Leading Through Change Communication

Most internal communications are involved in some form of change. However, as communication professionals we need to do more than create awareness – we need to be a part of the whole process of managing transformation. 

This course recognizes that and provides early insights into the change process and how we, as communicators, can help organizations explore the questions we need to ask and the core steps that need to be reflected in our change communication strategies. This course is designed as an introduction to those new to this area of internal communications, or new to the organizational communication discipline in general. If you are a senior communicator, it may serve as a helpful refresher for you or introduce you to a new model of change.

In this course, you will not only be introduced to research-backed change theories, but you will also begin to understand how those principles can support you in the creation of your own change communication strategy. Mapping out what is changing, why and when, can help you integrate the communication approach and messages you’ll need to help your audience understand and support change.

Instructor: Dr. Julie M. Bjorkman

As a results-oriented change communication and organization development (OD) expert, Dr. Bjorkman’s career over the past 30 years includes working with multi-national companies going through large-scale change. By using data-based research methods, she identifies and creates the appropriate change intervention and communication strategies to develop a full range of deliverables to engage and retain the workforce. Her professional experiences with large corporations such as GE, HSBC, British Petroleum, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals have given her a wealth of on-the-job experience with organizational change.

Dr. Bjorkman is originally from northeast Ohio where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English from John Carroll University and her master’s degree in OD from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her Ph.D. in organization development and change from Benedictine University with a research focus on change communications. She is a published author on change communications and continues to conduct research, write, and consult with organizations on this topic.