Communicating Change: Cadence, Transparency, and Engagement Matter

In my previous blog post I spoke about change management and why communication is the most important part of managing change. Change in an organization is rarely just a process update — it’s an emotional journey for employees. The way leaders communicate during these times can make the difference between confusion and alignment, resistance and buy-in. While a single big announcement might feel like enough, the reality is that change requires frequent, transparent, and participatory communication. It’s also paramount that you focus on transparency and rather over-communicate than under- communicate as companies often to do (to avoid saying something wrong) and losing trust in the process.

The Importance of Frequent, Regular Communication

In the absence of information, people fill in the gaps themselves, often with rumours or worst-case scenarios, which will often become the truth they turst rather than communication from their own leadership. Frequent communication prevents this uncertainty from taking root. Even short updates provide reassurance that progress is being made and that leadership is actively guiding the transition.

Building Rituals: Consistency builds trust. Weekly email updates, monthly town halls, and even real-time dashboards create a predictable rhythm. Employees know when and where they’ll hear updates, which reduces anxiety and creates space for feedback.

Examples

• Hold weekly “Ask Me Anything” sessions with senior leaders during big shifts.

• Use a steady cadence of executive updates to keep employees aligned on strategy.

• Integrate team dashboards into their internal comms to make progress visible.

• Leaders need to be available and make time to discuss the changes with people.

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Tips for Consistency 

Set reminders, pre-schedule updates, and automate dashboards where possible. This reduces the burden on leaders while ensuring employees never feel left in the dark. Empowering employees to be included in some of the change ideation will empower them to also contribute towards this communication and keep the frequiency going.

Transparency in Times of Change

Nothing else build trust and engagement in a change than transparency. It’s oaky to be unsure, have unknowns or even sometimes have to communicate the news that change may affect jobs in some way. And while you may not want to scare people with these unknowns, they are more likely to support the need for change because of it rather than you trying to hide some of the negative for the sake of looking positive.  

What Transparency Looks Like: Transparency isn’t about sharing every detail, it’s about providing clarity where it matters: the why behind the change, the trade-offs being considered, and the constraints leaders are working within.

Avoiding the Spin: Employees can spot PR language a mile away. Honest communication, even when uncomfortable, builds more trust than polished spin. Even if change means jobs could be lost - at least been upfront about that risk without knowing all the details show that you trust thier ability to be brought along the journey.

Handling Unknowns: It’s okay to say: “We don’t know yet, but we’ll update you when we do.” Admitting uncertainty shows authenticity and prevents false expectations. Acknowledge what is required to understad the bigger picture and try and provide some timelines around it.

The Benefits 

Organizations that communicate transparently see higher engagement, lower resistance, and better morale. People don’t expect perfection, they expect honesty.

Engaging Employees in the Process

And just as important as transparency is the ability for people to be heard and engage in two-way communication. Yes, some changes may require stern leadership regardless of how employees feel about the decision – but simply their ability to express those feelings and know that you care about them goes a long way. Trying to box your communication plan into channels and control feedback only breaks trust. Treat your employees like adults in these situations and they will return the support in driving through the change.

Two-Way Communication: Change feels less threatening when people have a voice in shaping it. Listening tours, surveys, and focus groups allow employees to share their concerns and ideas.

Feedback Loops: When input is gathered, it needs to be acknowledged and acted upon. Closing the loop, by showing how feedback influenced decisions, turns communication into true collaboration.

Recognition and Stories: Celebrate small wins and highlight employees who are contributing to the change. Recognition turns abstract strategy into tangible progress.

Example Tactics

• Invite employees to submot their thoughts on how they could contribute towards achieving the change

• Digital suggestion boxes with regular responses

• Live polls during town halls

• Storytelling spotlights in company newsletters

• A task team nominated by employees that can form part of the change team

Final Thoughts

Successful change communication isn’t about a single big announcement, it’s about building a rhythm of trust, transparency, and engagement. Frequent updates combat uncertainty, transparency builds credibility, and employee participation drives adoption.

When leaders embrace these principles, they don’t just manage change, they guide their organizations through it with resilience, clarity, and shared purpose.

Change communication though is also about been clear on why a change needs to occur, what problems or chanllenges needot be solved and how it's success will be measured. Items which we will discuss in more detail in my next post.