Communication Plan
Shawnee Love •
October 24, 2017
Communication is key to just about everything in the workplace. Good communication makes for good relationships, efficient processes and systems, fewer mistakes, alignment with goals, positive morale and engagement, less conflict, and so on. Even still, we often only hear about the need for a communication strategy in the event of an upcoming change.
What if we were strategic with communication all the time?
Having a communication plan (and following it) isn’t all that difficult once you get started because you have the tools at your fingertips all the time. It’s just a matter of being thoughtful about what you need to communicate and intentional about how you do it.
Here’s an example to help demonstrate what a communication strategy might look like for you if you manage a 5 person team:
Communications Activity | Audience | Purpose | Intended Result | Frequency |
Holiday Event | Team | Celebrate & Inspire | Leave employees feeling their contributions mattered | Annually |
One on One Formal Meeting | Individuals | Educate, Calibrate & Motivate | Advise of news, discuss progress, obstacles and plans, identify solutions or adjustments, and encourage | As needed (weekly or monthly depending on experience level) |
Email/ Blog/ Memo | Team | Educate | Keep employees updated on progress and news | Monthly (and as needed before news becomes public) |
Informal Conversations | Individuals | Connect | Build rapport, stay in touch and maintain approachability | Daily |
Of course, what you talk about in these sessions must align with the overall communication in your organization. But beyond consistent messaging, just ensure you are clear, concise, and continually communicating and I predict you will reap the desirable results we discussed at the beginning of this blog.