1. Introduction: why this action matters for adoption
Banners, posters, and billboards help people notice, remember, and act on a change at the point where the change becomes relevant. In change management terms, they are a change communication and engagement intervention: they support awareness, reinforce key messages, and can prompt a desired behavior, but they do not replace sponsorship, manager conversations, training, coaching, or resistance management. Prosci describes communications as a core change plan that targets Awareness and Reinforcement, while also warning that communication is only one part of change management [Prosci, 2021/2026]. (prosci.com)
This action is most valuable when impacted employees are busy, distributed, deskless, or exposed to many competing messages. A visible asset can reduce “I didn’t know,” make the change feel real, and create a shared language for managers and sponsors to reinforce in conversations. It works best when the message is concise, repeated, well-timed, and connected to credible senders and two-way communication [Prosci, 2022; Gallup, 2020]. (prosci.com)
2. What this action is and when to use it
Publishing banners, posters, and billboards means creating large-format or high-visibility messages that communicate change information where the audience naturally sees it. This may include breakroom posters, plant-floor banners, digital signage, lobby displays, intranet hero panels, elevator screens, site billboards, or customer-facing signage when the change affects external stakeholders.
Use this action when the message can be understood quickly: the reason for change, a key date, a required action, a new behavior, a support route, or a reinforcement message. It is especially useful before launch to build awareness, during readiness to direct people to training or preparation steps, at go-live to prompt the new behavior, and after go-live to reinforce adoption. Gallup notes that early change communication should address what is changing and how it affects employees, while later communication should shift toward implementation steps and employee roles [Gallup, 2020]. (gallup.com)
Do not use posters as the primary channel for sensitive, complex, or high-resistance messages. If the change affects jobs, pay, reporting lines, workload, safety, or identity, visible assets should follow leader and manager communication, not precede it. Prosci’s preferred-sender guidance is relevant here: senior leaders are better suited to business-reason messages, while people managers are better suited to explaining personal impacts [Prosci, 2022]. (prosci.com)
3. Preparation: inputs, stakeholders, materials, timing, and decisions needed
Start with the adoption outcome. Decide whether the asset is meant to create awareness, encourage readiness, direct an action, reduce confusion, or reinforce a behavior. This prevents the common mistake of producing a polished poster with no clear adoption purpose.
The change manager should gather the change narrative, impacted audience list, key dates, known resistance themes, manager FAQs, training links, support channels, brand requirements, language needs, and site constraints. The message should answer the questions employees naturally ask: why this is happening, why now, what it means for me, what I need to do, and where I can get help [Prosci, 2022; Gallup, 2021]. (prosci.com)
Design decisions matter. The CDC Clear Communication Index recommends one obvious main message, placing important information at the top or front, using visual cues, avoiding overload, and including a call to action [CDC, 2019]. (cdc.gov) Accessibility decisions also matter: use plain language, accessible fonts, adequate contrast, readable spacing, and accessible alternatives for digital formats [GCS, 2025]. (communications.gov.uk)
4. Step-by-step facilitation guide
Define the adoption job. Write one sentence: “This asset should help [audience] understand/feel/do [specific outcome] by [date].”
Segment the audience. Separate groups by impact, location, language, role, resistance level, and access to digital channels. A poster for a manager group may emphasize coaching responsibilities; a poster for frontline employees may emphasize the exact new step in the workflow.
Draft the message. Use a simple structure: headline, why it matters, what is changing, action required, date, and support route. Keep the headline focused on one message, not a slogan.
Choose the placement. Put the asset near the moment of need: training rooms, time clocks, team boards, entrances, shared devices, elevators, or process areas. Evidence from point-of-decision prompts shows that signs placed near a decision point can influence behavior, though that evidence comes from physical activity research rather than organizational change [The Community Guide, 2005]. (thecommunityguide.org)
Align senders before publishing. Give sponsors and managers the same message, talking points, and answers to likely questions. Posters should make manager conversations easier, not surprise managers.
Pilot test. Ask five to ten employees from the impacted group what they think the poster means and what they would do next. If they cannot answer in a few seconds, revise.
Publish with timing discipline. Launch after the appropriate leader or manager message. Refresh or rotate assets when the project phase changes.
Monitor and remove. Outdated posters create distrust. Assign an owner and removal date before publishing.
5. Example: how this could be applied in a real change initiative
A manufacturing company is replacing paper maintenance requests with a mobile work-order app. Three weeks before go-live, the change team publishes breakroom posters with the headline: “Maintenance requests move to the mobile app on July 8.” The poster explains the reason: faster routing and fewer lost requests. It gives one action: “Attend a 15-minute demo during your shift huddle this week.” A QR code links to a short video, but the poster also lists the supervisor as the support contact for employees without phone access.
At go-live, the posters change. The new headline is: “Need maintenance? Open the app first.” Posters are placed near equipment boards and shared tablets. Managers receive huddle notes, and champions walk the floor during the first week. After two weeks, the change team removes readiness posters and replaces them with a reinforcement message showing early adoption progress and where to get help.
6. Roles and responsibilities
The change manager owns the adoption purpose, audience segmentation, message brief, timing, and measurement. The sponsor approves the business reason and visibly reinforces why the change matters. The people manager explains local impact, answers questions, and connects the poster message to daily work; Gallup emphasizes the manager’s role in answering questions, managing emotions, and using feedback loops during change [Gallup, 2020]. (gallup.com)
The communications or design team turns the message into clear, accessible assets. Project leads confirm dates, process details, and links. Site leaders, facilities, or digital signage owners control placement and removal. Change champions or adoption leads test whether the message is understood and report confusion, resistance, or rumors.
7. Common mistakes to avoid
The first mistake is using a poster to announce a change that should have been communicated by a leader or manager. This can make the change feel impersonal or evasive. The second is overloading the asset with timelines, process diagrams, acronyms, and multiple calls to action, despite clear communication guidance to focus on one main message [CDC, 2019]. (cdc.gov)
Another mistake is publishing generic slogans such as “The future starts now” without telling people what is changing or what to do. Also avoid inaccessible design, English-only materials for multilingual groups, low-contrast digital signage, and placements where people cannot safely stop to read. Finally, do not leave old assets in place after dates or instructions change.
8. Measures of success or adoption indicators
Measure whether the asset is helping adoption, not whether it was printed. Useful indicators include message recall, pulse-survey responses, QR scans, training registrations, manager question themes, support-ticket volume, attendance at demos, reduction in repeated misconceptions, and observed use of the new process. Prosci recommends evaluating whether audiences are hearing and correctly interpreting change messages [Prosci, 2022]. (prosci.com)
For behavior-focused changes, compare baseline and post-publication indicators such as system logins, form submissions, compliance with a new workflow, or errors in the old process. For high-resistance groups, track whether questions shift from “why are we doing this?” to “how do I do it?”—a practical sign that awareness is moving toward readiness.
9. Checklist for the change manager
The asset has one clear adoption purpose.
The message answers why, what, when, what to do, and where to get help.
Sponsors and managers have been briefed before publication.
The design uses plain language, readable fonts, strong contrast, and accessible alternatives.
Placement matches the audience’s work context and moment of need.
The asset is translated or localized where needed.
A publish date, refresh date, and removal date are assigned.
Measurement is defined before launch.
Feedback from employees or managers is reviewed after publication.
10. Optional reusable message outline
Audience: Project phase: Awareness / readiness / go-live / reinforcement Adoption objective: Headline: What is the one thing people must notice? Why it matters: One sentence. What is changing: One sentence. Action required: What should the audience do next? Date or deadline: Support route: Manager, champion, help desk, QR code, short URL, or huddle. Sender or sponsor: Publish / refresh / remove dates: Success measure: Recall, scan, signup, attendance, behavior, or adoption metric.
Example copy: “Starting July 8, submit maintenance requests in the mobile app. This helps route urgent work faster and reduces lost paper forms. Attend a 15-minute shift demo this week. Questions? Ask your supervisor or visit the maintenance support table.”
11. References
Prosci. “Communications Checklist for Change Management.” Published October 27, 2022; updated August 5, 2025. https://www.prosci.com/blog/communications-checklist-for-change-management
Prosci. “Implementing Change Management Plan for Change Success.” Published March 29, 2021; updated January 23, 2026. https://www.prosci.com/blog/change-management-plans
Gallup. “Proven Change Management Principles: How to Effectively Initiate It.” July 15, 2020. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/315602/proven-change-management-principles-effectively-initiate.aspx
Gallup. “Successful Organizational Change Needs a Strong Narrative.” April 30, 2021. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349295/successful-organizational-change-needs-strong-narrative.aspx
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The CDC Clear Communication Index.” Last reviewed August 7, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/ccindex.html
UK Government Communication Service. “Accessibility standards.” Published September 3, 2025; updated October 29, 2025. https://www.communications.gov.uk/guidance/accessible-communications/accessibility-standards/
The Community Guide / Community Preventive Services Task Force. “Physical Activity: Point-of-Decision Prompts to Encourage Use of Stairs.” June 2005. https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/physical-activity-point-decision-prompts-encourage-use-stairs.html