave it at that. Another is to have leaders explain why the change is happening, give managers practical guidance for their teams, and share updates as people start using the system.
The second approach gives employees more chances to understand what’s changing, ask questions, and see how it affects their work.
That’s why communication needs to continue through planning, rollout, and the months that follow. Announcing a change is one step. Helping people work through it takes longer.
What Should a Change Communications Plan Include?
A useful plan covers five things:
- Your audiences: Who needs to know about the change, and what do they need to understand?
- Your key messages: What’s changing, why is it happening, and what does it mean for people?
- Your communication schedule: When will you share updates, and how often?
- Ways to hear from employees: How can people ask questions, raise concerns, and share feedback?
- How you’ll measure progress: How will you know whether people understand the change and are putting it into practice?
These five pieces give you a starting point. The plan should also leave room to adjust as you learn what people need along the way.
How Should You Tailor Messages for Different Employees?
The same change can mean very different things depending on someone’s role. A message that makes sense to an executive may leave a frontline employee wondering how their day will change.
Think about what each group needs to know.
- Executives need to understand the goals, expected results, progress, and decisions that need their attention.
- Managers need to know what’s changing, how to explain it to their teams, and how to answer the questions people are likely to ask.
- Employees need a clear explanation of what’s changing, why it matters, and what they’ll need to do differently.
Specific examples help, too. If you’re introducing a new claims system, telling employees it will reduce the number of screens they have to move between is more useful than talking only about operational efficiency.
The goal is to give each group the information they need to understand the change and do their part.
Which Channels Work Best for Communicating Change?
There’s no single channel that will reach everyone effectively. Email may work well for some employees, while others are more likely to get information through team meetings, chat, or conversations with their managers.
A few options to consider:
- Town halls and roadshows give leaders a chance to explain the change and answer questions directly.
- Executive and manager briefings help the people leading the change share a consistent message.
- Newsletters and progress updates keep employees informed as the work moves forward.
- Team meetings and peer forums give people a place to discuss what the change means for their day-to-day work.
What matters most is that communication is consistent and repeated over time. People may need to hear a message more than once, and from someone they trust, before it really sinks in.
How Can Communication Help With the Human Side of Change?
Change can bring uncertainty, frustration, and fatigue. People may worry about learning a new system, taking on extra work, or losing routines they’re comfortable with.
Ignoring those concerns doesn’t make them go away. It can make people less willing to engage with the change.
Leaders can help by:
- Acknowledging what’s difficult about the transition.
- Sharing honest answers, including when something is still undecided.
- Giving employees time and space to ask questions.
- Explaining what support, training, and resources are available.
- Sharing real examples of how others are working through the change.
Managers play an important role here. When people feel safe raising concerns or admitting they need help, they have a better chance of learning and adapting.
Go deeper: In What Makes Change Stick, eight change leaders share what they’ve learned about helping people through transformation, including how they handle resistance, fatigue, and the human side of change. Download the ebook.
How Is AI Changing Change Communication?
AI can help teams create and manage communications more efficiently, especially when a change affects thousands of employees across different roles and locations.
For example, AI can help draft versions of a core message for different audiences, summarize open-ended survey responses, and identify common questions or concerns in employee feedback.
That can save time and help teams spot patterns they might otherwise miss. But the message still needs to make sense to the people receiving it.
An AI-generated FAQ might explain what’s changing. A manager can help an employee understand what it means for their role, listen to their concerns, and talk through what happens next.
AI is also becoming a source of change in its own right. As organizations introduce new AI tools, leaders need to explain why they’re being adopted, how they’ll affect people’s work, and what support employees will receive.
The leaders featured in What Makes Change Stick share different perspectives on navigating change in the AI era, from introducing new tools to keeping people involved as work evolves.
How Do You Know if Your Change Communications Are Working?
Sending messages and tracking email opens can tell you whether people are receiving information. It doesn’t necessarily tell you whether they understand it.
To get a better picture, look at a mix of measures:
- Reach: Are people receiving the messages and attending key meetings?
- Understanding: Can employees explain what’s changing and why?
- Feedback: What questions, concerns, or themes keep coming up?
- Sentiment: How are people feeling about the change?
- Adoption: Are employees using the new process, system, or way of working?
The important part is what you do with the information.
If employees keep asking the same question, your message may need to be clearer. If attendance or engagement drops, you may need to change the channel or timing. If people understand the change but aren’t adopting it, they may need more training, support, or time to practice.
Use what you learn to adjust the plan instead of treating it as something you set once and follow no matter what.
How Often Should You Communicate During Change?
People need regular updates, but the right pace depends on the change and how quickly things are moving.
One possible starting point is:
- Weekly updates during planning and rollout, when people need frequent information and answers.
- Monthly leadership briefings as the change becomes part of everyday work.
- Quarterly reviews to share progress, discuss what’s working, and identify what still needs attention.
These are starting points, not fixed rules. A fast-moving project may need more frequent updates, while a smaller change may need less.
The key is to keep communicating after launch. That’s when people start running into real-world questions, and when old habits can be tempting to fall back on.
How to Build a Communications Plan That Lasts
A good change communications plan gives people the information they need, when they need it, and a way to ask questions along the way.
Start by identifying your audiences and the messages each group needs to hear. Choose channels people will actually use, set a realistic schedule, and make sure employees have a way to share feedback. Then pay attention to what’s landing and adjust as the change progresses.
Most importantly, don’t treat communication as a launch activity. People need support as they learn new ways of working and put them into practice.
For more on helping change last, download What Makes Change Stick: Eight Leaders at the Forefront of Transformation Share What It Takes to Make Change Last in the AI Era.
If you’re planning a major change, Andrew Reise can help you build a communications and change management approach that keeps people informed, involved, and moving forward.
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