You may be just delivering the change as 'inevitable' or 'necessary', and a lack of intentional reframing will hurt public perceptions.

Instead of framing the change as E.g. merely a cost-cutting exercise, you might consider alternatives, such as a breakthrough in innovation or process.

Going further, consider reframes that tie in with your own broader brand values or goals.

Consider enlisting a role model in your industry or organisation to help deliver the difficult news.

Lean into leading industry standards to adopt or co-create as a broader part of the change, in order to help others see the change as progression or as something safe.

You might need a different authority figure to deliver news internally vs externally, based on your audience and message.

Take small steps. When change is delivered all at once, it can create discomfort that can reduce acceptance in the long run.

Increase exposure. As understanding and acceptance of the change sinks in, consider how you might share information about what the change looks like, either in more detail, or with more regularity in the run up to key milestones.

Allow plenty of time. Ensure that you don't rush through the process of delivering the news. People need ample time to understand, process and adjust to the forthcoming reality. This also provides you more moments to explain 'the why' behind the decision.

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An education opportunity. Use the change as a unique opportunity to help evolve others' thinking of the problem you're both facing and solving.

Challenge conventional thinking. Open-ended questions in your comms can help people think twice about existing judgements.

E.g. "Does good palm oil exist?" will make readers think that it doesn't, but they'll then be curious to find out if indeed it could…

Be playful. Confidence in your messaging is important. If you're able to clearly explain the benefits of the change, you can start to elicit playful curiosity in your campaigns.

"Ever heard of sustainable palm oil? It's way better for the earth than other oils…"

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Information delivered in its pure form leaves a lot to the imagination. Don't take this risk. ​Paint a picture of the why behind the change in a way that feels emotionally-relatable.

A good story has the power to challenge the status quo. If you're doing things differently, how might you actively show that you're going against the flow for new or unexpected reasons? There is the opportunity to be a leader here.

Make sure that the way you tell the story aligns with how you're perceived publicly, leaning in to the goals or standards you hold as an organisation. By doing so, you're using familiarity to offset discomfort and reactance.

​Be concise.

Reduce your sentences. Shorten paragraph lengths or support them with clear headings for quick scanning.

Consider simplifying or providing more info if required.

The longer your messages are, the simpler your language should be. We get tired and intolerant fast.

Harness your other attributes

When making a big change, there is still a lot in the business that's staying constant.

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Lean on positive partnerships

Strengthen close ties with other organisations that allow you to celebrate your unique successes and values, despite the change.

Our identity in part is a product of the company we keep.

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Offset the bad by doing more good‍

If the change you're making will have negative consequences, consider other areas of the business where you can work hard to balance things out.

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Don't shy away from reality

‍If you're making a difficult change, it's important to prepare for the worst. People will see the worst in what you're doing and unfairly map it onto broader judgements of your company's values and unrelated aspects of your product quality.

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Pre-mortem the negative outcomes

What's the worst possible consequences of the change? How might brand judgements worsen?
What reputational damage could be hardest to repair?

Get it out in the open before it happens.

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Build a campaign against this

For each of these negative consequences, consider how you might build a campaign that provides clear, even optimistic and well-thought-out answers to such criticisms.