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Download communication plan in Microsoft Word format.
Understanding the Communication Plan
Has your manager or supervisor recently advised you to develop a communication plan at work? Are you a bit confused as to what exactly a communication plan is and its purpose? If so, the information in this article may be just what you need. Here we will provide a brief definition of the communication plan, outline the various forms one of these plans can take, and show you some of the reasons why one of these plans can actually make your daily work assignments, and the overall work environment at your company, more manageable, more effective, and in most cases, even more enjoyable.
What Exactly Is a Communication Plan?
Although the communication plan can take on many different forms, generally speaking it is a written document or multimedia presentation that describes, in some detail, all of the following:
- Objectives. Simply put, the objectives are what you hope to accomplish with your company’s or organization’s communication tools.
- Strategy. The strategy or strategies of the communication plan are the tools you will use to accomplish the above mentioned objectives.
- Audience. Basically, the audience is the person or person(s) to whom your organization’s communications will be addressed.
- Timetable. The timetable is nothing more than a prescribed date by which you hope to reach each of your objectives.
- Evaluation. Here you will define the rubric you will employ for measuring the results of the plan.
What Forms Can a Communication Plan Take?
Communications can take many different forms, including all written, spoken and electronically transmitted messages. And when forming a communication plan you are essentially describing how you will use each of the following mediums to meet the objectives set out by your organization:
- Magazines and newspapers
- Marketing and sales publications, including all public relations material
- Any and all online communication, including websites and email
- Legal correspondence and congressional documents
- Phone and voicemail
- Company letterhead and envelopes
- Polls and surveys
- Invoices and receipts
- Annual reports and board meeting communications and materials
- And more…
How Can a Communication Plan Help Your Organization?
Many of the communication mediums that employees use each and every day are often taken for granted, but by formulating a communication plan you can harness all these mediums to accomplish all of the following:
- Provide greater focus for your everyday work assignments
- Allow you to set and rank your organization’s priorities
- Establish order and greater control over all aspects of the work environment
- Involve everyone, including the “higher-ups,” and board members in your program
- Help to avoid rash and last minute demands from staff and board members
- Give you peace of mind and keep you from feeling completely overwhelmed
A communication plan is an absolute must for medium to large sized corporations. Not only does it help pool all the available communication resources, it also keeps everyone, from every department, on the same page with regard to the daily operations of the company.