Sequencing Communication Through Change

June 30, 2025

When a team is moving through change, the sequence of communication matters as much as the message itself. Even the right information, shared too early or too late, can create confusion.

At the start, people want to know what’s changing and why. Early communication should focus on purpose and direction. What’s prompting the shift? What are we working toward? This is the time to provide orientation and help people understand the direction.

As the change takes shape, people ask more specific questions. How will this affect my role? What will be different in our day-to-day? This is when detail and structure are most helpful, share what’s clear and identify what’s still evolving.

Later, as the change becomes real, teams’ focus shifts to feedback and adjustment. Are we seeing what we expected? What’s working well? What needs to be refined? Communication at this stage helps the team adjust and see how their input is being used.

Each phase builds on the last. When communication follows the arc of the change itself, people stay more grounded, even in times of uncertainty.

Over time, this kind of pacing creates the conditions for trust; steady, responsive, and aligned with how change actually unfolds.

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