Strategies For Reinforcing Change Messages Over Time

I keep returning to Damon Centola’s research on how #change spreads. Not because it’s clever. Because it’s true. Centola found that change doesn’t move like information. You can’t push it through announcements or clever messaging. It spreads through behavior, #trust, and networks. He calls it complex contagion, and it tracks with what I see inside organizations every day. People don’t change because someone at the top says so. They change when they see people they trust doing something new. Then they see it again. Then maybe one more time. That’s when it starts to feel real. That’s when it moves. Here’s what Centola’s research shows actually makes change stick: - Multiple exposures. Once isn’t enough. People need to encounter the new behavior several times from different people. - Trusted messengers. It’s not about role or rank. It’s about credibility in the day-to-day. - Strong ties. Close, high-trust relationships are where change actually moves. - Visible behavior. People need to see it being done, not just hear about it. - Reinforcement over time. Real change takes repetition. One wave won’t do it. This flips most #ChangeManagement upside down. It’s not about the rollout or coms plan. It’s about reinforcing new behaviors inside the real social structure of the organization. So, if you are a part of change, ask your team and self: 1. Who are the people others watch? 2. Where are the trusted connections? 3. Is the behavior visible and repeated? 4. Are you designing for reinforcement or just awareness? Change isn’t a #communication problem. It’s a network pattern. That’s the shift. That’s the work. And that’s what I help teams build.

Change doesn’t happen because you said so. Or because you hit ,Send'. One of the biggest traps leaders fall into is thinking that flooding inboxes with updates and memos will magically remove resistance. It doesn’t. Instead, teams disengage, leaders get blamed for “poor change management,” and transformation stalls before it even begins. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. If you don’t build emotional milestones alongside project milestones, even the best plan will fail. 🔴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 “𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻” 𝙑𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. Resistance isn’t caused by a lack of bullet points. It’s driven by fear, loss of control, and distrust. 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙧. When communication feels transactional, people quietly check out. Gallup found only 13% of employees think leaders communicate well during change. That’s how resistance goes underground and derails progress. 🔴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 You can’t email your way through resistance. You shift it by having real conversations that acknowledge emotions and invite people to help shape the path forward. 🔴 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙮 trigger stress and shut down good decision-making. You can defuse it: 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁. - “This shift is hard, and it’s okay to feel uneasy. Let’s talk about it.” 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. - Answer, “What’s in this for me?” 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲. - Run “Why?” sessions where teams can question and influence the plan. - Equip managers to handle tough conversations with empathy. Use peer influence. Trusted colleagues are often the most credible messengers. 🟢 Mindsets Over Metrics 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵. ✅ 𝗖𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲. Bring employees into defining why the change matters. ✅ 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Use surveys and Q&As to create real conversations. ✅ 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀. When teams adopt new ways without pressure, spotlight it. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. Because people don’t resist change. They resist being changed. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯? ----- 👋 I’m Lars – delivering transformation that sticks. 🔔 Follow me for more on fractional leadership and change management.

Good communication requires repetition, especially during change. You might feel like you’ve said the same thing ten times already, and that can be frustrating. But for your team, it might be the first time they’re truly hearing it. I often say: 7 times, 7 ways. That’s not about dumbing things down, it’s about honoring how humans absorb change. Because when change hits, stress rises and reading comprehension, retention, and focus drop. Even the sharpest adults can feel like 4th graders when the future feels fuzzy. And let’s be real, you might be feeling frustrated or stuck; wondering why the message isn’t landing or why you have to keep repeating yourself. Here’s what’s easy to forget: 💭 You’ve had a head start. 💭 You’ve known about the change. 💭 You’ve had time to process, to ask questions, to imagine what’s next. Your team on the other hand is just beginning that process. That’s not a shortcoming; it’s a leadership advantage. One that can make things easier for others. So here’s your nudge to: 🗝 Say it more than you think you need. 🗝 Use different channels and formats: email, meetings, visuals, 1:1s all work great. 🗝 Make space for questions, even if you’ve answered them before. 🗝 Keep connecting the dots between the change, the strategy, and what it means for them. Because when you’re getting tired of your message… that’s when it’s finally starting to land. 💬 What’s one communication tactic that’s helped your message stick? #Leadership #ChangeCommunication #ExecutivePresence #PeopleFirst #StrategyToMovement #OrganizationalChange

One thing I’ve never seen? A company fail because they communicated too much internally. Yet, in remote work, I constantly hear: ❌ "We don’t want to overload employees with too much comms." ❌ "We’ll just send one email and hope for the best." But the reality? If you don’t repeat key messages across multiple channels, employees won’t see them. ✔️ Reinforce key messages in different formats (email, Slack, video, intranet) ✔️ Make comms accessible—meet employees where they are ✔️ Measure & adapt—track engagement and pivot if needed Remote work makes clarity, repetition, and accessibility more important than ever. If employees say, "I didn’t hear about that!"—it’s on us to fix it. What’s your best strategy for ensuring messages actually land in a remote/hybrid world? #InternalComms #RemoteWork #EmployeeEngagement #WorkplaceCulture

We often assume that once we’ve shared a message, employees will remember it. But the reality? They don’t. It’s not because they’re not paying attention. It’s because they’re busy. They’re juggling projects, deadlines, and countless other priorities. That’s why we can’t treat organizational goals as a “one-and-done” message. Instead of only providing updates on progress, we need to reinforce why these goals matter throughout the year. Think of it like marketing: Companies don’t run an ad once and expect customers to remember. They repeat the message in different ways to make it stick. We can do the same by mixing up our delivery: 🔹Town halls to bring leadership’s voice into the conversation 🔹Videos for storytelling and emotional connection 🔹Digital signage for quick reinforcement in high-traffic areas 🔹Employee spotlights to show how teams are contributing to success 🔹Newsletters, intranet posts, and Slack updates for ongoing touchpoints Repetition isn’t redundancy. It's reinforcement. When we consistently connect employees to the bigger picture, we turn abstract goals into everyday actions. #InternalComms #EmployeeEngagement #ChangeManagement