#129 A change comms dilemma - what to communicate when there’s nothing to say

Change projects don’t always run smoothly. In fact, they often stall, slow down, or get tangled in roadblocks. So what happens when you’re expected to keep communicating about a project… but there’s nothing new to report?

In this episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast, we explore the tricky territory of staying visible and valuable when change efforts are stuck in the slow lane. 

You'll learn practical ways to communicate meaningfully, without creating noise or confusion, including how to tap into existing channels, tailor updates to specific audiences, offer behind-the-scenes insights, and maintain trust through transparency.

Even when you’re knee-deep in a stalled initiative or perhaps you're just looking to sharpen your change comms skills. This episode will help you strike the right balance between staying silent and oversharing, plus, what to talk about if you choose to speak up.

So, listen in and get the low down here.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• 90 minute Strategy Power Session
• Public workshops and training
• Less Chatter, More Matter - Mel’s book
• Topic in Ten - have your say!
• Template packs
• Change Isn't Hard! - Mel's book
• Sign up here to the fortnightly mail out of free resources!

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Transcript

0:00

Think about the business you work in or businesses you've been a part of over the last few years. Just how much change have they experienced and how much more is still to come. The fact is change is here to stay, and it's more frequent and more impactful than ever before. But behind the scenes of all this change are a bunch of project teams slogging it out, trying to push these changes over the line. Because here's the thing, the percentage of any change projects that actually go to plan run on time and on budget is most likely extraordinarily small. So as change communicators, we can be faced with a bit of a dilemma. When the brakes have been put on the project and things are moving at the pace of a pregnant sloth, what should you be communicating about? That's what today's episode is all about. Hello, dear listener and welcome to this week's episode of Less Chatter, More Matter, the Communication podcast. I'm your host, Mel Loy, and I'm recording this on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal people here in Meanjin,, also known as Brisbane. Before we get stuck in today's episode, I have a question for you. Do you support an underdog? Because if you do, I'd love you to be a reviewer of this show. I make no money out of this show at all. In fact, it actually costs me money. I don't have the backing of a big platform like HubSpot, so I'm reliant on wonderful listeners like you to help spread the word of effective communication. So if you could take just a few seconds to rate and review the show and even share it with a friend. I'd be most grateful. Speaking of the show, let's get back into it. So today I'm going to be tackling a challenge that many of us have faced. What to say when there's nothing to say. In a change project that's super important, but not going anywhere fast, we can often face pressure from stakeholders to keep communicating even when there's nothing to communicate. The challenge with that is when you communicate for the sake of communicating, it just dilutes the message and becomes white noise. People tune out because there's nothing new or relevant, which means the next time you communicate, there's even less engagement. Also remember that people are super busy and inundated with comms from all sorts of channels. Everyone is trying to get their attention. That said, people are curious creatures and we hate not knowing stuff. And in the absence of information, people fill the vacuum with their own ideas and perceptions, and that is where the rumors take hold. So how do you balance this need to keep top of mind without contributing to a noisy world? Today I'm going to share a few ideas for how you can tackle this challenge, and of course, I would love to get your thoughts as well. So tip number one is do a quick check-in while there's nothing to say. The occasional update can really help settle people's nerves and remind them that the project, while it might be slow going, is still live and it's still important. So a quick check-in can help, even if it's just to explain where the project team is at and why there isn't much to talk about right now. But I'd caution against having this as a standalone comms, because again, it just adds to the white noise and is a waste of everyone's time. But also it can draw attention to the fact that there's not much happening. So instead, I would look for existing channels that you can tap into to provide the brief update. So it might be a paragraph in the email from the manager that goes out every Friday. Or putting something in a Viva Engage channel that's popular, a short newsletter item, et cetera, et cetera. Remember, this isn't a war and peace scenario. It's just a concise comms to simply make sure that people don't feel like they're not being kept informed, and to make sure that we don't create a vacuum that gets filled with misinformation. So that's tip number one. Do a quick check in. Tip number two. Focus on specific updates for specific audiences. So one of the worst things you can do for the reputation of a project, from a comms perspective at least, is to give vague, broad updates that mean nothing. An advertising campaign approach that tries to be all things to all people will fail miserably because people want to know what the change means for them, specifically. So if there is some progress happening that impacts a specific audience segment or might involve them in some way, then definitely talk about it with that specific audience. So remember, you don't need to blast everyone with information at the same time, you should be more selective in the way you communicate. And once you've communicated specifically, you can add that update to a broader update in another channel if it's appropriate to do so. Being specific with different audience groups can also be an opportunity to ask for people's feedback and ideas, especially if you're still in a phase of designing the change, or if you want to co-create the change or comms plans. Now, like I've shared before on this show, co-creation is a really powerful way to get people on board with the change because people tend to resist change if they feel it's happening to them. If on the other hand, they feel like they're involved and have a sense of ownership, it can help drive the change forward. So it can also help you to get a sense of the language that people are using about the benefits of the change, the outcomes, and when you've got that sense of the language they're using, that's improving your comms as well. So when you don't have a whole lot to say, you can take advantage of that time and do a deep dive with specific audience groups to not only give them more personalised updates, but also to get their input and feedback. Tip number three, provide a peek behind the curtains. So while there might not be much progress to talk about in terms of impacts or milestones being met or meaningful action for your audiences, surely your project team hasn't just been sitting back and twiddling their thumbs. So another way to keep the project on people's radars, even when it feels like there might not, not be much to say, is to provide an update on project activity from behind the scenes. So for example, maybe stream leads have been meeting with stakeholders to try and work through some potential roadblocks. Maybe the team is seeking reviews and approvals of plans and budgets from senior stakeholders. Maybe you're testing out some different solutions or scenarios. I like doing this behind the scenes thing because sometimes our internal audiences don't realise how much work and planning and politics goes into a change project. So they wonder what value you bring and what you are actually doing. This kind of behind the scenes tour can also help your audiences see what's involved in a project and it look, it might even encourage them to participate in the future. So that's tip three. Give a behind the scenes tour of your project. Tip number four, remind people of the journey so far. The fact is that people and teams change in organisations all the time. And if your project has been dragging on for quite a while, there's going to be new people who have joined the team or joined the organization who have never heard of the project and don't have the origin story. So a recap of the journey so far can be another great way to fill the void, so to speak. Frame it as reminding people about the why, what you need to achieve, why that's important to the organisation, what it will mean for people, et cetera, et cetera. But also it's a great way to highlight what has been achieved already, assuming things have been achieved. That is because people move on quickly, or in the case of no new progress, they can start to forget what has been achieved already and how far things have moved. So that's tip number four. Remind them of the journey so far. The final tip, tip number five, and this is probably the most important principle to remember. Don't try and make up reasons why the project hasn't progressed. And actually that's probably a message more for your senior stakeholders who might be trying to pressure you into spinning this. People see through the bullshit, so be honest, be open and transparent about why the project has been delayed. For the most part, when you explain the reasons and if they're genuinely good reasons, people will understand. It also helps to build trust in your leaders and in the project, especially when there are obstacles outside of the project team's control. Trust is at the very core of this. If you lose that trust, it's going to make change so much harder. So be open and be honest. Okay, it is time for your episode recap on today's short but sharp episode. I shared a few ideas for how you can fill the void of nothing to say when your change project grinds to a halt. Tip number one was do a quick check-in. Don't make it a standalone comms that just serves to amp up the fact that nothing is happening, but instead tap into existing channels. Tip number two, focus on specific updates for specific audiences rather than a broad brush broadcast. And use this as an opportunity to get their feedback and ideas and co-create the way forward. Tip number three, provide a peek behind the curtains. Give a behind the scenes tour of what is happening in the project. It may not be visible how much work you're really doing. Tip number four, remind people of the progress to date and the background to the project for new staff members who may have missed that part. And tip number five, be open and transparent, retain trust in the project and leadership by being honest. Alright folks, short episode today. I do hope you found that helpful, and as I said at the top of the episode, if you've got ideas for how we could chat, tackle this challenge, please get in touch. And also please get in touch if you have any ideas for topics we could cover on this show. What's something that's been really challenging you or bugging you or you see as an opportunity that we could be talking about? This is the People show, so let me know. In the meantime, keep doing amazing things and bye for now.