Change management elevator speeches
| There are many people you may have discussions with regarding
change management. To be effective, each of these different
conversations must be meaningful to the person you are speaking with.
The conversation about change management and why it is important is very
different if you are talking to the CEO, or a front-line manager, or a
communication specialist or a project manager.
This tutorial presents
examples of a number of short 'elevator speeches' that can help you
connect change management to what the listener cares about. An elevator
speech is a brief overview - 30-60 seconds or the time it would take to
ride in an elevator - that provides the key points and attempts to get
the listener engaged and curious in what you are talking about.
Building their 'awareness' of the need for change management means
appealing to what keeps them up at night and what they are concerned
about. An effective elevator speech about change management connects what the listener cares about
(specific to your audience) with
the benefits of managing the human side of change.
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Example elevator speeches and key talking points for different audiences
| Audience: |
Elevator speech |
| An executive or senior manager |
Example:
"I know that you are concerned with
the
financials and the
strategic direction of the organization.
Our experience shows, and
research validates, that we can
only meet our strategic goals if we manage the 'people side'
of the changes we are implementing as part of our strategic
plan. And research also shows that your role as a
change
sponsor - by being active and visible throughout the
project, building a coalition of support at the top and
communicating why change is happening directly to employees
- is the number one contributor
to success. With change
management, we can develop the specific actions we need to
take to meet our ROI objectives
by driving the speed of
adoption, utilization and proficiency of the changes we are
introducing."Key talking
points:
- Change
management supports financial and strategic goals
- Effective sponsorship is the number one contributor
to project success
- Good
change management = ROI
- Your role and involvement are crucial success
factors
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| A project manager |
Example:
"When you take on a project, you use a
process and set of tools to manage the specific steps to
implement the project - like a project charter, a business
case and a work breakdown structure. This is focused on the
technical side of the project. There
is also a set of
processes and tools that can be used to manage the
human
side of these projects. Studies show that to meet the
objectives of any project, we need to manage both the
technical side - using effective project management - and
the people side - using effective change management.
A structured approach to managing the people side of change
exists and gives us the specific actions and
steps we need to take to help people through the changes we
are introducing."Key talking points:
- Project management focuses on technical side, change
management focuses on people side
- Both have own structured processes and sets of tools
- Both project management and
change management
are needed for changes to meet their objectives
|
| A front-line manager or supervisors |
Example:
"Change is difficult. Many times, you feel
caught in the middle - hearing messages from above in the
organization and being asked to convey these messages down
to your direct reports. We have spent a lot of time training
you on how to manage your area of the business, but we have
not given you the training and tools to manage the human side
of changes that are being introduced. You are one of the
most important pieces of successful change. Research shows
that you play a central role
in communicating with
employees, identifying and managing resistance, coaching in
both group and individual settings and reinforcing changes
to make them stick. We need you involved
if we want to be
successful at change, and change management can give you a
set of tools you can use to help your direct reports be
successful during change."
Key talking points:
- Managing change is a unique skill that can be
developed
- Your employees need you during change
- Your role: communicate, manage resistance, coach and
reinforce
- Your role and involvement are
crucial success factors
|
| A communication specialist |
Example:
"Communication is a critical tool for making
change successful, but it cannot be done in a vacuum. Change
management provides a solid framework
for all of the levers
that need to be used to manage change, including
communication. Organizationally, it gives structure to how
communication, leadership involvement, training and coaching
fit together. Individually, it gives us the 'targets' or
goals we are trying to achieve when we communicate. Change
management can help you shape your communication by answering
what needs to be communicated, when and by whom. With a
structured approach to change management, we can create a
solid partnership between you as a communication specialist
and the others in the organization who work to implement
change."Key talking points:
- Change management gives context for communication
- Individual focus answers 'what' to communicate
- Result is effective partnership
|
| A project team member |
Example:
"Ultimately, the goal of the project is to
improve the organization in some way. The project has
specific objectives it is trying to achieve, usually with
associated metrics for measuring our success. So, how many
of these objectives require people
to change how they do
their jobs? Probably most, or at least many. Change
management is a discipline that complements project
management. Both work together toward a common goal -
changing how the organization operates. It takes both a
hammer and a screw driver to build a house, and project
management and change management are these
complementary
tools we can use to achieve successful change. In
fact, we will be most successful when we integrate the
activities of project management and change management under
one unified plan for improving the organization."
Key talking points:
- Change management and project management are
complementary tools
- Both
disciplines share a common goal of successful change
- Change
managers and project managers must work together as a
team to integrate their activities
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Resources to share in the elevator:
- Prosci's latest book -
ADKAR: a model
for change in business, government and our community
- is an easy read with examples and case studies. It
gives anyone a solid foundation in how individuals
experience change and what actions you can take to
support successful change.
- Prosci's
Introductory package includes four resources to help
you get started - 1) Best Practices in Change Management
benchmarking report; 2) Change management: the people
side of change paperback; 3) ADKAR: a model for change
paperback; and 4) Employee's Survival Guide to Change
- Learn more about Prosci's approach and offerings to
build change management skills throughout your
organization in the
new training brochure
|
Share your
elevator speech
Managing change on your projects
There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Prosci has spent nine years
researching what works and what doesn't when managing the human side of change. As a research
and publishing firm, we spend our time turning the best practices into
easy-to-use, holistic and research-based tools. Prosci's
methodology is
available in both the hardcopy
Change Management Toolkit (3-ring binder with CD-ROM) and the
online Change Management Pilot
- complete with assessments, templates and checklists for
creating the five organizational levers.
Or, to really experience the methodology, bring a project you are
working on to the 3-day
certification program and apply the tools as you learn them.
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Tools for applying change management:
- Change
management certification ($2100) - 3-day program where you bring
a project you are working on and apply all of the assessments and
tools as you learn them - taught by former Fortune 500 executives at locations across the U.S.
- 2007 Best Practices in Change Management benchmarking report
($249) - journal-style report with lessons learned and best practices
from 426 participants, presented in an easy-to-use format - reads as
a checklist of what to do and what not to do
-
Change Management Toolkit ($349) - hardcopy 3-ring binder presenting
Prosci's change management methodology, includes templates, checklists
and assessments for managing the people side of change (includes CD-ROM)
- Change
Management Guide for Managers and Supervisors ($189) -
tools to help supervisors engage and coach their direct reports
through change (includes 4 copies of the Employee's Survival Guide)
- Change
Management Pilot ($449) - online tool including Prosci's change
management methodology, eLearning modules and downloadable templates,
assessments, presentations and checklists
-
Change Management Pilot Professional ($559) - the content of the
Change Management Pilot plus additional benchmarking data and an
online version of the Change Management Guide for Managers and
Supervisors
-
Change Management: the people side of change ($18.95) - a primer for anyone
involved in organizational change that addresses why manage change,
individual change management and organizational change management
-
Employee's Survival Guide to Change ($14.95) - a handbook to help
employees survive and thrive during change, answers frequently asked
questions and empowers employees to take charge of change
*** Prosci also offers
leadership packages - groupings of products at discounts that
offer you some of the most helpful and common combinations of Prosci
change management resources
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Email a Prosci analyst or
call 970-203-9332 with questions about the methodology, its application, or finding the
right resources to support your change management activities.
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