Many situations that companies face require the right communication strategies. The way a message is communicated, especially unwelcome news, is critical to how people respond to it.

A number of elements are involved here. First is timing. Announcing staff cutbacks the week before Christmas is certain to draw a more negative reaction than the same action taken after New Year’s.

Another element is the way important news is released and to whom. Is a company meeting the best venue? A video from the CEO? E-mails? One-on-one meetings with individuals involved? Meetings with department heads? These are critical decisions and our counsel can often offer useful advice that will avoid damaging mis-steps.

Content and structure also matter. Too often companies will announce a new initiative that calls on employees to change long-standing habits or practices or to work longer and harder without clearly indicating what’s in it for them.

We’ve counseled companies on how to steer through some pretty delicate situations such as easing out a popular CEO heir-apparent without lawsuits, damage to the business, or bad media coverage.

We help organizations plan and deliver messages that will get “buy in” from key audiences and motivate them to take the desired action. When communicating on important issues, the stakes are very high.