Communication is the First Line of Defense During Change

“Change introduces uncertainty. Let’s make communication our first line of defense for safety.”

This statement has become one of my guiding principles as I lead transformation efforts and develop my Safety and Value Moment series.

Change always brings uncertainty. It’s inevitable. New tools, shifting workflows, evolving expectations—all of these naturally create confusion, questions, and sometimes fear. The problem isn’t the uncertainty itself. It’s what happens when we fail to address it quickly and clearly.

When communication breaks down during change, safety is often the first thing to slip. People make assumptions. They miss critical updates. They rely on outdated information. And in the absence of clarity, teams fill the gaps with guesses—sometimes dangerous ones.

Uncertainty Is a Given. Silence Is a Choice.

As leaders, we can’t eliminate uncertainty, but we can prevent silence.

When organizations move through change, there’s a natural instinct to “wait until we have all the answers” before communicating. I’ve experienced this myself. We want to get the full picture first. We want to minimize confusion. But by waiting too long, we unintentionally create more confusion.

Silence during change sends a message: either leadership doesn’t know what’s going on, or leadership doesn’t trust the team with incomplete information.

Both interpretations erode trust. Both interpretations are unsafe.

It’s far better to say:

“Here’s what we know. Here’s what we don’t know yet. Here’s how we’ll figure it out.”

This is what transparent communication looks like during uncertainty. It’s honest. It’s proactive. And it keeps people engaged.

How Communication Protects Safety During Change

When processes shift or expectations evolve, teams need communication to adjust their mental models. The quicker they receive updates, the safer they can work.

Here’s why communication is the first line of defense:

• It closes information gaps that lead to mistakes.
• It gives people permission to ask questions before acting.
• It aligns the team on expectations, reducing inconsistent practices.
• It encourages reporting of new hazards or misalignments.

Without active communication, small errors compound. Teams either freeze or proceed based on outdated habits.

What I’ve Learned from Experience

During one of our change rollouts, we introduced a new inspection process that required a subtle but important sequence adjustment. The team leaders communicated this clearly during shift handover—but the message never reached the night shift.

The result? The night shift continued with the old sequence, and it was only caught during a routine check the following week. No one was hurt, but it was a clear miss.

The root cause wasn’t poor training or process design—it was a communication breakdown.

It’s a simple example, but one I’ll never forget. It emphasized the importance of communication touchpoints, especially across teams and shifts.

Practical Ways to Make Communication a Safety Tool

Here are four leadership practices I’ve found useful in embedding communication into our safety response during change:

1. Communicate Early, Even If Incomplete

Don’t wait until you know everything. Share updates as they evolve. People prefer timely, partial information over silence.

2. Reinforce Messages Across Multiple Channels

Don’t rely on a single email or meeting. Use shift huddles, digital boards, group chats, and physical postings. Repetition builds retention.

3. Check for Understanding

Don’t assume the message landed. Ask people to explain changes back in their own words. This helps catch misinterpretations early.

4. Create Safe Spaces to Ask Questions

When change happens, people need to feel comfortable raising concerns without fear of judgment. Encourage them to ask, “Can we clarify this before I proceed?”

Communication Is Everyone’s Responsibility

While leaders must set the tone, communication for safety isn’t just top-down. It must flow in all directions:

• Team members should feel empowered to surface concerns.
• Supervisors should actively listen and cascade updates quickly.
• Managers should facilitate transparent cross-team sharing.

When everyone understands that communication is a safety practice—not just a management task—organizations build stronger, more adaptive teams.

A Challenge for Leaders This Week

This week, I invite you to take a step toward making communication your first line of defense.

• Ask yourself: Is there a recent change or decision you’ve communicated once but haven’t reinforced?
• Find at least one additional way to share that message—whether through a team huddle, a visual update, or a one-on-one check-in.
• In your next team meeting, explicitly ask: “What’s unclear right now? What updates would help you feel more confident?”

Because when change happens, it’s not the gaps in process that get us—it’s the gaps in communication.

Let’s close them. Let’s lead clearly. Let’s make communication our safety foundation.