Hello!

You know that moment after a big announcement—when everyone’s quiet, nodding, polite?

I watched a CEO announce a new company direction last week. He was excited about growth opportunities and market expansion.

His team heard: “More work, same pay, and probably chaos for the next six months.”

Same announcement. Completely different realities.

watts not working: Leaders who communicate changes by:

• Focusing only on what THEY think is important
• Assuming people will fill in the blanks with positive assumptions
• Delivering the big picture without addressing individual concerns
• Being surprised when the team’s reaction doesn’t match their enthusiasm

watts really happening: No matter what you’re announcing—new software, office moves, strategy changes, restructuring—every single person in that room is thinking the same thing:

“How does this impact ME?“

Not the business. Not the industry. Not the bigger vision.

ME. My job. My workload. My security. My future.

And whatever you don’t specifically address, they will fill in with their own assumptions. Usually the worst-case scenario ones.

watts working: Before any significant communication, smart leaders do this exercise:

Go through each person who’ll be in that room. Ask yourself:

• What would Sarah be worried about with this change?
• How might Tom interpret this as a threat to his role?
• What questions will Lisa have that I haven’t answered?
• What assumptions might the whole team make that I need to address upfront?

Then build your communication around those concerns, not just your excitement about the opportunity.

watts the real game changer: Stop preparing what you want to say. Start preparing what they need to hear.

Communication isn’t about information transfer. It’s about interpretation management.

The story your team tells themselves about your announcement is more powerful than the announcement itself.

Have a week of mind-reading communication!

Sel

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