How to make Change go viral

We have all been there. We understand the principles of change management, the solution has been selected, the comms strategy is in place, the logistics have been tested and confidence for early adoption and change is high!

However, the truth is that most change initiatives continue to fail, and very few come close to going viral.

When looking for good examples of communication, social media influencers provide a great example with plenty of lessons for Leaders in a wide variety of organisations.

Whether it is new fashion trends, lough-out-loud memes, political messaging or more commercial social marketing – influencers have developed a toolkit for spreading the word in an infectious way, and there are powerful lessons to be learned for leading change.

The five key lessons to be taken from Social Selling and ‘Influencer’ marketing techniques for leaders of change are:

1. Harness the power of advocates ?– The power of peer to peer communication to win hearts and minds far exceeds that of one way communications, such as ‘all hands’ or ‘town hall’ meetings. Marketing departments know this, which is why ‘recommendations’ and testimonials’ have long been a staple of advertising campaigns. However Influencers have reinforced this distinction and highlighted the importance of finding ways to give those who are onboard with ideas the opportunity to promote them.
2. Interaction is key – If you’re trying to win support for new initiatives then you can maximise your impact by making the communication process a two-way conversation, rather than a one way broadcast. In the social media world ‘likes’, ‘comments’ and ‘shares’ are the currency of interaction, but in a the change world questions trump everything. Generate questions from your intended audience and you’ve got a conversation and people’s attention.
3. Be patient, be consistent – The truth is that even the most contagious ideas take time to catch on. Influencers know this, keep their messages consistent and relying on the power of two to build momentum. Once a critical mass believe in an idea then a tipping point can be reached, but getting to this stage requires clear and consistent messaging.?
4. Don’t over-hype – It can be tempting to try and catalyse change by ramping up communication too early in change programmes. This often leads to promises being made that can’t be kept, disappointment and then resistance. It is far more effective to encourage those involved in change to share their own stories, including their honest experiences and successes that others can relate to, than to waste money on promotional initiatives.
5. Leaders must walk the talk – Implementing is often a time consuming and sometimes expensive process. However any investment can be completely undermined by those asking for the change adopting a ‘do as I say’ approach. (This might sound obvious, but underestimate its impact at your peril!). This was put to great use by Shell a few years ago, as described in the “Five Greatest Examples of Change Management in Business History”

These lessons (and more) have been captured within the Tipping Point model of change.

The Tipping Point model itself was developed by Andrea Shapiro, as published within her seminal and widely regarded book: “Creating Contagious Commitment” (2003, 2016). The Tipping Point model was developed based on the study of actions taken within an international sample of change programmes and an analysis of the impact of these actions on the level of support and buy-in achieved over time.?The Tipping Point model is also the foundation for a suite of training materials designed to support leaders learn about change and plan initiatives.

As well as helping leaders consider live issues, the suite of materials is also a powerful way of developing leaders’ appreciation of change, and has been designed to fit well within broader leadership development programmes or to stand alone. The programme also includes an engaging computer based business simulation which illustrates the way ideas spread, and allows teams to learn in a fun and ‘gameified’ way.

If you would like to find out more about the Tipping Point model of change, or how the change simulation may help you design, manage and optimise the way change is led in your organisation please get in touch for a free, no obligation, conversation.??

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