Write an Internal Communications Plan

Leaders are recognizing the importance of having strong internal communications in their organizations. This communication between leaders and their teams, or between team members, keeps employees informed of important changes in the organization. It also provides them an outlet to share their own thoughts. Learning how to write an internal communications plan will help leaders be more intentional about communication. This will lead to increased levels of trust, morale, goodwill, and productivity in the workplace.

Steps

Deciding To Write a Communications Plan

1. Understand why you need an internal communications plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide information quickly, clearly, accurately, and evenly to employees across the company. This will allow employees to engage with the operations of the company and with other employees more easily, increasing productivity and reducing lag time between communications. It can also reduce the frustration of uneven or slow communication. In this way, the plan will increase overall performance and employee retention.
2. Assess your starting point. Before creating a new communications plan, you'll need to diagnose the problems with your current communications. Make sure to examine the whole organization, from top to bottom and in all departments. Look for blockages, information delays, uneven information, and issues with accuracy or clarity. Ask the following questions for each communication line:
   • Is the information accurate?
   • Is the information needed?
   • How are regular updates sent?
   • Is this information consistent across the organization?
   • Are employees on board with current communications protocols?
3. Understand your audience. Internal communications is geared toward everyone who works within an organization. Before you communicate with your staff, there is some basic information you need to discover about them.
   • Ask them how they feel about the current level of internal communication. Discern whether they feel informed about changes, if they feel comfortable sharing their opinions, and how they would like to see communication improve.
   • Ask the hard questions. See if they would be willing to share specific examples of when they felt out of the loop or ignored. Try not to be defensive when they share;listen with an open mind.
   • Identify how employees like to receive information: email, newsletter, face-to-face, or other options. Ask if the method depends on what information is shared. For example, a weekly announcement can be communicated via email, but a major staff change needs to be shared in person.
4. Determine who is responsible for creating the plan. Figure out first who is in charge of initiating and then finally approving the plan. Any actions taken to create a communication plan will have to be preceded by that person or group's approval. Then, figure out who will write the plan. This is often a communications expert (either from the company or external) or a team of representative from various departments. However, it can also be a combination of the two.
   • Teaming up in this way will allow the different departments to be involved from the start, while still allowing the expert to do their work.
5. Establish the basics of the plan. Start by considering what format you want to use. You might use a document, presentation, or spreadsheet, depending on who will be using the document and how. Then, consider the length of your plan. It needs to be long enough to cover all of the information, but still short enough to be useful and accessible. For example, a simple plan might be 2-4 pages, while a more complex one could be up to 15. Start writing your plan by making a basic structure with the following parts:
   • The title.
   • The stated purpose of the plan (increase clarity, productivity, sales, etc.).
   • Executive summary that outlines the rest of the plan.
   • A process section explaining the current situation and changes to be made.
   • A section detailing how the plan's implementation and success will be measured.
   • A segmentation or mapping of the various bodies that need to be communicated with.
   • A description of the various communication channels and when/how they will be used.
   • The approval process and list of plan creators.
   • A timeline for implementation.
   • An appendix for additional documents.

Compiling Information

1. Get leadership on board. If the highest leaders in your organization are not willing to support an internal communications plan, your job becomes convincing them of its importance. Without their support, little will change in your internal communications. People will remain uninformed and unsure of what is going on.
   • Outline the ways that an internal communication plan can lead to increased trust and productivity. (Employees work harder when they feel like a part of what's going on.)
   • Talk about how an internal communications plan can increase efficiency. (The plan ensures that all information flows effectively, and that all employees are adequately informed of changes in a timely way.)
2. Include mid-level managers in high-level communications. Many companies will have just two major tiers of communication: the highest level and everybody else. Consider placing some of your managers in the know regarding high-level communications. These managers will be better in tune with how best to communicate to the rest of the staff. These "mid-level" employees can help the organization decide when and how to share specific messages.
3. Identify information that needs to be communicated. For now, focus on a single message that you would like to communicate, perhaps your vision or mission statement. As you develop your internal communications plan, include announcements about upcoming events, important company information, staff changes, and other news items.
4. List methods of communication. There are various ways to share your information. Identify all potential methods of communication and what type of messages should come through each one. Consider which method is best, not only for your employees and their preferences, but also for the message and situation at hand. For example, sensitive situations tend to require face-to-face communication, not emails or a newsletter.
   • Formal methods are intentional acts of communication and include scheduled meetings, company newsletters, all staff emails or meetings, and reports.
   • Informal networks are more organic conversations that take place in offices, break rooms, and during lunch. They can also occur via email, social media accounts, and phone conversations.

Crafting Clear Messages

1. Figure out what you need to say. Internal communications should be a team effort. Communications staff should play a role in writing the message, even if it is just proofreading, editing, and offering suggestions for word choices. Take the time to work through several drafts, continually improving the choice of words.
   • Make sure you give the "why" of the communication, not just the "what."
   • In other words, do not simply give directives. Explain the reasoning behind those directives.
2. Edit carefully. Proofread, if this will be a written communication. Poor spelling and grammar will reflect negatively on the leader and on the organization as a whole.
   • Let your message sit while you do something else (at least 15-20 minutes).
   • Then return to your message and read it over for clarity and correctness.
3. Provide adequate background information. Make sure enough background information is provided to give context to lower-level employees. They do not have access to the information higher-level leaders have. Give them what they need to know to fully comprehend the news being shared.
   • If you are drafting an email that talks about a change in company policy, explain some of what led up to this change.
   • Let's say your company is changing the way employees request vacation days. In your email, explain that this change is being implemented to a provide more accessible public calendar, so that all employees can anticipate planned employee absences and work to prepare for them.
   • Your employees will see the benefit of this change and not view it as a nuisance.
4. Seek final approval. Decide who needs to be the one to give final approval on this message. It will most likely be the highest leader in your organization. Send this message their way and see if it passes. If not, make any necessary revisions and try again.

Putting Your Plan into Action

1. Determine the line of communication. Even if communications staff members help craft the message, certain types of messages may need to come from a leader of the organization. Or it may be decided that each supervisor will share the message with their team. Determine what is appropriate for each situation.
2. Be intentional with your timing. Your message should be delivered in a timely manner. This will differ depending on the situation. However, a good principle of organizational communication is that your staff should know before the public knows. You may want to consider staging messages so that higher-level staff are informed first, then lower-level staff.
   • Let's say your business is merging with another company. Of course, the highest level employees will know about the change first. However, you don't want the rest of your employees to simply show up one morning to see a different name on the door.
   • Create a schedule for informing high-level employees, then lower-level employees, and then the public.
3. Get feedback. After communicating important information, you need to see how it was received. You can do this through staff surveys, meetings, one-on-one, casual chats, and lunches. Encourage staff to ask questions whenever they do not understand or agree with specific messages. Create an atmosphere of engagement by making it clear that you don't simply talk at your employees, but you also listen and respond. This ensure that employees are engaged, not simply taking orders.
4. Incorporate other good internal communications practices. To keep internal communications running smoothly, there are some structures to put into place. Decide which ones will work best for your organization.
   • Follow through on things like performance reviews, one-on-one meetings, and staff meetings. Employees need to know they can trust you to keep your word and to keep information flowing.
   • Encourage face-to-face communication between team leaders and team members. Communication cannot be entirely via electronic devices if you want relationships to develop.

Key Documents

Doc:Internal Communications Strategy

Tips

• Create a planning form for your organization to use each time it has a message to communicate. This ensures that nothing in the process gets overlooked.
• Communication should be downward and upward. Leaders need to communicate with their staff, and staff members need to communicate with their leaders. Keep communication open both ways.

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