How to Frame Change Messages for Maximum Impact

Some executives inspire action. Others get ignored. Why? Because facts fade. Stories stick. After a 1-minute pitch, Stanford research found: ⟶ 5% recalled a statistic ⟶ 63% remembered the stories Here’s how storytelling can reshape your career: Too often, leaders default to data dumps: ⟶ Dense board decks ⟶ Endless bullet points in team updates ⟶ Info overload in all-hands meetings The result? Information is shared—impact is lost. After a career in corporate communications, I know firsthand how storytelling makes the message stick. Here are four ways to bring your messages to life with narrative: 🟡 Board Meetings ⟶ Don’t just share quarterly results—frame them as a journey: What challenge did you overcome? What shifted? ⟶ When outlining strategy, position it as the next chapter in a larger story. People engage with progress they can visualize. 🟡 Team Communications ⟶ Go beyond status updates—share moments of resilience, creativity, or lessons learned. ⟶ Instead of reciting company values, illustrate them with real team examples that people remember. 🟡 Customer Presentations ⟶ Open with a real customer journey: their pain point, your partnership, and the change they experienced. ⟶ Before/after stories make transformation tangible—more than any stat ever could. 🟡 Change Management ⟶ Paint a picture of the future state so people see themselves in it—not just the steps to get there. ⟶ Share your own experience navigating change to build empathy and trust. ↓ ↓ Want to start? 1/ Look for the human impact inside your metrics 2/ Use a simple structure: beginning, conflict, resolution 3/ Practice with small stories—in meetings, Slack, or 1:1s 4/ Always end with a clear shift or takeaway Facts inform, but stories move people. Try adding one story to your next presentation using these ideas—then watch what changes. P.S. Have you used any of these approaches already? I’d love to hear what worked. ♻ Repost to help your network lead with more story. (Research: Jennifer Aaker, Stanford GSB)

Every time I write up an org-wide communication related to major changes, I consistently apply the lessons that I learned from Annie Christiansen and Kathy Gowell during my time working with them at MuleSoft/Salesforce. Spending most of my early and middle career in more technical roles, my communication style had a tendency lean towards the technical (and wordy). Annie and Kathy did an amazing job helping me step back and reframe my communications to be focused, prioritize the crucial information first, and apply empathy (we're not all engineers in the tech world). I've templated, to a large degree, the key messaging points I picked up from them • What's happening? (𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵) • What does this mean for me? (𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥? 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰?)  • Why is this happening? (𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵!) • I still have questions, where should I bring them to? (𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘴, 𝘦𝘵𝘤) These four stanzas are present in nearly 99% of my major comms. They work when updating the staff about major security threats (such as vishing/smishing campaigns), changes to org-wide systems (such SSO/MFA improvements), and so much more. Most importantly, bring empathy to all comms. Try, as best as you can, to put yourself on the receiving end of the communication you're sending and challenge yourself with the question "is the information framed in a way that I and my peers would feel informed & engaged if we were the recipients"

The Hidden Rules of Change Communication: Why Most Organizations Get It Wrong After observing dozens of transformations, I've discovered a hard truth: Great strategy with poor communication, Is the perfect formula for failure. Here are the 5 Golden Rules that separate Successful transformations from the failures: 1. Start With WHY Begin all change communication with purpose, not process. ✅ Create a compelling story that connects to both organizational mission and personal growth. 2. Maintain Message Consistency Ensure core messages remain consistent across all channels and leaders. ✅ Develop a central message platform and create communication toolkits that keep everyone aligned. 3. Create Two-Way Dialogue Make listening as important as telling. ✅ Establish multiple feedback channels and visibly respond to input received. 4. Visualize the Journey Make change visible and tangible through visual communication. ✅ Create visual roadmaps and progress dashboards that make the abstract concrete. 5. Communicate With Radical Honesty Build trust through transparent communication, even when challenging. ✅ Address concerns directly and create safe environments for difficult conversations. Communication isn't just about transferring information. It's the operating system for successful transformations. Which rule do you find most challenging to implement?