If you’ve ever worked with Michelle Dunst, you’ll immediately recognize her calm, balanced approach as one of her standout strengths. Armed with deep knowledge in employee communications and change management, Michelle is the person you want on your side, especially when it comes to navigating and communicating change in today’s ever-evolving workplace.
As Michelle celebrates her fourth anniversary at Nua Group, we took the opportunity to ask her about the main professional and personal highlights that shaped how she works with the clients and the team at Nua.
Joining projects early for deep insights
At Nua, I join projects at a much earlier stage than other consulting firms which makes a huge difference when it comes to employee communications. I can get in early to ask questions and understand the impact the change will have on employees so I can develop a better communication strategy from the get-go.
Being part of a variety of projects allows me to get a bird's eye view of the employee experience - and know what other things may be pulling at employee's attention. This allows me to communicate more effectively and efficiently when attention spans are pulled in multiple directions.
I thoroughly enjoy being part of change management work at Nua. For many [clients], change can be scary, but it’s where I thrive. For me, it’s a chance to apply my creativity and problem-solving skills, transforming challenges into solutions. For clients, change offers the opportunity to innovate and evolve, fostering growth and new possibilities within their teams.
Starting projects with the end in mind
When friends ask me what I do, my response is usually along the lines of I work with a lot of smart people, my job is to take what these really smart people have put together and communicate it to employees, managers, or executives in a way that makes sense for the individual.
I always start with the end in mind: what should employees walk away knowing? Then I build a strategy from there. I think we all know how frustrating it is when you can't find the answer to a question, so in my work, I try to anticipate employee questions and issues and bring them up during the design phase. My coworkers can redesign job levels, develop new compensation structures, and roll out new benefits and products, and my job is to make sure that employees and managers are getting clear, consistent, and correct information - making a well-designed program a success.
Asking lots of questions is my baseline approach
Early in my career, I had to get comfortable with two things, asking questions - a lot of questions - and getting a thick skin. Writing can be so subjective and every company has a different communication style. Combine that with industry jargon and company acronyms, it can be hard to find the balance to easily explain a new process, program or company initiative.
On especially difficult projects, I meet with my coworkers for a brainstorming session where I can ask all my nuanced questions and they can help me understand the technical impact of the program.
From that session, I can build a plan on what to communicate, when, how, and to whom. It can definitely be a challenge, one where you’re pulled in a lot of different directions, but it can also be a fun, rewarding project when you finally see all the designed pieces come together.
Thank you, Michelle! Here’s one more bonus question for you: What is one thing that people do not know about you?
I’m an avid reader and always carry a book with me. One of the perks of commuting by public transportation is that it gives me time to read. I find that starting my day by getting lost in a book helps me ease into the workday more smoothly than diving straight into client issues! Right now I'm reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, the author of All the light we cannot see... which I loved! So I'm excited to dive into his newest novel.
If you’re looking to work with Michelle and the rest of our talented team, reach out to us at Nua Group — we’d love to connect!
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