Transformative Communication Models

I ran $10bn transformation projects at McKinsey. We were taught the 'Influence Model' Companies using all 4 parts are 8x more likely to undergo a successful transformation. 1. Understanding & Conviction Leaders assume everyone understands the "why" because they've said it once.(Stanford research calls this the "curse of knowledge.") To make transformation work, you need to: → Build a change story. This answers: "What's happening in the market? Why can't we stay the same? What happens if we don't change? What does success look like?" → Make sure employees hear the message multiple times (7 times min.) → Don't only rely on townhalls. Use 1:1s to build conviction. 2. Role Modeling People don't listen to what leaders say. They watch what leaders do. Don't go back to business as usual To make role modeling work, you need to: → Identify 3-5 informal influencers per team. Not managers. The people others actually watch. Get them on board first. → Leaders must do something visibly different in the first 30 days. Cancel an old meeting. Promote someone who embodies the new way. Reallocate budget publicly. → Find teams already doing it well. Make them visible. People copy what gets rewarded. 3. Formal Mechanisms You can communicate the vision. But if your incentive still rewards the old behavior, nothing changes. To make formal mechanisms work, you need to: → Change KPIs, don't just add new ones. Adding "customer satisfaction" on top of 15 existing metrics means it gets ignored. → Update performance review criteria in the first 90 days. If reviews still evaluate old competencies, the new behavior is optional. → Create visible consequences for resistance. If senior people ignore the new direction and nothing happens, you've told everyone the change is optional. 4. Skills & Capability Most companies treat training as a launch event. One workshop. One e-learning module. Then they're surprised when nothing changes. To make capability building work, you need to: → Train by role. Frontline needs hands-on tool practice. Managers need coaching skills. Executives need message alignment. → Train just-in-time, not just-in-case. Training 3 months before people need the skill means they forget. Train the week before. → Create practice environments. Let people make mistakes in a sandbox before going live. → Build ongoing coaching for the first 90 days. Office hours, help desks, embedded support. This is where most companies under-invest. Most companies focus on training and systems. But if people don't understand why, and don't see leaders changing first, training doesn't stick and systems get bypassed. All 4 parts. At the same time. That's what makes it work.

I've coached 400+ CEOs. The best ones don't communicate better. They communicate differently. While average leaders wing it, great ones use proven methods that turn conversations into opportunities. After 20+ years studying top performers, I've identified 7 communication systems that separate good from great. (Save this. You'll need it for your next big meeting.) 1. The 3 Levels of Listening Stop listening to reply. Start listening to understand. Level 1: You're thinking about your response Level 2: You're focused on their words Level 3: You're reading the room—energy, tone, silence One CEO used this to uncover why his top performer was really leaving. Saved a $10M account. 2. What? So What? Now What? Transform rambling updates into decisive action. What = The facts (30 seconds max) So What = Why it matters to the business Now What = The specific decision needed Cut meeting time by 40%. 3. PREP Method Never fumble another investor question. Point: Your answer in one sentence Reason: Why you believe it Example: Proof from your business Point: Reinforce your answer Practice this for 5 minutes daily. Sound prepared always. 4. RACI Matrix Kill confusion before it starts. Responsible: Who does the work Accountable: Who owns success/failure (only ONE person) Consulted: Who gives input Informed: Who needs updates Projects with clear RACI are 3x more likely to succeed. 5. Story of Self/Us/Now Move hearts, not just minds. Story of Self: Why YOU care (personal conviction) Story of Us: Our shared challenge Story of Now: The urgent choice we face This framework has helped politicians win. It'll help you raise capital or inspire your team to meet a big goal. 6. The Pyramid Principle Get board approval in half the time. Start with your recommendation Give 3 supporting arguments (max) Order by impact (strongest first) Data goes last, not first McKinsey consultants swear by this. So should you. 7. COIN Feedback Model Make tough conversations productive. Context: When and where it happened Observation: What you saw (facts only) Impact: The business consequence Next: Agreed action steps No more avoided conversations. No more resentment. Your next funding round, key hire, or major deal doesn't depend on working harder. It depends on communicating better. Because in the end, leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking better questions, listening deeper, and communicating with precision. Your team is waiting for you to lead like this. P.S. Want a PDF of my Leadership Communication Cheat Sheet? Get it free: https://lnkd.in/dbaSN9fJ ♻️ Repost to help a founder level up their communication. Follow Eric Partaker for more leadership tools.

Anyone trying to drive meaningful change – environmental or otherwise – must address this first: We must change human behaviour. This is why I’m such a stickler for storytelling. A few weeks ago, I was at a Lincoln University Centre of Excellence in Transformative Agribusiness event where Prof. Marijn Poortvliet from Wageningen University & Research spoke about risk perception. Whenever we decide whether or not to do something – big or small – we’re weighing up perceived risk. Perceived Probability x Perceived Consequences = Risk Perception Add ‘perceived’ in front of each word, and risk becomes a personal decision. That’s why it can be so hard to convince people to change, even when the facts are known. If we can work with how humans perceive risk, we stand a better chance of influencing change. Marijn discussed the Extended Parallel Process Model (Witte, 1992) which outlines the conditions required for behaviour change: 🟦 Perceived Threat: • Susceptibility – How vulnerable we feel to it • Severity – How serious we believe it is If there’s no perceived threat, no action is taken. 🟦 Perceived Efficacy: • Self-efficacy – Can I do what’s needed? • Response efficacy – Will my efforts be enough? Low efficacy = fear and inaction. High efficacy = behaviour change. This is why storytelling matters. It helps people see the threat (or opportunity) and understand how they can respond. It reminds me of a post I once saw but unfortunately can’t remember the author of: People change when you make sustainability: • Personally relevant • Emotionally compelling • Immediately beneficial Building on that saying in alignment with the EPPM flow model, here’s how to apply this thinking to your own sustainability communication. 1️⃣ Make it personally relevant Show how the issue affects people’s lives, values, or livelihoods – not just “the planet” in abstract terms. (Susceptibility) 2️⃣ Make the threat real, but not paralysing Balance severity with hope. If people only see the doom, they switch off. (Severity) 3️⃣ Show a clear, doable path Help people believe they can act (self-efficacy) and that their action will make a difference (response efficacy). 4️⃣ Make the benefits immediate and meaningful Change sticks when it’s not only “good for the planet” but also good for them. Show how the change can save money, build community, or protect something they love. 💡Next time, ask yourself: • What risk or opportunity am I asking people to pay attention to? • How can I help them see it, feel it, and respond to it? Do that, and you’re not just sharing information, you’re changing behaviour. __________ Image: Susannah Hertrich, (2008). “Reality Checking Device”. The top circles show perceived risk versus actual risk below. #BehaviourChange #SustainabilityStorytelling #ScienceCommunication #RiskPerception

After years of exploring human-AI interaction patterns, I've discovered something fascinating: the effectiveness of our communication and results with AI systems mirrors the deeper principles of human organizational change. Today, I want to share some frameworks I've developed that consistently create breakthrough moments in AI interaction and effective workflows. The key insight? Much like organizational transformation, productive AI dialogue is about creating the right conditions for understanding to emerge naturally. My framework for prompts centers on five interconnected elements that shape how meaning flows between human intention and machine understanding: 1️⃣ First is the power of clear objectives. Just as organizational change requires a compelling direction, AI interactions thrive when anchored in specific, well-defined goals. This creates a gravitational center that pulls responses toward meaningful outcomes. 2️⃣ Second, I've found that role clarity is a contextual compass. When we define roles clearly, we're essentially creating a shared mental model that guides how information is processed and understood. This mirrors how clear organizational roles create pathways for effective collaboration. 3️⃣ Third is the profound impact of examples. They serve as bridges between abstract intention and concrete understanding - much like how case studies illuminate strategic principles in ways that theory alone never could. 4️⃣ Fourth, I've learned that format is about creating cognitive scaffolding that supports deeper understanding. Think of it as building the infrastructure that allows ideas to flow smoothly between human and machine minds. 5️⃣ Finally, I use frameworks like RTF (Result-Task-Format) and TAG (Topic-Audience-Goal) as navigation tools. These are mental models that help map complex interaction patterns into manageable territories. What excites me most is how these principles reveal the deeper patterns connecting human cognition, organizational dynamics, and artificial intelligence. They remind us that effective communication, whether with humans or machines, always comes back to creating the right conditions for understanding to flourish. #AIStrategy #OrganizationalChange #SystemicThinking #Innovation

Change is messy, isn’t it? Change management plans might look good on screen, but emotions like uncertainty, frustration, or even fear are where these can unravel. The truth is, you can’t shift an organisation without addressing the hearts and minds of the people in it. 🧠 That’s where the SCARF™ model can help. In my latest article for IABC Catalyst, I explore this simple, brain-based framework that helps leaders and change communication professionals turn emotional resistance into engagement. SCARF focuses on five emotional drivers (status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness) influencing how people respond to change and social contexts. 💡 Why does this matter? Because when you tap into these drivers, you help people feel seen, valued, and supported. That’s what can turn hesitation into engagement and make change possible. 👉 If you’re leading through change, take a few minutes this weekend to explore this framework. It’s practical, relatable, and could help you connect with your people at a deeper level. Link to article in comments 👇 #change #transformation #leadership #brainbased #communication #IABC

When was the last time you had a transformative conversation? The most transformative conversations don’t tell you what to think—they challenge how you feel. The most meaningful connections don’t come from discussing what’s on the surface—they come from exploring what lies beneath. That’s why I love using the Iceberg Theory (by Edward Hall, author of Beyond Culture) when facilitating dialogue. It’s a powerful tool that helps teams dive deeper, creating space to share not just what they think, but how they feel. When leaders and teams understand the "hidden layers" driving behaviour—like values, emotions, and unspoken experiences—it transforms how they communicate and collaborate. These moments spark empathy, trust, and authentic connection—the foundations of great leadership and high-performing teams. If you want to unlock potential in your team, start by asking the deeper questions:  > What’s driving this behaviour? > What’s the untold story here? > What hasn't been said? When we dare to go below the surface, that’s where the breakthroughs happen. What’s one way you’ve created space for deeper conversations in your workplace? Let’s share ideas and keep growing together. #Leadership #TeamCulture #AuthenticConnection #TransformativeConversations #IcebergTheory

🛠 Effective feedback is the cornerstone of leadership. But it’s not just about what you say—it’s how you say it. Here are three powerful feedback models that can transform your team dynamics: 1️⃣ SBI Model (Situation, Behavior, Impact): Break feedback down into these components to keep it clear and actionable. For example, ‘During yesterday’s meeting (Situation), I noticed you interrupted others frequently (Behavior), which made your teammates feel unheard (Impact).’ 2️⃣ COIN Model (Connect, Observe, Impact, Next Steps): This model helps you build rapport while providing feedback. Start with connection, then move into your observations, discuss the impact, and finally, agree on next steps. 3️⃣ GROW Model (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward): Originally from the consulting world, this model combines feedback with coaching. It’s perfect for discussions where you want to guide someone towards better performance by exploring their options and defining clear steps forward. Which feedback model resonates with you the most? #Leadership #TeamDynamics #Feedback"