A Year of Topics for Your Change Community of Practice Meetings

Creating a thriving Community of Practice (COP) for change management can transform your organization’s capability to navigate change. But one of the biggest challenges COP leaders face is keeping the content fresh, engaging, and relevant. This guide offers a full year’s worth of topics (52 in total) designed to spark meaningful discussions, provide actionable insights, and foster continuous learning among your change practitioners.

Why Consistent COP Meetings Matter

A Community of Practice is a place for change practitioners to connect, share insights, and sharpen their skills. When done right, it provides a safe space for peer learning, problem-solving, and professional growth. But to keep your COP dynamic and valuable, you need a steady stream of high-quality discussion topics.

How to Use This Guide

• Frequency: These topics are designed for weekly meetings, but you can also use them bi-weekly or monthly.
• Format: Each topic includes a brief description to help you set the stage and facilitate a discussion.
• Flexibility: Adapt these topics based on your audience’s experience level and your organization’s needs.

A Year of Change Management Topics

1. Introduction to Change Management: An overview of the discipline, key concepts, and why it matters.
2. ADKAR Model Deep Dive: Explore the ADKAR model (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement) with real-world examples.
3. Change Resistance: Causes and Cures: Discuss why people resist change and how to overcome it.
4. Stakeholder Mapping: Techniques for identifying, analyzing, and engaging stakeholders.
5. Crafting a Change Vision: Best practices for creating a compelling change vision.
6. Communicating Change Effectively: Channels, messaging, and best practices for clear change communications.
7. Leading Through Change: How leaders can effectively sponsor and drive change.
8. Change Management Metrics: What to measure, how to measure it, and why it matters.
9. Change Readiness Assessments: Tools and techniques for assessing organizational readiness.
10. The Role of Change Champions: Identifying, training, and supporting champions.
11. Change Saturation and Fatigue: Recognizing and managing change overload.
12. Digital Change Management: Adapting change management for digital transformations.
13. Managing Change in Hybrid Work Environments: Tactics for engaging remote and hybrid teams.
14. Organizational Culture and Change: How to align culture with transformation goals.
15. Lessons from Failed Change Initiatives: Real-world stories of what went wrong.
16. Behavioral Change Techniques: Psychological principles for driving adoption.
17. Feedback Loops in Change: How to collect, analyze, and act on feedback.
18. Creating Effective Change Plans: Step-by-step guide for building a CM plan.
19. Overcoming Change Cynicism: Techniques for winning over skeptics.
20. Using Storytelling in Change Management: Crafting narratives that inspire action.
21. Neuroscience of Change: How the brain responds to change.
22. Change Management Tools: Asana, Planner, Excel, Project: A walk-through of popular tools. See our article for inspiration.
23. Building a Change Playbook: Creating a reusable, scalable guide for change initiatives.
24. Coaching Leaders Through Change: Effective coaching techniques for executives.
25. Prosci Change Management Maturity Model: Understanding and applying the model.
26. Leveraging AI in Change Management: How artificial intelligence can enhance your practice.
27. Understanding Change Fatigue: How to recognize and reduce burnout.
28. Best Practices for Change Reinforcement: Techniques to ensure lasting adoption.
29. Measuring Change Success: Metrics and evaluation techniques.
30. Psychological Safety in Change: Creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up.
31. Dealing with Difficult Stakeholders: Strategies for managing resistance.
32. Visualizing Change: Creating Impactful Graphics: Tools and techniques.
33. Strategic Change Communications: Building a communications plan for change.
34. Change Management Certifications: Pros and cons of industry certifications.
35. Creating Change Management Templates: Building your own library of resources.
36. Managing Multi-Project Change Impacts: How to handle overlapping changes.
37. Employee Engagement During Change: Boosting motivation and buy-in.
38. Running Change Management Workshops: Planning and facilitating sessions.
39. Change Management Case Studies: Reviewing real-world successes and failures.
40. Design Thinking for Change Management: Applying design principles to change.
41. Managing Change During Crises: Tactics for unexpected disruptions.
42. Change Management in Mergers and Acquisitions: Specific challenges and solutions.
43. Adaptive Change Management: Balancing structure and flexibility.
44. Ethics in Change Management: Ensuring transparency and integrity.
45. Leveraging Data for Change Management: Using analytics to drive decisions.
46. Change Management Games and Activities: Fun ways to build skills.
47. Introduction to Organizational Development: How it aligns with change management.
48. Communicating Change to External Stakeholders: Customers, partners, and vendors.
49. Celebrating Change Successes: Recognizing and rewarding achievements.
50. Future of Change Management: Emerging trends and technologies.
51. Advanced Stakeholder Management Techniques: Influence mapping, personas, and power dynamics.
52. Open Forum: Practitioners Share Their Best Change Tips.

Final Thought

Your Change Community of Practice should be a place of growth, connection, and inspiration. Use this guide to keep your sessions fresh, valuable, and engaging.

ChangeGuild: Power to the Practitioner™

Now What? How to Put This List to Work 

If you are staring at this list and thinking, “This is great, but where do I start?” here’s a simple way to turn it into action. 

Start small. 
Pick four topics and commit to a 90-day pilot. Momentum matters more than perfection. 

Let the group co-own the agenda. 
Ask participants to vote on upcoming topics or volunteer to co-facilitate. Engagement increases when people feel ownership. 

Rotate between theory and practice. 
Balance conceptual sessions (models, frameworks) with applied discussions (case studies, lessons learned, tools). 

Capture and reuse insights. 
Summarize key takeaways after each session and build a lightweight knowledge base or shared doc over time. 

Revisit and refresh quarterly. 
Your community’s needs will change. Use this list as a living resource, not a fixed curriculum. 

A Community of Practice works best when it evolves with its members — not when it tries to be perfect from day one. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to run these topics in order? 
No. The list is intentionally modular. Start with what your group needs most right now. 

How long should each session be? 
Most COPs work best in 60–90 minute sessions, especially if discussion is prioritized over presentation. 

Can this work for a small team or solo practitioner group? 
Absolutely. Many of these topics work even better in smaller, more intimate settings. 

Should these be presentations or discussions? 
Discussion-first works best. Use short prompts, case examples, or questions to guide conversation rather than long slide decks. 

What if attendance drops off? 
That’s a signal, not a failure. Revisit relevance, format, and timing. Often a shift toward real-world problem solving brings people back. 

Can this be adapted for virtual or hybrid teams? 
Yes. Many of these topics work well in virtual settings when paired with breakout rooms or collaborative tools. 

Is this aligned with Prosci or other frameworks? 
Yes, but it is intentionally tool-agnostic. You can layer in Prosci, ADKAR, or other models as needed.