Dr. Seuss was a Communications Genius! Who knew?

Dr. Seuss was a man ahead of his time. 
Who knew One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish could be a rallying cry for diversity, not to mention a lesson in change management communications! Different kinds of fish, some old and some new, many happy and some sad, all need the same information, but the way they need to hear it may vary.  

Communicating internally and externally — in this case with your employees, your clients, and your prospects — is a lot like speaking to all of Dr. Seuss’s fish. They don’t all think the same way, they don’t interpret messages the same way, and they surely won’t all react in the same way – especially when the news isn’t good, or expected.

When it comes to changing behavior and gaining buy-in through change management communications, the way in which you communicate is crucial, and the investment in those communications needs to be considered – and valued – from the start.

Over the years, we’ve helped companies tell good stories and bad, happy and sad. When you’re faced with a change management situation, whether it be a CEO replacement, the investment of a private equity team, or even a change in internal processes or structure, there are plenty of lessons from Dr. Seuss’s titles to help guide your way.  

Horton Hears a Who (and so should you)
The beautiful takeaway from Horton Hears a Who is that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” What a lesson in life – and internal communications!   If there’s a change ahead in your organization, everyone needs to hear the news, from the C-suite to the front-line worker and everyone in between. And with all that the world has thrown at us these past 12 months, feeling engaged and part of a team is more important than ever.  

Your employees can and should be your cheerleaders. They have the power to applaud your capabilities and praise the quality of your leadership publicly and via their own communications channels. And remember, we’re living in a social media world, so the bad news will be shared even more quickly than the good! Make sure your employees all hear the truth from you first, when there’s a story to tell – good news or bad.

And not only that, don’t underestimate their ability to contribute in some situations. They want to hear you and they want to be heard. 

Let your imagination run wild! Think about what you want to say, who should say it, how to say it, to whom you want to say it, and why it’s important that it’s said at all. The main lesson of Green Eggs & Ham is similar. Don’t be afraid to try something new!

As we learned with the fish, employees and clients all take in messages differently, so it’s crucial to consider the cadence of the messaging and the channels you use.  Sometimes an email is just an email. They can be cold and impersonal. Sometimes they say too much; sometimes too little. More often than not, they’re off-putting and they open the door to more questions. Read and re-read – and then re-read again – anything you plan to send or share. Read it with outside eyes, thinking about how it may be interpreted by different audiences. 

Consider also new ways to connect. If your leader is charismatic, it may be time for a video, but not a stiff one of the CEO behind a desk reading a script. And if your leader isn’t charismatic, but adored for so many other reasons, do a video! The more authentic it is, the more powerful it can be. In our pandemic-stricken world, a CEO video set in that person’s home with the CEO in casual clothing can go a long way! We’re all in this together, right?

There’s no end to the ideas we can generate when it comes to sharing news – good or bad, happy or sad. (And truth be told, sometimes it is just an email!) 

Oh, the Places You’ll Go (if you do this right)
Valuing your employees and cherishing your clients and customers is paramount in any business or organization. The most well-respected brands, and the most profitable companies, delight their customers, hold their employees dear, and never let anything get in the way of doing the right thing at the right time. 

Think of the places your company can go when you invest in communicating with all of your audiences the right way, every day, and certainly in times of change. 

Happy Birthday to You (And to you today, Dr. Seuss!)
So why a post about good ole Dr. Seuss? Because today would have been his 117th birthday. In his own words, “Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!”
Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss, and thanks for the lessons.