You’re tasked with developing an internal communications plan. How can you make sure it’s effective?

1 Assess the current situation

Before you start developing your plan, you need to understand the current state of your internal communications. You can do this by conducting a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), a stakeholder analysis (who are your internal audiences, what are their communication preferences and challenges, and what are their expectations and feedback), and a communication audit (how are you currently communicating, what are the channels and tools you use, and how are they performing and measured). These steps will help you identify the gaps, issues, and best practices in your internal communications, as well as the goals and objectives you want to achieve.

2 Define your strategy and tactics

Based on your assessment, you can now define your internal communications strategy and tactics. Your strategy should outline the purpose, vision, and mission of your internal communications, as well as the key messages, themes, and tone you want to convey. Your tactics should specify the actions, activities, and initiatives you will take to execute your strategy, as well as the channels, tools, and formats you will use to deliver your messages. For example, you may decide to use a newsletter, an intranet, a podcast, or a video series to communicate with your employees. You should also consider how you will segment and tailor your communications to different audiences, such as by role, department, location, or interest.

3 Create a plan and a calendar

Once you have your strategy and tactics, you need to create a plan and a calendar that outlines the details of your internal communications. Your plan should include the roles and responsibilities of your internal communications team, the budget and resources you need, the timelines and milestones you have to meet, and the risks and contingencies you have to manage. Your calendar should include the frequency, schedule, and topics of your internal communications, as well as the deadlines and deliverables you have to produce. You should also align your plan and calendar with your organizational goals and events, such as product launches, campaigns, or annual reviews.

4 Implement and monitor your plan

The next step is to implement and monitor your internal communications plan. You should follow your plan and calendar as closely as possible, but also be flexible and adaptable to any changes or challenges that may arise. You should also monitor the progress and performance of your internal communications, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. For example, you can use metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, views, shares, or downloads to measure the reach and engagement of your messages. You can also use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or feedback forms to measure the satisfaction and impact of your messages.

5 Evaluate and improve your plan

The final step is to evaluate and improve your internal communications plan. You should review the results and outcomes of your internal communications, using the goals and objectives you set as the criteria. You should also analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your internal communications, as well as the opportunities and threats you faced. You should then use the insights and learnings you gained to improve your internal communications plan, making adjustments and enhancements as needed. You should also celebrate and recognize the achievements and contributions of your internal communications team and stakeholders, and share the best practices and lessons learned with others.