Clear and open communication is essential for a vibrant workplace, but the volume of information sent to employees can be a barrier. A simple internal communication plan can help you deliver messages in ways that employees can best receive them.
I oversaw a team of 50+, within a North American division of 300+, within a global division of 1,000+, and within a corporation of 4,000+. Members of my team often said that the amount of internal communication was overwhelming, so I created a plan to help manage the flow within my department.
Categorize types of messages
Not all messages have the same significance. Consider the importance and urgency of each type of information. Your list might look something like this:
- Need to know now
- Emergencies and crises
- Formal announcements
- Change management
- Required training
- Need to know but can wait
- Financials
- Staffing updates
- Timely but not important to everyone
- Birthdays
- Development opportunities
- Employee recognition
- Internal job openings
- Social events
- Work anniversaries
- Nice to know and useful on occasion
- Best practices
- Job aids
- Product showcases
- Upskilling that is not required
Strengths and weaknesses of channels
Next, consider your channels for internal communication along with their strengths and weaknesses. For example:
| Channel | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Meetings | Can be more personal and empathetic Can provide opportunity for questions Can build sense of team | Scheduling challenges Disruptive to work Takes attendees away from responsibilities Only as effective as the speaker |
| Fast and efficient delivery Reliable Targeted Allows for reviews before sending Can be viewed later and saved for reference | Security issues (e.g., can be forged, easily shared outside of team) Can get lost or overlooked in inbox Less personal Can disrupt flow of work | |
| Intranet | Information on demand Allows for editing Allows for search and archiving | Audience needs to know where to look Audience needs to have a reason to look |
| Workplace communication tool (e.g., Slack, Teams, Google Chat) | Fast and efficient delivery Allows for questions and discussion threads Good for smaller teams | Can disrupt flow of work Less personal Usually not edited for tone or clarity |
Building your plan
Once you have your types of information and channels, you can construct your internal communications plan. (My company used Teams, but you can substitute your own workplace communication tool.) It could look something like this:
- One-off email or ad hoc meeting
- Emergencies and crises
- Formal announcements
- Quarterly meetings, archived on intranet or Teams
- Financials
- Notable anniversaries
- Product showcases
- Q&A
- Staffing updates
- Weekly email blast, archived on intranet or Teams
- Development opportunities
- Change management
- Required training
- Intranet or Teams, updated at least monthly
- Best practices
- Birthdays
- Employee recognition
- Internal job openings
- Job aids
- Social events
- Upskilling that is not required
Once you have your plan, consult it whenever you have information to share. Ask your staff annually whether they are getting messages in the ways they need to succeed and grow with the company.
