Communication Plan Lisa Hill AET/560 November 14, 2016 Dr Communication Plan Lisa Hill AET/560 November 14, 2016 Dr. Christine Nortz

Launching the Communication Plan in Four Phases Phase One – Preapproval Sell top management Communicate the needs with Dish executives Connect communication plan to Dish goals and visions Provide clear and persuasive rationale for the plan Before launching the communication plan, the top management must be on board with the Plan. Go over survey results and data that communicate Dish Network’s needs. Vertical communication is needed first, then the reinforcement of the change plan. The plan outlines the path through the communication process and provides contingency plans for resistance. Phase one gets the communication started.

Launching the Communication Plan in Four Phases Phase Two – The Need for change Provide rationale through data gathered Reassure employees Distribute training materials Clarify the change process Provide a webinar that details the coming changes. Phase two gets the employees on board. Demonstrate the need for change to the employees. Have a data analysis meeting. Distribute seminar materials before the meetings, so everyone feels informed and not blindsided. Create a webinar that gives the employees a foundation for the coming changes. Employees will be familiar with the changes and more acceptable of the training. Phase one gets the communication going.

Launching the Communication Plan in Four Phases Phase Three – Midstream Change Convey progress to employees Develop a company blog site Clarification of changes Communicate Enthusiasm Employee Testimonials (Averetek, 2013) Company website Understand misconceptions Surveys Face-to-face communication Phase three keeps the mission on target. Phase two gets the employees on board. Keeping the mission on target Employees must be kept up-to-date with the progress of the goals. The goals must be broad enough to give direction but focused enough that there is a sense of accomplishment (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2012). A blog will convey the progress and clarify any midstream changes that need to happen. Displaying employee testimonials on a company website will give the employees a voice and communicate enthusiasm. If employees that have gone through the seminar and have made changes, write testimonials, then the other employees will have a guide and inspiration. Giving surveys at this step is important to understanding employee misconceptions and grievances. It is possible that employees see changes that need to be made in the plan that the management did not see. Phase one gets the communication going.

Launching the Communication Plan in Four Phases Phase four points to success and the future. Phase Four – Confirming the Change Celebrate successes Reinforce incomplete tasks Plan next steps Phase three keeps the mission on target. Phase two gets the employees on board. Now that the plan is in action and adjustments have been made, it is time to celebrate and plan for the next steps. Dish will utilize its new blog and website to get the word out and celebrate successes. A webinar will inform everyone about the tasks that still need to be completed. All of the technology and face-to-face meetings will be utilized to get input from all levels for Dish Network’s next steps. Phase one gets the communication going.

The Technology Needed to Implement Communication Plan Computers Website Blogs Video conferencing Webinar Company email Internet - surveys Website Post surveys Training materials Event calendars Progress chart Testimonials Blogs Convey progress Create discussions Clarifications Video conferencing Training sessions Webinar Change clarifications Company email Vertical communication Internet Research Surveys – Survey Monkey

Obtain 360° feedback from stakeholders (Spector, 2013). How to Test the Effectiveness of the Communication Plan and the Impact of Management’s Response to the Organizational Change Compare the goals of the change process with the communication plan successes. Obtain 360° feedback from stakeholders (Spector, 2013). Determine the impact of skill development and training by comparing customer satisfaction data. Analyze and compare the data of before and after the changes were put into place. 360° feedback gets information from all different points of view. The results of this feedback will give a clearer more objective picture of the communication plan effectiveness. Analyze and compare customer satisfaction data from before and after the changes were put into place.

Generating Feedback Surveys – track over time (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2012) Customer Employee Self-appraisals Employee acceptance of feedback (Spector, 2013) Performance appraisals Vertical discussions Third party facilitation Generating feedback will fuel continuous improvement by giving stakeholders a voice. Surveys inform management if the changes are working and if adjustments are needed. Self-appraisals give employees self-guidance without the fear of formal observations. Performance appraisals give management a platform to guide employees in the right direction and celebrate successes. Vertical discussions get everything in the open and create an atmosphere of trust. Third-party facilitation provides corrections and adjustments in a non-threatening way.

Addressing Negative Responses and Communications About the Change Make sure all changes are in compliance with the communication policy (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2012). Make sure all employees participate. Create structures and systems. Management are all role models for the changes. All changes must be viewed as compliant, or it gives the resisters a platform on which to build their opposition. Employee participation is critical because their input is valuable to the change. If there are structures and systems in place, then employees feel safe and will be less resistant. The employees must see management walking the walk. When employees see the management following the changes, they are more likely to trust that the changes are good for them and Dish Network

Communication Plan Helps Produce Organizational Change Create vertical communication to increase customer satisfaction. Increase employee confidence in their abilities and motivation. Keep employees informed about the progress of the changes along the way. Creates greater employee openness and risk taking (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2012). Develop future leaders Inspire, create, and motivate future leaders.

References Averetek. (2013). in slideshare. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/averetek/launch-communication-plan-64409546 Cawsey, T.F., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2012). Organizational change: An action- oriented toolkit (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. Images. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/imghp Spector, B. (2013). Implementing organizational change: Theory into practice (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.