Donnelly Effect delivers 17 in '17: 17 actionable SPARKS to ignite your team for better leadership, customer and employee experience and a better bottom line.
It’s likely your changes are part of a long-term mission to improve the customer experience. Best case scenario: your communication campaign eliminates frustration and confusion, steamrolls through the rough patches, and emerges victorious on the other side. Bonus points if that strategy has a lasting effect on employees even after the change is implemented.
They say the human brain must hear a message at least seven times for the point to really sink in. Therefore, a “one-and-done” or “set-it-and-forget-it” communication campaign style will do nothing to train or teach your team effectively. The third C of organizational communication is “Continual” communication.
Advertising and marketing agencies view frequency and repetition as their bread and butter for converting customers into fans. Simply put, messages are more effective when repeated.
You can — and should — apply these same advertising principles to your internal communication initiatives when it comes to guaranteeing complete understanding of your most recent changes and beyond. Not only must communication be continual in frequency, they must also be continual in schedule.
Messages should be sent on a regular schedule so employees and participants:
Employees are better primed to absorb key information long-term when messages are conveyed in this methodical manner. After all, informed employees are your best employees.
Most people thrive on schedule and repetition, not inconsistency and uncertainty.
Repetition builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust. During times of organizational change, leaders should do everything they can to make transitions as seamless as possible. Otherwise, you’ll spend valuable time trying to reach employees who are not ready to absorb information.
Employees will find comfort in your efforts of regularity. So put your messages on a regular schedule for maximum results. Then repeat it. You might consider automating the delivery channels for total consistency. This ensures employees know exactly where they can find important updates and when they will be available without having to ask a manager for direction. For example, newsletter updates that deliver every Wednesday and Friday at 12:30 pm are better consumed than one-off email blasts that are unexpected and irregular.
Stay tuned our next blog where we discuss the fourth C of effective organizational communication: customized.
ABOUT MIKE DONNELLY: With over 20 years of Disney leadership experience, Mike Donnelly, Chief Experience Officer (CEO) of Donnelly Effect shares his insights on Talent Selection and Hiring, Employee Onboarding, Customer Experience, Service Culture and Leadership-among others. Donnelly Effect is home of the exclusive "World-Class Workshop" series and offers consulting services and keynote addresses to audiences of all sizes and industries. Since 2007, Mike Donnelly has been a contracted Disney Institute Facilitator, delivering Disney customer service training to audiences across the United States.