1. Communication Plan Earl K. Darby CUR/560 Professor Charity Jennings
August 17, 2015

2. Launching Communication Plan
Define the change
Convince stakeholders of need
Explain the impact
Communicate structure/job changes
Keep information flowing
The first primary of the communication plan is defining the change. Convincing upper management to go along with an organizational change is a hurdle that change leaders must undertake. The change leader must be convincing in the sell of change processes to stakeholders as well. That includes, explaining the impact that change will have on the organization and communicating structural and job changes are an effective approach to dispelling rumors among stakeholder. In addition, it is important that throughout the change process that information is continuously flowing (Spector, 2013) .

3. Launching Communication Plan (Cont’d)
“Timing is Everything”
Preapproval
Explain the need
Middle/ongoing changes
confirmation changes
Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols (2010) outline four phases of the communication plan: 1) prespproval, 2) the explanation of the developing need, 3) ensuring that adjustments and changes are ongoing throughout the process, and 4) the confirmation of the changes impact.
Launching Communication Plan (Cont’d)

4. Technology Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
Computer w/peripherals
Desktop
Laptop
iPad/Tablet
Smartphone
Media/Social media
Facebook
Twitter
Pinntrest
Website, etc.
Transportation
An ICT platform is crucial for keeping in touch with change agents, stakeholders, and those effected. Computer technology is essential for 21st century communications with all the peripherals attached, such as printers, monitors, and appropriate applications downloaded. Other ICT includes cellular telephones, televisions, beepers, and three-way communication. One cannot refer to the 21st century without referring to social media. Popular trends are brought to light through facebook, Twitter, Pinntrest, and the Internet with its websites. Of course, no organizational change is complete without the vehicles to move around.

5. Evaluation of Effectives/Impact
Overall predisposition to change
Regular scheduled meetings
Rumors under control
Adoption continuum
After determining the overall predisposition to change, change leader can schedule regular meetings to find out where in the change process are the departments affected. ‘Are they meeting the goals?’ is a concern of change leaders and stakeholders alike. A measurable data in the change processes is determining how well rumors are dealt with. For example when rumors are replaced with truth, change leader know how well changes are doing. In addition, the use of the adoption continuum will inform change leaders where individuals stand with regard to their predisposition to change.
Evaluation of Effectives/Impact

6. Evaluation of Effectives/Impact (Cont’d)
Feedback from staff & employees
Standard reports/general information
Face-to-face communications
Very few ealuations are successful without the intervention of personal feedback from individual employees and staff members. Standard an general reports usually contain the raw benchmark data to illustrate the performance of the organization and how well they are receptive to organizational change. Traditional education taught that face to face communications are the best method of evaluating how well the change is receptive.
Evaluation of Effectives/Impact (Cont’d)

7. Feedback for Continuous Improvement
Set benchmark data
Communicate future changes
Remain enthused & excited
Celebrate progress
Effective communications campaign
Benchmark data helps to determine where competitors standard and, consequently, where the organization stands with the change entrusted with them. Keeping future changes in the forefront helps the energize the base and keeps change leaders enthusiastic and excited. This attitude posture is essential for change leaders. In addition, feedback that lends itself to celebratory events for the process is not a new thing. It is an essential thing for organizations to celebrate the success of the change. When communication campaigns are effective it eliminates the kinds of rumors that are destructive.
Feedback for Continuous Improvement

8. Responding to the Negative
Recognize rumors are part of the process
Eliminate credibility declines & ambiguity
Be an effective middleman
Remain enthusiastic & encouraging
Message & media redundancy
Rumors are an inevitable part of change. Unfortunately, many rumors are misconceptions or misinterpretations of the change proposals. Rumors and cause fear, resentment, animosity, stress, pressure, and tension between employees, stakeholder, management, and staff. Change leader respond to negativity by being credible, clear, and concise about changes processes. Essentially, change leader are the middlemen between management and employees. They must reamins enthusiastic and encouraging while rumors may still persist. Cawsey, Deszzca, and Ingols (2012) explain that message and media redundancy are important for helping to bring clarity and understanding for organizational change.
Responding to the Negative

9. Affecting Organizational Change
Celebrate successes
Reinforce commitment
Dispels rumors
Provide detailed information
An effective communication plan celebrate change successes and reinforces commitment to the organization. Rumors are dispelled when plenty of detailed information is disseminated at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the change process. In addition, an effective communication will provide stakeholders with more than enough details about the change and how change will look in the future.
Affecting Organizational Change

10. Affecting Organizational Change (Cont’d)
Eliminate ambiguity
Make personally relevant
Enriches communications
Well executed communications strategies
Change leader cannot be two-faced or wavering about change instructions posted. In other words, change leader supposed to be consistent about the change and encouraging to people who might feel irrelevant. An effective communication plan enriches communication and reduces the urge to be resistant to organizational change. Finally, an effective communication plan is practice in well executed communication strategies.
Affecting Organizational Change (Cont’d)

11. References
Cawsey, T. F., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2012). Organizational Change: An Action –Oriented Toolkit (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. ClipArt ; Courtesy of MsWord 2007 Application. Spector, B. (2013). Implementing Organizational Change (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.