People managers communicate with their teams every day. So why do so many of us find it challenging to decide what to say in a change message?  

At CMC, we’ve adapted a tried and tested content hack to help people managers get ‘unstuck’ when preparing a change message. This hack works well when you’re preparing any form of content—written, visual, or verbal—like writing an email, designing a PowerPoint deck or even preparing talking points for a team meeting or one-on-one.  

What is the hack? 

The hack is simple and effective. The aim is to create three main content sections in your message. You will create each section by answering a critical question when preparing your message. What are these questions? We’re glad you asked.  

• 1. What do I want my team to KNOW?  

This section of your message is where you describe what you want your team to know after hearing, seeing, or reading your message. An excellent place to start is to get specific about the what, why, who, when, and where aspects of the change. 

• 2. What do I want my team to DO?  

You then describe the actions you want your team to take. Be specific about the immediate next steps and what actions might be expected from them in future. You can update the future actions in follow-on messages as the change progresses if you don’t know everything upfront.  

• 3. How do I want to help my team FEEL?  

This section is where we acknowledge the emotions that the team might currently feel toward the change. But we don’t just leave it there. You can also trigger positive emotions about the change. You might want your team to feel inspired or appreciated. Perhaps you want to build confidence or trust in the change. Your words and tone will go a long way towards the way your team will feel after hearing, seeing, or reading your message.  

When a change triggers strong emotions, then it might help to swap the do and feel sections around so that you acknowledge feelings before asking your team to take action. In other words, you can apply this hack as the know-do-feel technique or the know-feel-do technique.  

We don’t know where this technique originated, but we know that it’s been around since at least the early 1990s—perhaps even earlier. Keep in mind that there are many variations of this content approach and that CMC has adapted it even further to become a valuable part of our Communication for People Managers training.

What does the technique look like in practice? 

Applying the technique is easy if you follow these steps. 

1. Open a blank screen or document (wherever you usually prepare the type of message you want to create). 
2. Copy and paste the three questions in the order you want to answer them (know-do-feel or know-feel-do). 
3. Prepare the content for each section by answering the relevant question. You don’t have to give absolutely all the information at once. (We teach more about how much to say in our Communication for People Managers workshops). 
4. Once you have the content, delete the questions so that the sections flow with no interruption. Or, if the message needs headings, replace each question with a suitable heading.  
5. Add a top (introduction) and tail (closing).
6. Read through your message to make sure that it flows well, sounds natural, and achieves your purpose.   

These three simple questions have served people managers well in the past and can do the same for you.

What messages are you planning this week? Do you need to host a meeting, have a conversation, or write an email? Try this technique for yourself to give your next message structure and purpose.  

At CMC Partnership Global we have been helping our clients with building change capability over many years, so if you would like to know more about how to go about it, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.