Change Communication Strategy and Plan
A change communication plan is a working schedule that sets out who needs to hear what about a change, why, through which channels, from whom and when. The plan sits under a communication strategy, which fixes the overall approach, and it builds in feedback and measurement to check that messages are understood and acted on.
Quick facts
- Type
- Practice (planning document)
- Origin
- Organizational communication practice; channel choice draws on media richness theory (Daft & Lengel, 1986)
- Used when
- From the first announcement of a change through go-live and reinforcement
- Related models
- Know–feel–do objectives, stakeholder mapping, media richness theory
- Exam relevance
- APMG CM Foundation, Stakeholders & Communication (SC0210)
Why does a change need a communication plan?
A change creates a sudden demand for information: why it is happening, what it means for each person, and when. When nobody plans the answers, leaders say different things, managers hear the news with their teams, and rumor fills the gap.
A plan does three things that ad hoc messages do not:
- it makes sure every affected group hears what it needs, in a sensible order;
- it keeps messages consistent across senders and over time;
- it builds in ways to listen, so communication runs in both directions.
A change communication plan is therefore a tool for producing understanding, not a calendar of announcements.
What is the difference between a communication strategy and a communication plan?
The strategy sets the approach. It states the communication objectives for the change as a whole and the principles the team will follow, for example: line managers brief their own teams first, anything that affects jobs is said face to face, and the team is open about what is not yet decided.
The plan turns the strategy into specific activities. Each line names an audience, a message, a channel, a date, a sender and a way to gather feedback.
The strategy should stay stable for the life of the change. The plan changes often, because new questions, delays and feedback keep reshaping what needs to be said next.
A change communication plan without a strategy tends to become a list of disconnected messages.
What should a change communication plan include?
Most plans cover seven elements:
- Audiences. Groups segmented by how the change affects them, drawn from stakeholder analysis and impact assessment, not from the organization chart alone.
- Objectives. What each audience should know, feel and do after each communication.
- Key messages. The case for change, what is changing, what is not, what it means for this audience and what happens next.
- Channels. The mix of rich and lean channels suited to each message.
- Timing. When each message lands and in what sequence, linked to project milestones.
- Messengers. Who delivers each message, and who briefs the messengers.
- Feedback and measurement. How the team will learn whether messages were understood and what people are doing differently.
A change communication plan that lacks the last element cannot tell whether it is working.
How do you set communication objectives with know–feel–do?
Know–feel–do is a simple way to write an objective for each audience: what they should know, how they should feel, and what they should do after the communication.
At Brightwater Health, paper drug charts on the wards are being replaced by electronic prescribing. For ward nurses, the first briefing might aim at:
- Know: the go-live date for their ward, what changes in a typical shift, and where to get help.
- Feel: confident that training comes before go-live and that their patient-safety concerns have been heard.
- Do: book a training slot before a set date.
The "do" line gives the team something observable to check: training bookings show whether the briefing worked.
Know–feel–do keeps a change communication plan focused on outcomes rather than output.
How do you choose channels, messengers and timing?
Media richness theory, developed by Richard Daft and Robert Lengel, ranks channels by how much they can carry: several cues at once, immediate feedback and a personal tone. Face-to-face conversation is the richest; email, intranet posts and posters are lean. Lean channels suit routine, clear information; rich channels suit personal, uncertain or emotional messages, such as changes to jobs.
Messengers matter as much as channels. Senior sponsors are credible on why the change is happening and where it is going. Line managers are usually better placed to explain what it means for a particular team, which is why many practitioners brief managers before their teams.
On timing, communicate early, sequence carefully and repeat key messages.
A change communication plan matches each message to a channel rich enough to carry it and to the most credible sender.
How do you know whether a change communication plan is working?
Measure effect, not activity. Counting emails sent or briefings held shows that the plan was carried out, not that it worked. Better signals include:
- short pulse questions on understanding and confidence;
- recurring themes in questions raised at briefings and help points;
- feedback from line managers on what their teams are saying;
- the "do" behaviors from the objectives, such as training bookings or use of new forms.
Typical mistakes show up quickly in these signals: one message for every audience, no way to reply, silence about what is undecided, and communication that stops at go-live.
A change communication plan is therefore a living document, revised as feedback shows what people have and have not understood.
Change communication plan vs. stakeholder engagement: what is the difference?
| Change communication plan | Stakeholder engagement | |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Inform people and build understanding of a change | Involve people in shaping and supporting a change |
| Direction | Mostly sender to audience, with feedback loops | Two-way by design: consultation, co-design, negotiation |
| Typical activities | Briefings, newsletters, Q&A sessions, manager cascades | Workshops, interviews, working groups, one-to-one meetings |
| Sign of success | Messages understood and acted on | Concerns surfaced, input used, commitment built |
Communication is one part of engagement: the communication plan carries the messages, while stakeholder engagement decides how far each group is involved in the change itself.
Exam focus
At Foundation level (SC0210) expect recall of the typical elements of a change communication plan and comprehension of why it includes feedback and measurement. A common trap offers other project documents, such as the business case or the technical design, as elements of the plan, or treats sending a message as proof that it was understood.
Practise this syllabus area →FAQ
What should be in a change communication plan?
A change communication plan usually covers audiences, objectives for each audience, key messages, channels, timing, messengers and a way to gather feedback and measure effect. Each line of the plan links one audience to one message, a channel, a date and a named sender.
What does know–feel–do mean in change communication?
Know–feel–do is a way to write a communication objective. For each audience, the team states what people should know, how they should feel and what they should do after the message. The "do" part is useful because it can be observed and checked.
Who should deliver change communications?
Senior sponsors are best placed to explain why the change is happening and where it is heading. Line managers are usually better at explaining what it means for their own team and answering questions. Many plans brief managers first so they can do this well.
Which channels work best for communicating change?
No channel suits everything. Rich channels such as face-to-face meetings suit personal, uncertain or emotional messages because they allow questions and carry tone. Lean channels such as email suit clear, routine information for many people.
How do you measure change communication?
Measure whether people understood and acted, not how many messages went out. Pulse questions, themes from Q&A sessions, feedback from line managers and observable behaviors such as training bookings show whether communication is working.
Sources
- Daft, R. L. & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 554–571.
- Lengel, R. H. & Daft, R. L. (1988). The selection of communication media as an executive skill. Academy of Management Executive, 2(3), 225–232.
- Larkin, T. J. & Larkin, S. (1996). Reaching and Changing Frontline Employees. Harvard Business Review, May–June 1996.
- Elving, W. J. L. (2005). The role of communication in organisational change. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 10(2), 129–138.
- APMG International — Change Management certification (syllabus topic SC0210)
- Last reviewed