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Questions for the community:  How have you created AWARENESS for change? What worked well?

 

Last time we introduced the  PROSCI ADKAR®️ Model to help you lead change. The first building block of ADKAR®️  is AWARENESS. Building AWARENESS early and having the message come from senior leadership will be key to your implementation success. A simple change story is a great starting point for every change.

Start by asking WHAT, WHY, HOW, and WHO. This exercise will help you clearly articulate what is about to change and help you to create a quick script that your Change Champions can utilize. It’s important to remember your Change Story is holistic and not just focused on the technical changes.

 

Create Your Change Story

You must clearly communicate, not just what is changing, but WHY the change is needed. You need to win the hearts and minds of those you are asking to change.

WHY should they take time away from their day jobs to learn something new? WHY should they learn about what is happening in your next product release? WHY should they care? WHY? WHY? WHY?

Think about what metric inspires your audiences to go “Wow, OK, I get it now,” and puts the change into perspective. Do you have metrics to track progress or dollars to show what you will win or lose if you don’t change?

Actionable steps to create AWARENESS:

  • Create your Project Change Story: Identify WHAT, WHY, HOW, and WHO
  • Start engaging: Talk, share, and prepare with individuals at your organization ​
  • Analyze your current state: Use data to show inefficiencies in the current state​
  • Make the business case: Outline benefits, success criteria, and OKRs aligned with strategies and outcomes
  • Communicate your plan: Raise awareness across stakeholders

Being transparent and consistent in your messaging will increase the comfort of your audience and help you build that trust. Each team member needs to understand the reasons behind the change. Building desire and knowing the why are crucial.

What’s Next?  

➡️ Create your own Project Change Story with the attached PowerPoint template!

Role-based Change Stories are a great way to curate your project change to relate to each stakeholder group. Next time, we will share an exercise to help you build those role-based why messages. Stay tuned!

Stephanie, Great post! I would only add that once the Change Story is created and used to kick off the change initiative by the Leader, subsequent communications and reminders will need to be used throughout the implementation of the change.  Tell them over and over again audibly, visually, etc. Give them an opportunity to ask questions. People need to hear things multiple times to ensure they understand and giving them the opportunity to ask questions will ensure you haven’t missed a critical concern from your audience that could fester into resistance down the road.

@LynnetteDecker - YES YES YES! 100% Agree! 

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