When the ground shifts, silence gets loud.
If you’ve ever been part of a team navigating change—whether it’s a new system, a leadership shake-up, or even a merger—you know how quickly uncertainty can snowball. People start whispering in the hallways, trying to connect dots that may or may not exist. The rumor mill kicks into high gear, and suddenly, your team is spending more time speculating than doing the work that matters.
The instinct many leaders have is to hold off on saying anything until there’s “real news.” I hear this all the time: “I don’t want to give half-information” or “I’ll wait until I can share the whole picture.” While well-intentioned, this approach almost always backfires. Silence doesn’t reassure—it magnifies worry. A short, clear update, even if the message is “nothing has changed this week,” gives your team something solid to stand on.
What Happens When Leaders Go Quiet
When leaders hesitate to communicate, fear fills the gap. People assume the worst. Productivity dips because energy is redirected toward speculation. Small issues, which might have been quickly resolved with context, suddenly balloon into major concerns because no one knows what actually matters anymore.
I once worked with a team that was about to undergo a reorganization. Leadership went silent for nearly a month while they finalized details. By the time the official announcement came, employees already had three competing versions of “the truth,” and trust in leadership had eroded. The rollout itself wasn’t the problem—it was the vacuum of communication beforehand that created lasting damage.
Principles for Communicating During Change
So what should you do instead? Start with visibility. Show up consistently, even when the update is brief. Teams don’t need a polished script; they need to know you’re present, engaged, and willing to be transparent.
Repetition is another underrated tool. Leaders sometimes feel like they’re saying the same thing too many times, but your team likely only hears it in fragments—while multitasking in a meeting, or while skimming an email between deadlines. Repeating the same message across formats helps it stick.
And don’t underestimate the power of plain language. During change, people crave clarity. Keep your sentences short, your instructions concrete, and your jargon to a minimum. “Here’s what’s happening, here’s what it means for you, and here’s what comes next” is always better than a page of corporate speak.
How to Give Useful Updates
One simple way to keep communication grounded is by using a five-point message map. Every time you share an update, answer these questions:
- What do we know?
- What is changing?
- What is not changing?
- What do we need from you?
- What happens next, and when will you hear more?
Instead of trying to come up with polished language every time, here’s how you might actually say it in a team meeting:
“Here’s what we know right now: the rollout of the new system is scheduled for October. What’s changing is that training will now be delivered virtually instead of in person. What’s not changing is the go-live date. What I need from you is to complete your online training by next Friday. Our next update will be during Monday’s team meeting, and if questions come up before then, drop them in the Teams channel so we can track them.”
Simple. Clear. And everyone knows when the next update is coming.
Building a Cadence
Communication during change shouldn’t be one big meeting every few weeks—it should be a steady rhythm. Think Monday email, Wednesday huddle, Friday wrap-up. And sometimes, yes, your update is simply that there is no update.
Here’s how that can sound:
“I don’t have any new information this week, and I know that can feel frustrating. Here’s what we know: leadership is still reviewing the plan. Here’s what’s in motion: department heads are providing feedback. What’s not changing: our current processes remain in place until further notice. What I need from you: stay focused on our client deadlines. You’ll hear from me again next Wednesday at our stand-up.”
That kind of message might feel too simple, but it stops rumors before they start.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Of course, there are traps leaders can fall into. Some share too much detail and overwhelm their team. Others move the message around, with different managers communicating different versions. Sometimes leaders hedge so much—saying what might happen, or what they think could be true—that employees walk away more confused than before. And the most common mistake? Forgetting to say when the next update will be. Without that anchor, your team is left guessing again.
When leaders communicate early, often, and clearly, trust rises. People stop spinning stories and start focusing on the work at hand. Alignment happens faster, decisions improve, and the team feels steady even in the middle of uncertainty.
Change will always be messy. But your communication doesn’t have to be.
As you apply these six practices, consider pairing them with our communication tool — it’s designed to help you carry your message forward, adjust tone, and sustain calm under pressure.
