Listening: The quiet power behind change

When people think about change communication, they often think about telling. About sharing a vision, crafting a change story, choosing the right channels. But in practice, something else turns out to be just as decisive: listening.

In my book Change Communication(in Dutch only), I show that listening isn’t a side activity — it’s the thread running through every phase of change. It helps you understand what’s really going on, give meaning to stories, and build trust. And that, more than anything, determines whether change will truly take root.

TL;DR in short

Listening is a core skill in change communication.
It helps you understand what’s alive in the organization, give meaning to stories, and build trust. Those who truly listen make change human and lasting.

Listening plays a role on three levels

1. Listening in the change story – Meaning emerges through Dialogue

A strong change story doesn’t start with writing — it starts with listening. Listening to the stories already living inside the organization: what people say about their work, what makes them proud, what worries them. When you know what drives or holds people back, you can communicate more effectively.

These existing stories form the soil from which the shared story of change can grow. As a communication professional or leader, you can help connect these stories to the organization’s direction.

As I write in my book:

“A good change story isn’t an endpoint, but a starting point for dialogue. The organization’s story meets the stories of its people.”

Listening makes the story credible — not because you tell people what they want to hear, but because you show that the official message is rooted in what already lives among them. In “change cafés,” workshops, or personal conversations, you can collect, mirror, and connect these stories.

2. Listening in the analysis phase – Understanding what’s really going on

Change starts with understanding. Without listening, you only see the visible layer — the plans, structures, and charts — and miss the undercurrent of emotions, motivations, and interests. In the second column of the Change Communication Canvas, listening plays the role of diagnostic tool. You listen to discover what meaning people attach to the change, what tensions exist, and where the energy lies.

That can happen through interviews, dialogue sessions, or channel analysis — but also through sentiment tracking or comments on intranet posts. Anything that helps you build a realistic picture of how employees experience the change. It’s also useful to explore how things became the way they are and what patterns are at play. Context maps and causal diagrams can support this listening process.

Listening helps you sketch out the possibilities and constraints of the change. This sketch becomes the foundation for a strategy with clear communication implications.

3. Listening as an intervention – Influencing behavior through recognition

Listening isn’t only preparation — it is an intervention. Models such as CASI and McKinsey’s Influence Model show that behavior doesn’t change by persuasion alone, but through recognition. People need to feel that their voice matters.

A leader who listens visibly creates psychological safety — the basis for learning and experimentation. And communication professionals can reinforce that by not only asking for input but also showing what was done it hit. Listening builds trust, and trust makes change possible.

Methods for listening in change communication

To gather meaningful insights, it’s best to start with listening sessions: open meetings where employees can share how they experience the change and what improvements they see. These sessions create space to explore wishes, expectations, and the language people use. Do they talk about “improving ROI” or about “creating shared meaning”? Such conversations reveal both the pain points and the seeds of the change ahead.

Listening as a connecting skill

In Change Communication, I describe communication as a strategic instrument for setting direction, creating meaning, and influencing behavior. Listening connects those three. It helps you understand direction instead of just broadcasting it.
It deepens meaning, because employees’ stories become part of the larger whole.
And it influences behavior, because people feel seen and acknowledged.

As I often say in my workshops:

In closing

Listening isn’t a soft skill — it’s the quiet power behind successful change. Those who listen hear more than words; they hear what people need to move forward.

Huib Koeleman