Communicating for change

- Have you ever heard a totally believable rumor that turned out to be untrue? Well, when it comes to managing change, the wrong messages can happen and be really harmful. One talent management initiative I was part of focused on supporting long-term careers, but it was said to be a secret project meant to identify people for layoffs. That revealed there was a lack of trust in the culture that we needed to overcome, and we did by the way. Communication, or lack thereof, shapes perceptions and drives narratives as people try to make sense of things throughout change. It's called meaning making. Communications can be affirmative or destructive and determine whether change is viewed positively or negatively. Think about the difference in mindset when either formal or informal communications signal whether DEIB is going well within the organization or not and how it compares with what people are seeing and hearing. Take a brief moment here to imagine yourself in that scenario. For the change you're looking to drive with DEIB, what's your desired narrative and how will you facilitate it? What exchanges need to happen? And, how do they need to happen to direct attention and energy toward impactful and positive progress? Jot down notes on your own or with some collaborators. You'll need this to apply and revisit later in this course. Let's take a look at what you have. Are the messages being communicated supporting meaningful dialogue? Let me explain. In a debate, everyone has an agenda to get or even force others to their one version of the truth. Discussions, however, might be an unstructured exchange of ideas, but with a lot more telling than asking. The purpose of dialogue is to connect people and their ideas, uncover new possibilities, and develop collective intelligence. To do this, questions are asked to clarify, deepen understanding, create awareness, and discover new knowledge. Assumptions are surfaced and we achieve more depth as a result. So I'm going to share two really valuable techniques that work together to drive dialogue. These are from two books listed on your resource list from this course. The first is called positive framing. Take your problem or challenge, name it, and state the positive opposite, the flip. For example, people on the team are feeling marginalized becomes imagine a team where everyone feels included and has a sense of belonging. Then frame it based on the positive impact of that flip. In this case, it's that everyone of every background contributes, learns, and thrives. Then combine this with generative questions, the second technique that drives dialogue. These are derived directly from and targeting the positive framing. Here are some for this example. If the team were to start from scratch today, what would we do the same or differently? When has the team been at its best and why? What conditions created it? Take a moment to pick one situation you're dealing with right now. Practice positive framing and ask generative questions for your situation. How does shifting your mindset and directing energy toward where you want to go differ from focusing on the problems and what you're trying to avoid? With this new ability to foster dialogue, you'll find two things, that communications will reinforce learning and engagement in the midst of change and the co-creation of shared desired narratives. When you're willing to try this, I truly believe it will be a transformative experience for you and others.