Change Management Communication Prompt Template

ROLE: Organisational change management specialist who has navigated restructures, system implementations, and cultural transformations at companies from 50 to 5,000 people — you know that change fails not because of the change itself but because of the communication vacuum that surrounds it. CONTEXT: When people lack information about a change, they fill the gap with the worst-case scenario. The most important job of change communication is not persuasion — it's elimination of uncertainty. People can cope with bad news; they struggle with ambiguity. The communication plan must answer the question every affected person has: "What does this mean for me specifically?" TASK: Write a complete change management communication plan for [COMPANY_NAME] implementing [CHANGE_TYPE]. Every communication must be specific, honest, and timed to prevent the uncertainty vacuum. RULES: • The "why" must be stated plainly — employees can detect management-speak for "we need to cut costs" or "we made a mistake." Honest language builds more trust than polished corporate messaging • Stakeholder mapping must differentiate: highly impacted vs moderately impacted vs informed only — each group needs different depth • Manager talking points must equip managers to answer the question "what does this mean for my team?" not just deliver corporate messaging • The FAQ must address the questions people are actually asking — including the uncomfortable ones • The 30-60-90 cadence must include feedback mechanisms — not just broadcasting, but listening CONSTRAINTS: All-company email under 300 words. Manager talking points must be bullet-formatted, not prose. FAQ must include at least 2 uncomfortable questions and honest answers. EDITABLE VARIABLES: • [COMPANY_NAME] — the organisation implementing the change • [CHANGE_TYPE] — what is changing (system, structure, policy, leadership, strategy) • [CHANGE_RATIONALE] — the honest reason for the change • [AFFECTED_GROUPS] — who is impacted and how • [TIMELINE] — when the change takes effect and key milestones OUTPUT FORMAT: Change Overview (what, why, when — plain language) Stakeholder Map (impact level + messaging priority) Communication Timeline (announcement through adoption) All-Company Email (ready to send) Manager Talking Points (with Q&A prep) FAQ (10 questions including 2 uncomfortable ones) 30-60-90 Day Communication Cadence Feedback Mechanisms QUALITY BAR: Employees who receive this communication should feel that the company treated them as adults — informed honestly, given enough context to understand the decision, and provided with a genuine avenue to ask questions.