Change is inevitable in business – restructures, rebrands, new leadership – and often better for it. But whether it succeeds or stalls hinges on a crucial factor: the change communication strategy.
According to a report by Gartner, companies with effective communication strategies are 38% more likely to achieve successful change outcomes. Yet many organisations still underestimate the importance of strategic, human-led communication.
In today’s high-risk, always-on information economy, a one-off announcement simply won’t cut it.
“With the rise of AI, deepfakes, misinformation and disinformation, we’re witnessing a total change in what good looks like in change communication – and corporate comms more broadly,” says Brandnation’s Global Head of Brand and Strategy Jeremy Page.
So, how can your business get it right?
Here are 8 best practices for change communication that are essential for leaders navigating business transformation.
1. Start with a strategic narrative
Every successful change initiative starts with a story worth telling.
“Before any message goes out, take a step back and look at the bigger picture: What’s the story here and what is it trying to do?” advises Jeremy. “People need to understand the ‘why’,”
A clear, compelling strategic narrative gives change meaning. It creates a unifying thread that connects internal and external stakeholders with context and purpose.
The narrative should be supported by a structured messaging framework with tailored communications for employees, leaders, partners and customers, each anchored in the same core story.
Reflecting on a recent project he presented to a global beauty business, in which his team used a private instance to arrange key messaging for stakeholder audiences, Jeremy explains how the process for developing messaging frameworks today needs to factor in prompt structures so that the AI algorithm can more effectively access the right information and arrange it.
“By organising information in a way that makes it intuitive to the LLM, it enables consistent, relevant output tailored to multiple stakeholder groups, and in doing so, demonstrated the ability to develop fast and effective first drafts for human oversight which could scale output to well over double for the same investment of time.”
In short: define the story, arrange the information, ditch the messaging ring-binder.
2. Time it like a campaign
Timing is everything in change communication. Speak too soon, and you risk sparking confusion before the details are final. Speak too late, and the vacuum will fill itself…with speculation, frustration or worse.
Change communication should be mapped like a campaign: phased, strategic and paced for impact. Identify key moments across the change journey, the change management team briefing, the announcement, its implementation, key milestones, post-launch etc. and align tailored messaging and formats to each.
Map out emotional touchpoints. Anticipate resistance. Pre-empt the questions before they’re asked. Then shape your rollout to release information in waves to help people absorb, understand and engage with what’s coming over time.
This is where integrated comms come into their own. Internal channels, social content, leadership updates and earned media all play a role in creating rhythm, reinforcing trust and keeping audiences engaged from start to finish.
3. Segment your messaging
Different audiences have different needs, and those needs carry differing weights. Your change communication strategy should cater to each in sequence.
Your leadership team wants a clear strategic vision. Employees need practical, immediate answers. Investors want clarity on impact and risk. Customers care about continuity and trust.
It starts with stakeholder mapping: understanding who you’re speaking to, what matters to them and where they sit in the change journey. With this, business can build layered, audience-specific messaging frameworks that use tone, detail and delivery format accordingly.
“You can’t expect a shopfloor employee in Birmingham and a shareholder in New York to need or want the same level of detail. You need to meet them where they are, with language and relevance that resonates.” says Jeremy.
“Get this right, and you’ll increase engagement, trust and advocacy at every level.
4. Prioritise dialogue
View change as something to talk about, rather than something to be announced, and create space for conversation.
Two-way communication builds trust, surfaces insight and makes people feel part of the process. A study by Capterra found that 71% of employees feel overwhelmed by workplace changes, and when stress is high, feeling heard and understood is vital.
The format is flexible, from Q&As and surveys to live town halls and Slack channels. The invitation to engage is what matters. Use these touchpoints to check the mood, correct misinterpretations and demonstrate that the leadership team is responsive.
5. Think cross-channel
If you want your message to land, it needs to move across platforms, formats and attention spans.
Just as different people respond to different messages, they also consume information in different ways. Some want depth; others want speed. Some need to see the message; others need to hear it. That’s why a one-channel approach to change communication isn’t the most effective.
The modern change comms strategy demands cross-channel orchestration, where every format plays a role in reinforcing your core narrative.
Leadership videos can convey empathy and tone. Newsletters and intranet updates deliver the detail. Internal social platforms keep the momentum going. Live Q&As create dialogue. Events, whether virtual or in person, offer a space for connection and reassurance. Even your LinkedIn feed or employer brand content can help shape perception beyond the office walls.
“It’s about meeting people where they are, with the formats they naturally gravitate towards.” says Jeremy.
6. Communicate with empathy and transparency
Change may be a business decision, but it’s always a human experience. It impacts real people in real ways, and even when the outcome is positive, the process can be disruptive.
A strong change comms strategy needs to recognise that by using tone, language and formats to speak with empathy and lead with transparency.
“Skip the jargon and speak like a human, don’t be evasive without explaining why and be prepared to answer the tough questions,” says Jeremy.
When employees are well-informed and emotionally considered, they’re more engaged and more likely to stay on the journey with you.
7. Celebrate your wins
It’s okay if the change isn’t linear (it rarely is), even in the messiness, there will be progress to spotlight.
This is a key tactic for tackling change fatigue, a real risk during transformation. According to Gartner, 73% of employees impacted by change report moderate to high levels of change fatigue, which is associated with exhaustion, lower motivation and disengagement.
Celebrating quick wins, positive contributions and early success stories helps prove the change is working. And in high-pressure moments, that kind of proof is vital to keep spirits high.
Recognition is one of your most powerful tools. When people feel their work is seen and valued, they stay engaged, even when things get tough.
8. Measure the mood
To succeed, leaders must stay attuned to how messages land in real time.
Leverage tools like sentiment analysis, feedback surveys search trends and social listening to gauge employee and stakeholder reactions. Is your messaging resonating? Are there gaps in understanding? What concerns or questions are bubbling up?
Use these insights to adjust your communication on the fly. The better you listen, the faster you can respond, and the stronger your change initiative becomes.
Brandnation’s corporate communications service, ‘corporate not corporate’, is engineered for today’s fast-paced change comms environment and puts all our advice into practice, neatly packaged for modern businesses.
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Find out more about our corporate communications services and get in touch for a chat about how we can help.
About the author
Natalie Clement
With international experience as a digital marketer, writer, and editor, Natalie has worked across sectors including lifestyle, technology, and tourism.
