An explain article

Or how change can become normal through communication.

Globalization, innovation, digitalization, disruption, customer centricity, agility, transformation … The list is endless. One of these so-called buzzwords is very likely part of the numerous presentations, memos, articles, and meeting minutes that are created daily in offices, business editorial offices, and universities worldwide.

But what impact does unstoppable change have on our communication or our way of presenting?

Fundamentally, change is never normal.

According to Harvard Business Review, the most important skill for employees today is the ability to adapt to change (HBR, 2016). Unfortunately, this is a skill that is rarely taught in school, at university, or in training programs. It becomes even more difficult since humans have an inherent need for security—which used to guarantee our survival. For this reason, today's society is often driven by concerns about the future, coupled with the fear of being left behind by rapid change.

To fulfill the task of preparing employees and companies for the inevitable change, a disciplined strategy, known as change management, is needed. One of the most well-known and widely taught models of change management comes from the American management guru John Kotter. He divides the process of change into eight distinct steps, which unfortunately do not sufficiently address the fear of change, and of which only one point explicitly deals with communication.

The era of change complicates communication

The German sociologist Hartmut Rosa speaks of "acceleration and alienation" as core elements of any modernization and central terms of our era. This refers to the technical acceleration, the acceleration of social change, and the acceleration of the pace of life.

All three are reasons why more and more options are available in every area of life, and as a result, we suffer from a constant lack of time. This phenomenon is referred to as "real-time" in marketing, and the necessity of communicating in real time to reach today's consumers has already been recognized here.

In this context, one often encounters a much-cited study by Microsoft, stating that the human attention span has dropped from twelve seconds to eight seconds in recent years, lower than that of a goldfish. Unfortunately, this thesis is based on somewhat questionable methodology. Nevertheless, it indicates that we definitely find it significantly harder to filter and prioritize information, or we get distracted much more quickly.

In the era of change, it is therefore becoming increasingly difficult to communicatively reach the target audience of our messages.

From change to normality through the right communication

For a successful change, consistent communication is indispensable. To reduce fears associated with change and make oneself heard in an accelerated world, it is essential to communicate regularly and in a target-oriented manner.

On one hand, successful communication should take place regularly, openly, and transparently to address fears and concerns. Human contact through personal interaction with a speaker or direct dialogue is becoming increasingly valuable and can never be replaced by an avatar or chatbot.

On the other hand, in times of change and acceleration, it is absolutely necessary to be aware of the target audience. This requires allocating sufficient time for communication, both during and in the preparation for it: Any form of communication, whether a lecture, a meeting conversation, a presentation, or a briefing, should directly reach the target audience suffering from a lack of time.

To create relevance, one must engage extensively with it. It is no longer just about what one has to say but about what truly interests the listeners—and this relevance can be quite painful. Everything irrelevant can and must be completely removed, which requires a high degree of reflection, target audience orientation, and focus on the essentials.

To make change normal, courageous communication is needed. The courage to take the necessary time. The courage to engage with the target audience. And above all, the courage to focus on the essentials. But this courage is rewarded when the buzzwords disruption and agility are not empty phrases but filled with meaning and enriched with stories through the right communication. They become tangible. They become relevant.