Communication

Plan
Candice Rodgers,
AET/560
December 7, 2015
Dr. Christine Nortz

Introduction
When an organization is implementing change, there is
often miscommunication and rumors floating around. The
employees are not clear on the reason for the change, and
things are often exaggerated in a negative and positive way.
The goal when implementing change is convincing the
employees to move in the same direction. The best way to
get employees to move in a common way is to create a
communication plan. Creating a communication plan will
minimize the rumors, organize support for change, and
uphold commitment and motivation.

Launching the Communication Plan

To launch a communication plan, there are four phases (Tupper, Deszca, & Cynthia, 2012):
Pre-change Approval Leaders will sell the communication plan to top management.
Creating the Need for Change Explain why change is needed. In the explanation,
include:
Rationale
Reassurance
Clarity on the steps in the change process

Midstream Change and Milestone Communication Inform the employees on the

progress, obtain feedback on issues, correct any misconceptions, and explain new roles,
systems, and structures.
Confirming/Celebrating Inform the employees of the success, celebrate, and work on
next changes for the organization.

Technology Needed to Accomplish

the Plan
To communicate the plan, the main source of communication will be done through Outlook. When
management needs to send out important information on explaining the plan, progress and feedback,
there will be a mass email sent out. A read receipt will be included in the email so that management
knows that the employees were informed about important information.
Using multiple ways to send the information will help increase the chances of employees retaining
and understand the message (Tupper, Deszca, & Cynthia, 2012). To explain the change process,
management will also use:
PowerPoint
Prezi
Video conferencing for meetings
Electronic bulletin boards
Companys website

How to Test the Effectiveness and

Impact of Managements Response
to the Organizational Change
To test the effectiveness and impact of the managements
response to the organizational change, leaders will have
face-to-face communication with the employees (Tupper,
Deszca, & Cynthia, 2012). Management will have the
opportunity to speak to the employees to hear their
thoughts on the changes that impact them. Change leaders
will also observe how things are running with the new plan
by looking at the productivity and finances.

How to Generate Feedback For

Continuous Improvement
Using multiple ways to generate feedback will help leaders
understand what needs to be changed in the new process.
To receive feedback, change leaders will use:
Change blogs
Online surveys for feedback and opinions
Face-to-face communication

How to Address Negative

Responses or Communications
About the Change
To address negative responses about change, it is good for
employees to hear from change leaders. Hearing from the
leaders and being able to ask questions about the change
can lessen negative reactions. Positive reactions will start to
increase, and more employees will be motivated to commit
to the changes of the organization.

How Your Communication Plan Can

Affect Organizational Change
Using this communication plan will help the employees deal
with the new changes. It will create a sense of trust,
motivation, fairness, and confidence in the leaders. With
clear effective communication, the organization will have a
better chance of getting the employees on board and
moving in the same direction (Tupper, Deszca, & Cynthia,
2012).

Conclusion
In conclusion, a communication plan is essential in
organization change. It will help employees understand the
need for changes and have an influence on how things are
done within the organization. When there is clear, concise
and timely communication, it helps reduce rumors and
persuade employees to move in the same direction.

Reference
Tupper, C., Deszca, G., & Cynthia, I. (2012).
Organizational change: An action(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

oriented toolkit