Key Message Training Plan: A tool to create clarity when leading change

Manager alignment is so important in change. If people leave their jobs because of their manager, in a period of high stress, they will also look to a trusted manager for stability.

But managers and their teams don’t live in isolation. As soon as staff hear about a new change, you can bet they will reach out to colleagues on other teams to compare notes and confirm their understanding.

The more your managers (all the way up to leaders) can communicate consistently, the more comfort and trust staff can place in the change, the reason why for the change, and the path forward.

If you’re looking at a small change, you might run a smaller risk for disruption if staff sniffs out inconsistency. The higher the degree of change and the more critical the change, you run a higher risk, and should probably apply a higher level of rigor to your key message training plan.

What is a Key Message Training Plan?

The structure is really no different from any other training plan. In this case, your goal is to ensure managers are well-prepared to communicate changes effectively and maintain consistency. You’ll start with action-oriented learning goals, engaging managers in active practice of delivering key messages, and setting clear metrics to evaluate their effectiveness in delivery and responding to anticipating questions.

What to Include in Your Key Message Training Plan

1.     Action-driven Learning Objectives  

It’s not enough to say you want managers to “know” about the change. They have to be able to “explain” the reason why behind the change, “describe” the future state, and (depending on the degree of change) managers may need to learn to “defend” the change. Using these action-driven verbs are critical because they provide observable and measurable outcomes and ensure that the learning process translates into tangible skills.

2.     Actual Practice

How many training events did you attend where you just listened to a presenter? Maybe you took a quiz at the end? If you’re looking at a large or critical change, your managers should be expected to practice speaking key messages out loud and responding to frequently asked questions.

Wait… are you talking about role play?

Yes! And be prepared for managers to balk at roleplay! Many managers believe that are are beyond practice and roleplay. To address this, I like to remind them that even professional golfers go to the driving range to practice their swing. Then, I structure these sessions as peer-led, where managers practice with and provide feedback to one another, framing it as a collaborative support exercise rather than just training.

 3.     Metrics

Make sure you identify something to measure to ensure your managers are on track. The question you need to answer is: How well are your managers stating key messages and moving teams through the change curve? The way you measure can vary. It can be a pulse survey to ask team members to gauge where they are in the change curve. It can be a requirement for managers to role play with their own manager and get coaching. It doesn’t have to be complicated! Choose a metric that you can actually measure and get honest indicators of the true current state.

4.     A Cadence for Check-ins

Learning is not an event. It is a process. And odds are, the change you are implementing is not the only thing happening at work. You still have your other goals and business objectives to worry about. The more complex our work lives are, the more learning has to compete for mindshare to build and maintain new memories. It doesn’t take long for new learning to become a distant memory.  

To keep new skills and concepts fresh and applicable, establish a regular cadence of check-ins. There’s no need to present anything. Use these meetings as collaboration sessions for managers to share successes, team responses, and challenges. You may find that regular peer coaching is all you need to keep things moving in the right direction, but I’d recommend that you have a change leader present to listen and actively scout for topics that should be addressed through formal training.

The nice thing about a key message training plan is that you can scale it up or down depending on the degree of change you’re after and the level of rigor you need. On the most minimal side of the scale, you might be able to accomplish this with a series of emails. For more complex change, it might include a series of meetings over a year or longer.

 What are your own best practices around designing and implementing a key message training plan?