An internal communications plan defines the business goals concerning communication with employees and plans the tasks that help achieve these goals. Creating an internal comms plan requires some work, but is worthwhile because it ensures you always have clearly defined steps on your way to success.
In this guide, let us try to understand how the internal comms plan template makes it easy to create an effective employee communication plan and strategy.
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Internal Comms Plan & Strategy Template – UPDATED 2021
An internal comms plan is beneficial for several reasons. It provides a clear roadmap for consistent communication with employees so they stay informed about organizational goals and can take appropriate actions. The comms plan also defines internal communication strategies to focus on, and the ways to implement them and measure their value and impact on the business. It also helps teams stay focused and ensures they direct their efforts in the right direction.
Creating an internal comms plan is one of the best things an organization can do to engage employees thereby improving the acquisition, retention, and productivity of the entire workforce. Internal communication not only boosts performance but also improves the overall workforce culture. A well-developed plan outlines how departments and teams should interact with each other to meet business objectives.
An internal comms plan and strategy template makes it easy to build your plan and an easy-to-follow internal comms strategy. These valuable tools will help employees adapt to upcoming changes, address critical issues in the industry or company, and progress with a roadmap that shows how to turn the strategy into action. A comms plan is useful to employees whenever there is a need to share a message across teams. It shows how to transmit the information efficiently and how to articulate your message in the best way.
Internal Communication Plan PPT
A powerful internal communication plan is not only about tactics. Strategies and tactics are, in fact, a part of the plan and reflect what efforts you make to achieve the business objectives. There are several ways to create a good internal comms plan and strategy. When done right, a strategic communication plan helps achieve powerful results for the business.
Your internal comms plan need not be too long; a few pages covering the fundamental vision and goals for communication is fine. Here are the basic steps that can serve as a framework for developing your internal comms plan.
An Overview of the Current Situation
Before you start, you should first assess the present situation of the business in terms of its approach to internal communication. List the benefits and limitations of your current internal comms plan if you have one. Run an internal audit to identify what is working and what is not. Consider running an employee survey or group interviews to get their feedback and gather data from different metrics.
The Desired Outcomes
The internal comms plan and strategy should help you identify goals and objectives for employee communication. Make sure the objectives are specific, relevant, measurable, achievable, and time-bound. An example of an internal communication goal is to increase intranet adoption by 10% in the next quarter.
The Target Audience
To find out how to best communicate with different groups of employees, define the target audience first. List the groups, their preferences, needs, and what you expect from communication with them. This will help you adjust your messages for different segments.
The Message You Are Trying to Convey
Based on the identified audiences, develop the most significant messages you want to communicate. Identify what the employees want to know, what goals you are trying to achieve, and what news you want to spread across the organization. Encourage two-way interactive communication where employees can freely share their ideas and suggestions.
The Strategy
Next, you identify the specific methods you will use to achieve objectives and goals. Try to look at the bigger picture to find out what strategy best serves your overall goal. The key is to review your internal comms plan regularly. Audit your communication channels, measure the performance data and experiment with new channels.
Channels and Media
The channels you use depend on your audience and objectives. For example, what works for factory workers doesn’t suit desk-based employees. Well-planned use of a combination of channels, applications, and tools can ensure maximum impact. Some of the most used channels for communication include Video, Social Media, Meetings, Face to Face, Electronic, and others. Also, consider how frequently you will be using these channels.
The Evaluation
Find out how you want to measure success to get an idea of whether the strategy is working or not. Your measures will vary depending on the objectives you have set. But make sure you track all the measurable variables. For example, if you are aiming at employee engagement, you should consider email open rates, attention rates, used devices, feedbacks, and other metrics.
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Employee Internal Communication Policy Template – A Complete Guide
An employee internal communication policy template is something that organizations use to plan, coordinate and strategize communications within the entity. It serves as a guide for teams to make sure their internal communication goals are properly met. Creating a template for internal communication strategy demands time, effort, and tactics. It is essentially a document containing sections dedicated to some of the must-haves for your internal communication.
Using a template for employee communication helps you stay focused on why you are doing it, the target audience, and the steps you can take to achieve your objectives. Here are some of the sections a template contains.
Background
This section contains information about your company, the number of employees, the need for communication strategy, and the challenges faced in the past.
Analysis
In this section, you can include a review of the present state of internal communication including the challenges you are dealing with and the way you currently communicate with employees. The analysis holds significance because it helps find out where you need to put effort.
Audience
You can list your internal audiences and gather information about their communication preferences.
Stakeholders
This section involves listing all the stakeholders your strategy considers. You should also ensure the stakeholders review the plan before it is finalized.
Goals and Objectives
What you want to achieve with your comms strategy is your primary goal. You can have anywhere between 1 and 3 goals. Objectives are measurable achievements that help reach goals.
Tactics and Strategies
Strategies are what you plan to do in order to achieve your objectives and goals. Tactics are specific actions you can take to meet set objectives. You can list the objectives for each strategy so that it is easy to evaluate how effective your tactics are.
Evaluation Matrix
The evaluation matrix helps line up all the tactics, measurements, strategies, and outcomes. It ensures all the parts of your comms plan are result-oriented and interconnected.
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Final Thoughts
Creating an internal comms plan not only helps your organization grow but also gives you something you can share with the management team and external users to showcase your efforts and achievements. An internal communication plan and strategy template makes it easy to articulate the strategic approach, map the tactics and stay focused on results. Every employee communication plan can support the big picture and overall organizational goal.
Download Internal Comms Plan Template
Click here to download a template from Oak
Click here to download a template from AllThingsIC
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