Common Mistake: Communicating to Targets in Your Language—Not Theirs
Common Challenge: Messages That Miss the Mark
Quick Summary
Change messages often fall flat—not because the content is wrong, but because it’s delivered in a way that doesn’t resonate with the audience. This article explores how to craft communication that speaks directly to the needs, risks, and priorities of your stakeholders.
The Challenge
Change practitioners and project teams are often immersed in strategic or technical language. But when that language is used to communicate with impacted individuals (or “targets of change”), the message can feel irrelevant, confusing, or even threatening. This results in disengagement, resistance, and a lack of ownership.
Why It Matters
Effective change communication is not about broadcasting information—it’s about making meaning. If stakeholders don’t see themselves in the message, they won’t take action. Change fails when people can’t connect their reality to the reason behind the transformation.
The LaMarsh Perspective
In the Managed Change™ Model, we emphasize that all communication should be filtered through the lens of the individual stakeholder’s risks and realities. People must hear: What does this mean for me? What will I lose? What will I gain?
How-To Solution
- Segment Your Audience
Tailor messaging to different stakeholder groups—what’s relevant to IT isn’t what matters to frontline employees.
- Speak to the Risks
Address potential losses and disruptions openly. Acknowledge what people care about.
- Use Their Words, Not Yours
Avoid jargon. Mirror the language used by each group in their daily work.
- Test and Adjust
Pilot your message with a small group and ask for feedback. Are you connecting? If not—refine.
- Ensure Two-Way Channels
Communication isn’t a one-way street. Make space for questions, concerns, and conversations.
Pro Tip
When in doubt, ask a stakeholder to explain what they heard. If their summary doesn’t reflect your intent, your message isn’t landing.
Wrap-Up & CTA
To move people, you have to reach them—and that starts with using the language that matters to them. The LaMarsh Managed Change™ Model helps you connect communication to individual risk, not just strategy.
👉 Want help crafting stakeholder-centered messaging? Join our next Managed Change Workshop or Contact us for coaching.
