Stop Winging your Change Communications

Whether it's a tech rollout, a policy change, or a restructuring, the DANCE System gives you the framework, templates, and coordination tools to lead change with clarity, even when you don't have formal authority

You've been coordinating change for years.

You know what happens:

Leadership makes a decision. You craft the announcement. You brief the managers. You send the message.

Then everything goes sideways.

Someone influential pushes back...loudly.

Three managers are interpreting your message three different ways.

One team thinks this means layoffs. Another team thinks nothing's actually changing.

Your inbox fills with questions you literally answered in paragraph two.

By week three, momentum has stalled. You're managing speculation instead of progress. Your managers are asking "what do I tell my team?" and you're making it up as you go.

This isn't a you problem.

It's a system problem.

You're coordinating change without a framework. You're improvising messaging. You're reacting to breakdowns you could have prevented.

And every rollout feels like you're starting from scratch.

The Pattern You're Stuck In

Here's what happens when you don't have a system:

You announce the change.

You draft an email. Or a Slack message. Or talking points for an all-hands. You try to be clear. You try to anticipate questions.

You hit send.

Then the translation begins.

Your message reaches middle managers. They interpret it differently. Some add context you didn't include. Some strip out nuance you carefully built in. Some just forward your email with "FYI" and hope their team figures it out.

By the time your message reaches frontline teams, it's been filtered through three layers of telephone. The intent is garbled. The boundaries are gone. People are filling gaps with speculation.

Sound Familiar?

The DANCE System gives you the framework to break this pattern.

What You've Tried

  • Just communicate more clearly
    You rewrote the announcement. You made it shorter. You added bullet points. You bolded the key dates. You sent it three times.


    People still misunderstood it. Or they didn't read it. Or they read it and invented their own interpretation anyway.

  •  Get buy-in first

    You scheduled pre-announcement meetings. You asked for input. You incorporated feedback. You tried to build consensus before moving forward.

    But the decision got delayed or derailed by someone who didn't actually have decision-making authority...but had strong opinions. By the time you finally announced something, the momentum was gone.

  • Brief the managers better
    You held a managers' meeting. You walked through the talking points. You answered their questions. You asked them to cascade the message to their teams.


    Three managers cascaded it correctly. Two managers added their own interpretation. One manager didn't cascade it at all.

    By the time the message reached frontline teams, it had fragmented into five different versions.

  • Wait until we have all the details

    You held off on announcing until you had complete information. You didn't want to communicate something that might change later.

    Rumors filled the gap. By the time you announced, people had already formed narratives and your announcement contradicted those narratives, creating whiplash. Or worse: people assumed the delay meant the change wasn't actually happening, so they ignored your announcement entirely.

  • Just be more empathetic

    You softened your language. You acknowledged concerns. You validated feelings. You tried to make people feel heard.

    But people interpreted your empathy as uncertainty. Your careful language got read as hedging. Your acknowledgment of concerns made people think you agreed the change was a bad idea.

    Resistance didn't decrease. It intensified.

  • Wing it and hope for the best
    You sent the announcement. You dealt with problems as they came up. You adapted on the fly.


    And it worked...barely. The change eventually happened. But it took twice as long, created unnecessary conflict, and left you exhausted. Now you have another change initiative coming. And you're going to wing that one too.

What's Actually Missing

You don't need to communicate more. You don't need better buy-in. You don't need softer language.

You need a framework.

Instead of improvising every announcement, you know which phase you're in and what that phase requires.

Instead of reacting to resistance, you anticipate it and address it proactively.

Instead of going silent during ambiguous periods, you hold people through the uncertainty without overpromising.

Instead of losing control as your message cascades, you give managers the structure to adapt your message without fragmenting it.

You stop firefighting. You start coordinating.

That's what the DANCE System does.

worm's eye-view photography of ceiling
worm's eye-view photography of ceiling

Introducing DANCE

DANCE is a five-phase framework for coordinating change communication.

Each phase prevents a specific type of breakdown and builds on the last.

Together, they give you a system for moving people through change...even when you don't have the formal authority to mandate it.

Define: Scope-setting and boundary messaging

Before people can emotionally process a change, they need structural clarity. Define establishes what's changing, why now, and for whom...without inviting committee governance or waiting for perfect information.

This phase prevents: speculation, scope creep, and the "why didn't anyone ask us?" trap.

Apply: Impact assessment and friction planning

People don't resist change because they're difficult. They resist when they don't understand how it affects them specifically. Apply identifies friction before it surfaces and positions support proactively.

This phase prevents: resistance blindsiding you, defensive reactions, and having to backtrack publicly.

Nurture: Emotional and logistical anchoring

Most rollouts stall in weeks 3-4 when there's nothing new to report but people still need to hear from you. Nurture keeps people connected to the change during ambiguous periods without overpromising or creating false urgency.

This phase prevents: momentum loss, speculation during silence, and people reverting to old behaviors.

Clarify: Timeline communication and decision updates

Plans change. Timelines shift. Details evolve. Clarify manages known unknowns without losing credibility by distinguishing between what you know, what you don't know yet, and when you'll know it.

This phase prevents: whiplash from changing details, credibility erosion from hedging, and people assuming you have no plan.

Expand: Scaling messaging across groups

When new groups come online or new phases begin, you need to extend the message without starting over. Expand brings additional people into the change while maintaining consistency with what's already been communicated.

This phase prevents: fragmentation across departments, later groups creating their own interpretations, and having to re-announce the same change repeatedly.

a large display of blue lights in a dark room
a large display of blue lights in a dark room

Together, these five phases give you:

A clear sequence for coordinating any change initiative

Diagnostic language to identify which phase is missing when things break down

Reusable structure that works across different types of change

MEET THE Creator

Who Built This

I'm Whitney Stout.

I build frameworks for coordinating change without authority.

After starting my career as a lawyer, pivoting into tech and consulting, I'm now a Director of Strategic Operations. I've operationalized change across law firms, SaaS, and higher education...as well as optimized the workflows of projects spanning from AmLaw 20 and Magic Circle Law Firms to Fortune 500 companies.

DANCE isn't academic theory. It's what I use when results matter more than consensus.

I built this framework because I needed an industry agnostic system for repeatable success.

So I systematized what actually works.

DANCE is the result.

Why a Framework Changes Everything

Frameworks gives you language to diagnose problems without making it personal.

Right now, when a rollout goes sideways, your post-mortem sounds like this:

"Why didn't you tell them about the timeline?"
"Sarah didn't cascade the message correctly."
"That team is just resistant to change."
"The announcement didn't land."

Everything is vague, situational, and personal. Someone screwed up. Someone dropped the ball. Someone "just doesn't get it."

With DANCE, the same conversation sounds like this:

"We Defined without Applying, people didn't understand how this affects them."


"We're three weeks in with no Nurture touchpoint, that's why momentum stalled."


"This message needs Clarify language, we buried the timeline in paragraph four."


"We skipped friction planning in the Apply phase, we got blindsided by predictable resistance."

The difference?

Problems become structural, not personal. Breakdowns become diagnosable. Your team can identify what's missing without it feeling like an accusation.


The DANCE System framework depersonalizes failure...and that changes everything.

It creates psychological safety for naming what's broken early, before it becomes a disaster.

Your managers can say "I think we need more Apply phase messaging here" without sounding like they're criticizing leadership.

Your team can flag "we're in a Nurture gap" without it feeling like they're being difficult.

When everyone speaks the same language, you can troubleshoot fast. You're not debating tone or intent or whose fault it is.

You're identifying:

Which phase are we in?

Which phase are we missing?

What comes next?


This is why organizations pay consultants $25,000 to facilitate change.

Not because consultants have magic but because they bring a framework that gives everyone a shared vocabulary for discussing what's happening.

DANCE gives you that vocabulary.

Why Your Current Approach Keeps Failing

Without a framework, you default to one of these patterns.

  • The Over-Explainer You write 800-word announcements anticipating every question. Nobody reads them. More information doesn't create clarity...structure does.

    Missing: Define phase structure.

  • The Conflict-Avoider You soften language to reduce resistance. "We're exploring" instead of "we're implementing." Your caution reads as uncertainty. People think the decision isn't final. When you hold the line later, they feel blindsided.

    Missing: Apply phase friction planning.

  • The Silent Operator You announce, then go quiet while implementing. Silence creates anxiety. Speculation fills the gap. By the time you resurface, people have created narratives you now have to counter.

    Missing: Nurture phase messaging.

  • The Reactive Responder You spend weeks answering the same questions individually across Slack, email, and hallways. Your responses become inconsistent. Different people get different information.

    Missing: Apply phase proactive messaging.

  • The Optimistic Announcer You promise smooth implementation with aggressive timelines. Reality doesn't match. Every update erodes credibility.

    Missing: Clarify phase contingency language.

  • The One-and-Done Communicator You announce to the initial group and move on. Later groups piece together what's happening from forwarded emails and hallway conversations.

    Missing: Expand phase reinforcement.

Recognize any of these?

These are predictable behavior patterns that emerge when you're coordinating without a system.

The DANCE System fixes all of them.

Everything is self-paced. You get lifetime access. You can implement DANCE for your next rollout this week...or learn the system first and deploy it when you're ready.

What You Receive

Course 1

 The DANCE System Fundamentals

Module 1: Foundation & Context

  • Why organizations fail at change communication (and what actually works)

  • Role mapping tools to identify your position and influence paths

  • Team archetype diagnostic to assess your organization's readiness

  • Use case grid to match DANCE phases to your specific situation

Module 2: The Define Phase

  • Scope-setting without inviting committee governance

  • Boundary messaging that prevents speculation

  • Announcement frameworks for different change types

  • Common Define failures and how to avoid them

Module 3: The Apply Phase

  • Friction mapping before resistance surfaces

  • Impact assessment by stakeholder group

  • Positioning support proactively instead of reactively

  • Resistance patterns and how to plan for them

Module 4: The Nurture Phase

  • Holding pattern messaging during ambiguous periods

  • Emotional and logistical anchoring techniques

  • Communication cadence planning (when to send what)

  • Preventing momentum stalls in weeks 3-4

Module 5: The Clarify Phase

  • Timeline communication when details are still evolving

  • Managing known unknowns without losing credibility

  • Decision update frameworks

  • When to communicate (and when to wait)

Module 6: The Expand Phase

  • Scaling messaging as new groups come online

  • Preventing fragmentation across departments

  • Phased rollout coordination

  • Onboarding later groups without starting over

What you'll have:

Complete understanding of all 5 phases

Pattern recognition for diagnosing breakdowns

Framework for sequencing your communication

Case studies examples of DANCE in action

Course 2

From Framework to Function

Part 1: Planning with DANCE

  • Rollout planning templates for mapping all 5 phases

  • Pre-announcement diagnostic tools

  • Stakeholder coordination grids

  • Timeline planning frameworks

Part 2: Messaging Across Channels

  • Phase-specific message templates (Define, Apply, Nurture, Clarify, Expand)

  • Stakeholder-specific language guides (executives, managers, frontline teams)

  • Announcement structures by change type (system, policy, org structure, process)

  • Email, Slack, and meeting message frameworks

Part 3: Embedding and Monitoring

  • Manager briefing templates (how to prep managers who don't report to you)

  • Cross-functional alignment tools

  • Escalation frameworks when stakeholders go rogue

  • Meeting agendas for coordination sessions

Part 4: Coordinating by Role

  • Diagnostic grids to identify which phase is missing

  • Recovery strategies when momentum stalls

  • Resistance response frameworks

  • Post-mortem tools for extracting lessons

Part 5: Troubleshooting When it Falls Apart

  • DANCE by organizational archetype (startup, enterprise, nonprofit, etc.)

  • Role-specific applications (Project Managers, HR Business Partners, Operations Coordinators, Strategic Comms professionals)

  • Industry considerations (tech, healthcare, education, professional services)

  • Team size and complexity adjustments

What you'll have:

Planning templates you use immediately

Message frameworks for every stakeholder

Coordination tools for complex rollouts

Troubleshooting playbooks when things go wrong.

Course 3

Using AI to Support DANCE

AI prompts and automation tools to accelerate implementation and AI-Assisted Message Development

  • Prompt templates for each DANCE phase

  • Message drafting workflows

  • Tone and clarity testing prompts

  • Stakeholder-specific adaptation prompts

Friction Analysis with AI

  • Resistance prediction prompts

  • Impact assessment frameworks

  • Objection anticipation tools

  • Support positioning strategies

Planning Acceleration

  • Rollout timeline generation

  • Stakeholder mapping assistance

  • Communication calendar planning

  • Scenario planning and stress-testing

Safety & Anonymization

  • Workplace-safe AI usage protocols

  • Data anonymization techniques

  • Privacy-conscious prompting strategies

  • Risk mitigation frameworks

What you'll have:

Complete AI prompt library for DANCE

Workflow templates for AI-assisted planning

Safety protocols for workplace use

Time-saving automation strategies

Who This is For

project manager coordinating cross-functional initiatives

 HR business partner rolling out policy changes

operations coordinator implementing new systems

strategic communications professional managing organizational announcements

 team lead navigating restructures you didn't design

department head translating executive decisions into team-level action

This is What you have in common:

You're responsible for moving people through change but you don't control the decision, the timeline, or the people affected.

You have to coordinate without commanding. Influence without authority. Get alignment without having formal power over the people you're aligning.

Most change management advice doesn't help because it assumes you're the executive sponsor with budget and authority.

You're not. You're the person in the middle, translating decisions into action and hoping your message doesn't fragment as it cascades

DANCE is built for you.

What You'll Be Able to Do

  • Instead of staring at a blank page wondering how to announce this change, you'll know exactly which phase you're in and what that phase requires.

    You'll have message templates. Planning tools. Coordination frameworks.

  •  You'll anticipate resistance. You'll know how to friction-map before you hit send and know who's likely to push back and why.

    You'll position support proactively instead of reactively.

  • You'll know what to say when there's nothing new to say. You'll send messages that keep people anchored without overpromising or creating false urgency.

    Your rollouts won't stall anymore because you'll hold people through the uncertainty.

  • You'll communicate timeline changes without losing credibility.

    When plans shift (and they will), you'll use Clarify language to update people without creating whiplash or suspicions of a bait-and-switch.

    People won't assume you're unsure or disorganized when details evolved.

  • You'll diagnose breakdowns fast. When a rollout goes sideways, you won't be guessing. You'll identify which phase is missing and what to do about it.

    "We skipped friction planning in Apply" is actionable. "The message didn't land" is not.

    You'll troubleshoot with diagnostic language instead of hoping.

  • You'll scale change without fragmenting the messaging.

    When new groups start you'll use Expand phase language to bring them into the existing framework.

    New groups won't re-interpret because you onboarded them into the phase of DANCE already in motion.

  • You'll save 40+ hours per rollout. You won't spend weeks in reactive cleanup mode. You won't answer the same questions 47 times in Slack or Teams. You won't be firefighting preventable breakdowns.

    You'll plan once, coordinate cleanly, and move on to the next thing.

  • You'll have language to diagnose problems without making it personal. You're not saying "Sarah didn't cascade the message right." You're saying "we skipped the Apply phase." You're not accusing your team of being resistant, you're identifying that Nurture was missing.

    DANCE gives you a detached lexicon for troubleshooting. Problems become structural, not personal. Conversations become diagnostic, not defensive.

  • You'll sleep better. You're not lying awake at 2 AM wondering if you should have said something differently.

    You have a system. It works. You trust it.

The Investment

The DANCE System: $497

You get:

3 complete courses

Course 1: DANCE System Fundamentals (master the framework)

Course 2: From Framework to Function (operational tools and templates)

Course 3: Using AI to Support DANCE (AI prompts and optimization tools)

Lifetime access (all future updates included)

Self-paced (implement immediately or learn first)

One-time payment. No ongoing subscription.

Compare this to:

Change management consultant: $15,000-$25,000 per engagement

Corporate training program: $5,000-$10,000 per cohort

Communication coaching: $3,000-$5,000 for a few sessions

My hourly rate: $300-$500 per hour

You're getting a complete system for $497 and you'll use it for every change initiative you coordinate for the rest of your career.

5-day money-back guarantee. Enroll, go through the content, look through the tools. If within 5 days you determine it's not what you need, you get a full refund. No questions asked.

Not ready to enroll?

Join the Think Shift Lead™ mailing list to get a 5 day mini course delivered direct to your inbox for free.

What the DANCE System Isn't

Before you enroll, here's what this course will NOT give you:

❌ This is not a magic script that works for every situation

There's no such thing. Context matters. Your organization is different from someone else's.

DANCE gives you a framework to adapt, not a script to copy-paste.

❌ This is not about "getting buy-in" or "building consensus"

If the decision is already made, you don't need buy-in. You need clarity.

DANCE teaches you how to communicate decisions cleanly, not how to turn every announcement into a committee discussion.

❌ This is not about being liked

You're coordinating change. Some people won't like it. That's fine.

DANCE teaches you how to hold the line with clarity, not how to make everyone happy.

❌ This is not hand-holding

You get the framework. You get the tools. You implement.

There are no office hours. No coaching calls. No Facebook group or Slack community where you can post questions and wait for validation.

This is for self-directed professionals who want a system, not people who need ongoing support to take action.

❌ This is not a substitute for decision-making authority

DANCE helps you coordinate change. It doesn't give you the power to make decisions you don't have authority to make.

If your organization's dysfunction runs deeper than communication, a framework won't fix that.

FAQs

Common Questions and FYIs

How are the DANCE System courses structured?

The DANCE System includes 3 complete courses:

Course 1: DANCE System Fundamentals teaches you the 5-phase framework. You'll understand what each phase does, when to use it, and how to diagnose which phase is missing when rollouts break down.

Course 2: From Framework to Function gives you the operational tools: planning templates, message frameworks, coordination strategies, troubleshooting guides, and role-specific applications.

Course 3: Using AI to Support DANCE provides AI prompts, templates, and safety protocols for accelerating DANCE implementation.

Total: 83 lessons. Self-paced. You can work through all 3 courses in one weekend, or spread it across several weeks, whatever fits your schedule.

How long does it take to complete all the courses?

If you're moving fast: You can complete all 3 courses in one focused weekend (8-10 hours total). You'll understand the framework and have access to all the tools.

If you're moving at a normal pace: 2-3 weeks working through 3-5 lessons per day (20-30 minutes daily).

Most people do this: They complete Course 1 (Fundamentals) first to understand the framework, then jump into Course 2 (From Framework to Function) when they have an actual rollout to plan. Course 3 (AI tools) is there when they want to accelerate their workflow.

The course is self-paced. Lifetime access means you can revisit sections whenever you need them.

Is The DANCE System only for people in specific roles?

No. DANCE works for anyone coordinating change without formal authority.

That includes:

Project managers

HR business partners

Operations coordinators

Strategic communications professionals

Team leads

Department heads

Change managers

Anyone responsible for moving people through organizational change

If you're in the middle—translating decisions into action, coordinating stakeholders who don't report to you, managing rollouts you didn't design—this is for you.

Can I share this with my team?

No. This is a single-user license.

If your team wants access, each person needs to enroll separately.

If you're looking for workshop/facilitator licensing, group pricing, or consultant white-label rights, that's a different offering. Contact me directly.

What's the refund policy?

5-day no-questions-asked refund.

Enroll. Preview through the content. Take a look at the tools. If it's not what you need, email me within 5 days and you get a full refund.

Can I implement DANCE while I'm still learning it?

Yes. That's the point.

You don't need to complete all 83 lessons across the 3 courses before you use the framework.

Learn Course 1 (Fundamentals) to understand the phases. Then use Course 2 (From Framework to Function) templates for your current rollout.

You'll learn faster by applying it than by consuming all the content first.

What if I work in [industry/organization type]?

The DANCE Systemis industry-agnostic.

The framework works whether you're in:

Tech

Healthcare

Education

Nonprofit

Professional services

Government

Consulting

Change communication patterns are consistent across industries. The friction points are the same. The breakdowns are predictable.

Courses 1 and 2 includes organizational adaptation guidance so you can adjust DANCE for your specific context.

What if my organization already has a change management process?

Good. DANCE complements it.

Most change management processes focus on:

Stakeholder analysis

Impact assessment

Training plans

Executive sponsorship

DANCE focuses on:

Message sequencing

Coordination without authority

Preventing communication breakdowns

Troubleshooting when things go wrong

You're not replacing your change process. You're adding communication structure to it.

Do I need to use AI to benefit from The DANCE System?

No.

Course 3 (AI tools) is a bonus. Courses 1 and 2 give you the complete DANCE framework and all the operational tools.

If you use AI, Course 3 will accelerate your workflow. If you don't, you still get the full system.

What format are the lessons?

Video lessons with slide presentations

Downloadable templates and frameworks (PDF, editable formats)

Planning tools and diagnostic grids

Message templates you can customize

Everything is designed for immediate implementation, not just consumption.

Will there be updates?

Yes. Lifetime access includes all future updates.

When I add new content, templates, or learning formats, you get them automatically.

Is there a community or support?

No.

This is self-directed learning. You get the course content and tools. You implement on your own.

There's no Slack community, no Facebook group, no office hours, no coaching calls.

If you need ongoing hand-holding, this isn't structured for that.

What if I have questions as I move through the course?

Most questions are answered in the course content itself.

If you have a technical issue (can't access a lesson, download not working), email support.

For implementation questions ("how do I apply this to my specific situation"), the course teaches you how to diagnose and adapt, that's the skill you're building.

worm's eye-view photography of ceiling
worm's eye-view photography of ceiling

Stop Improvising. Get the System.

The DANCE System gives you:

3 complete courses

The 5-phase framework for coordinating change

Planning templates and message frameworks

Troubleshooting tools and coordination strategies

AI prompts for accelerated implementation

Lifetime access

You'll use this system for every change initiative you coordinate for the rest of your career.

Copyright 2025. Whitney Stout, Think Shift Lead. All Rights Reserved.