How to Create an Internal Communication Plan: 10-Step Strategy and Template

The healthcare sector has undergone significant advancements in communication and information management in recent years. Hospitals are beginning to embrace digital smart technology and digital tools to drive efficiencies and keep up with modern ways of doing business.

This transformation has led to the increased adoption of mobile-first communication strategies, telemedicine platforms, and communications platforms like alerts software. However, not all hospitals and healthcare organizations are this advanced in their journey.

Table of contents

What is an internal communication plan?

Why an Internal Communications Plan Is Important

Why do companies need an internal communication plan?

Internal Communication Planning Best Practices

What a Smart Internal Communication Strategy Achieves

Internal communications plan vs internal communication strategy

Internal Communications Plan: Challenges to Consider

How to Write an Internal Communication Plan?

10 Steps to Create an Internal Communication Plan

How to Get Your Internal Communications Plan Approved

What is an internal communication plan?

An internal communication plan is a strategic document that companies use to help facilitate and guide their communications within their organizations. It outlines the way that information should flow between different levels and departments within the organization with the aim of ensuring employees are well-informed, engaged, and aligned with the organization's goals, priorities and objectives.

An internal communication plan will set out the channels, methods and frequency of communication throughout an organization - including both the formal channels that will be used like company-wide emails, intranet updates, newsletters and meetings, as well as informal channels such as social media platforms and internal chat functions.

These plans also address the content of communication to ensure key messages, updates and announcements are communicated with staff in a way that is both clear and consistent. Communication plans may also include strategies such as cascading information from senior leadership down to employees working on the organization’s frontline. It may also include functions like gathering feedback and facilitation of two-way communication.

A functional communication plan will factor in an organization’s unique needs such as its culture, values and priorities. It should be aligned with the company’s overall strategic goals and directions, and be tailored to reflect the needs of its specific workforce.

Why an Internal Communications Plan Is Important

Your company’s internal communications plan should be viewed as a roadmap for communicating that fosters transparency, collaboration, and trust within the organization, driving employee engagement and enhancing overall organizational performance. Without a strategic approach, your internal communication efforts are ad-hoc and ultimately doomed to failure.

An internal communications plan is important for the following reasons:

• It provides clarity by enabling you to send clear information about company goals, strategies, and changes.
• It promotes alignment with strategic goals and ensures all employees understand how their work contributes to organizational objectives,
• It encourages collaboration and facilitates sharing of ideas, feedback, and best practices among employees and departments.
• It helps to manage expectations among staff and reduce uncertainty, particularly during times of change, by providing accurate and timely information and minimizing destructive rumors and gossip.
• It assists with improving morale among employees and boosts satisfaction by making them feel valued, included, and informed - leading to higher levels of motivation and commitment.

WORKPLACE CULTURE EMPLOYEES WANT

• It creates a transparent working environment where information is shared openly, which enhances trust and accountability.
• It encourages open dialogue and participation among your employees, empowering them while fostering a culture of engagement.
• By minimizing misunderstandings, it boosts productivity within an organization as it leads to a reduction in wasted time and helps to enable efficient decision-making and problem-solving.

Why do companies need an internal communication plan?

It’s important for companies to have an internal communication plan so that they can ensure information flows effectively within their organization.

There are many risks involved in not having a communication plan, which can negatively affect an organization and even have disastrous consequences. These include:

• Employee confusion and disconnection from organizational objectives when there is lack of clarity around company goals.
• Information silos can not only develop but thrive and become difficult to dismantle when departments operate in isolation. This hinders collaboration and innovation and can result in unnecessary duplication of tasks, work not being coordinated and aligned across the company, and a range of other inefficiencies.

STRATEGIES FOR BREAKING DOWN ORGANIZATIONAL SILOS

• Without official channels, rumors and gossip will flourish, eroding trust and morale and causing people to act on incorrect information.
• Change management, which is already a very complex and difficult task in many organizations, can be hindered when employees are uninformed about the reasons for change. They’re more likely to be resistant to change, and hinder the agility and adaptability of the organization in the face of change.
• Communication breakdowns are a productivity killer as they result in wasted time, duplicated efforts and missed opportunities.
• Poor communication has been linked to low employee engagement and low staff morale. It causes employees to feel undervalued and disengaged, leading to decreased levels of motivation and job satisfaction.
• A lack of information-sharing impedes informed decision-making at all levels of the organization, which carries a lot of risk.
• It can lead to higher levels of staff turnover as frustrated employees seek opportunities elsewhere, resulting in talent drain and increased recruitment costs.
• It can lead to reputational damage as external stakeholders may perceive the company as disorganized and untrustworthy, impacting brand reputation and customer loyalty.
• There are a number of legal and compliance risks as a consequence of failing to communicate important policies and regulatory changes which could cost the company in terms of legal fees, fines and other damages.

Internal Communication Planning Best Practices

A great internal communication will go beyond just setting out communication tactics: it will incorporate them into a comprehensive strategy that will be used to achieve measurable business objectives.

It’s important that the internal communication plan is flexible, but the core goals and visions for communication should be embedded within it to guide effective decision making. Select a format that suits the needs of your organization.

Consider these best practices when you set out to create an internal communication plan:

• Conduct a thorough analysis of the current business landscape and identify any challenges that your company may face.
• Clarify both your business and communication objectives
• Identify your target audiences. Remember, not all employees will be the target audience for every piece of internal communication. Sometimes you may want to target groups of employees, such as frontline staff or middle managers.
• Determine how you will develop your key messages.
• Select the communication strategies, tactics, and channels that you plan to use.
• Establish a communication calendar.
• Adopt measurement and analytics mechanisms to gauge your progress.

What a Smart Internal Communication Strategy Achieves

When executed effectively, strategic communication plans can yield powerful outcomes for businesses, including:

• Transforming strategic objectives into tangible actions, for example, instilling new behaviors within the organization or enhancing safety protocols or fostering inclusivity.
• Assisting employees during periods of organizational change while simultaneously ensuring smooth transitions and maintaining morale.
• Tackling crucial industry challenges head-on by ensuring critical information is sent to the right people at the right time, and stakeholder needs are addressed.
• Addressing sensitive topics with discretion and empathy which promotes transparency and trust among employees.
• Aligning and mobilizing an entire organization around a new strategic direction in a way that fosters unity and purpose among its employees.
• Enhancing organizational culture to boost both employee satisfaction and performance outcomes and improving the overall employee experience.

Internal communications plan vs internal communication strategy

Internal communications plans and internal communications strategies are documents used by companies to outline their communications efforts. While the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are differences between these communications documents.

An internal communication strategy generally details the broad direction a company will take in order to improve its communication efforts. It will explain the general objectives for the company’s internal communications and will outline the reasons that they are necessary. They are often used to help companies decide on their intentions when it comes to connecting and engaging with employees.

Internal communication plans are documents that use the internal communication strategy and build detailed, actionable steps that can be taken so that the organization can reach its goals. In creating this document, you should be considering how to implement the strategy, and be mindful of any parameters you have to work with such as deadlines and budgets,

The key differences between an internal communication strategy and an internal communication plan are:

• Purpose.  A communication strategy’s purpose is to create a high-level document that outlines the company’s reasons and goals for its communication. A communication plan, on the other hand, is a document that is used to detail how the communication strategy will be executed.

• Adaptability. Because communication strategies are less specific in their detail, they can often offer more flexibility than a communication plan. It can change many times before an actionable plan is created which makes it much more adaptable when there are changes or unpredictable events affecting your industry or business operations. When you’re executing a communication plan, it is often difficult to change because it can lead to confusion or slow down operations.

• Timelines. Communication strategies have ongoing deadlines - or sometimes no deadlines at all. This is because the documents are broad and overarching, and can be adjusted easily. Communication plans on the other hand generally have specific deadlines attached to them when they needed to be completed and when various actions need to be achieved by.

• Creation.  When a communication strategy is created, its not unusual for teams to come together and brainstorm ideas and their communication objectives with management and scope out various factors like the current market situations and the needs of the target audience. The creation of a communication plan, however, is different because it is guided by facts and the overall strategy itself to determine the actions that will be taken in the communication process.

Internal Communications Plan: Challenges to Consider

When creating an internal communication plan, there are various challenges you will need to both consider and navigate to ensure it is effective and successful:

1. Consider the diversity of the audience

Your employees are not one homogenous group of people. While sometimes it will be appropriate to communicate with them in their entirety, you also need to consider the appropriateness of segmenting your audience. This involves tailoring your communication based on factors such as locations, roles and even backgrounds. In doing this you also need to be aware of factors such as language, culture and preferred communication channels.

2. Be mindful of contributing to information overload

In the fast-paced modern world, people are bombarded with information all day long, both at work and in their personal lives. There’s never been a time in history where people have so much information sent to them. It’s important to cut through the noise and ensure that employees receive information in a timely manner, in a way that can be noticed so they retain this among all the other information they’re being subjected to.

3. Provide opportunities for two-way communication

Employees value being able to have their say and voice their opinions and give feedback to management. Therefore it’s important to ensure your communications facilitate this where appropriate, and provide open dialogue and feedback mechanisms.

4. Be aware of change management issues

Communicating with employees during change management initiatives comes with additional challenges to be mindful of. When your organization is undergoing changes such as restructures, mergers or is implementing new software systems or procedures, you’ll need to stay on the front foot to manage uncertainty and mitigate against employee resistance. It’s important to communicate any changes in a transparent and empathetic way.

5. Measurement and evaluation challenges

Determining the impact and effectiveness of your internal communication initiatives can sometimes be difficult to measure. You’ll need to work out how to establish clear metrics and evaluation processes. This will involve gathering feedback, analyzing data and making any adjustments to your activities based on these insights so as to ensure continuous improvement.

How to Write an Internal Communication Plan?

When it’s time to write your internal communication plan, here’s what you need to be mindful of:

• Make sure it reflects your existing communication guidelines and methods. As discussed above, your plan should reflect what is set out in your communication strategy.
• Consider what you’ve done in the past. What has worked well and what hasn’t?
• Define the goals of this specific plan. This should also include how you intend to measure their success,
• Determine your target audience.
• Create a draft of your internal communication plan detailing what you want to communicate, who you want to communicate to and how you will do it. Include your key messages,
• Get feedback if appropriate from other teams or managers and identify any weak points where the plan can be improved
• Create a schedule of when you will communicate and which channels will be used.
• Ensure your plan includes who has responsibility for delivering messages.
• Conduct a final review of the plan before you put it into motion

Using an internal communication plan template can guide you through the steps you need to take to create one.

10 Steps to Create an Internal Communication Plan

These are the ten most important steps you need to take when you are creating an internal communication plan:

1. Tracking internal communication

The most important first step before you dive in and produce an internal communication plan is to assess the current state of your organization’s internal communication. This will enable you to identify any areas for improvement, or any current strengths that you have in this area. Are employees receiving essential information effectively, or do they feel left in the dark?

You can make this assessment via various tracking methods, including:

• Monitoring interaction metrics like email open rates, click-through rates, and employee feedback.
• Analyzing intranet usage data.
• Conducting surveys.
• Organizing employee focus groups.
• Hiring external consultants to conduct audits.

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Each of these methods should include straightforward questions to engage employees and evaluate the effectiveness of your internal communication strategy. For instance:

• Do you understand the company's goals?
• Are you clear about how your role helps us to achieve those goals?
• Do you receive timely and clear information that helps you to perform your job effectively?
• Do you know where to go to find necessary information to do your job?

2. Defining goals and objectives

Analyze your current communication goals to develop a better plan that defines appropriate objectives.

Consider using the SMART goals approach - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely.

• Specific: Define your company goals and create a strategy about how to reach your objective.

• Measurable: Have goals that you can measure - for example increases in productivity or profits, or employee engagement.

• Achievable:  It’s important that your goals are realistic and attainable and should be aligned with your overall business goals.

• Relevant: Ensure that the goals you’re working towards will affect your company’s operations.

• Timeliness: What is the timeframe you have to work with and will you be able to meet your goals within these time limits?

3. Identify the target audience

It’s important to identify who will need to receive your messages.

The deliverables on your plan should reach everyone in the company, from top stakeholders to management, admin staff, and frontline workers. You should consult with each team during the development of the plan to ensure it meets their needs.

Every employee plays a role in achieving company goals, so listening to staff at all levels, from frontline workers to senior management is essential.

4. Choosing the right internal communication tool

When selecting communication tools for an internal communications plan you need to consider the needs and preferences of your workforce.

Start by assessing the organization's communication objectives and the nature of the information to be shared. For quick updates or urgent messages, instant messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams can be effective. But for broader announcements or detailed information, it may be that email newsletters or intranet portals are more suitable.

When you have collaborative projects on the go in your company, they may benefit from tools like Google Workspace or Microsoft Office 365 so that they can make the most of real-time document sharing and editing.

It's also important to consider the accessibility of chosen tools across different devices and locations to ensure inclusivity. Ultimately, the right communication tool to use should facilitate seamless information exchange, promote engagement, and align with the organization's overall communication strategy.

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5. Creating the right message

You can have all the technical specifications right and all the right tools for the delivery of your information, but it won’t matter if you don’t get the messages right in the first place.

When crafting your messages, it's important to set the right tone with the audience that youre addressing, Not only should your communications be professional, but they should reflect warmth, sociability, humanity and empathy where needed.

Get assistance from other communicators in the organization if you need to, such as the external communications team. Or you may even consider hiring copywriters to ensure that your content is hitting the mark with your target audience. They can draw on their expertise to refuel language, style and delivery of messages.

6. Providing engaging communication

First impressions count when you create any content, not just for internal audiences, so it’s important that you can grab peoples’ attention within seconds, otherwise you’ll ose them.

To create engaging communications content it’s important that you keep it direct, transparent, and use the right tone. Avoid unnecessary words and flowery or complex language. Simplicity and brevity are key as people prefer clear and concise communications.

Here are some tips for writing engaging messages:

• Draw the reader in with an appealing headline.
• Pose questions to prompt reader curiosity and engagement.
• Make sure you’re using visually appealing layouts that include appropriate spacing, color, bullet points and subheadings that also make it easier for people to digest the content.
• Write in a tone that resonates with your audience.
• Address your reader's problems or concerns to demonstrate your responsiveness.
• Incorporate visual elements like images, graphs, or videos to help illustrate what you are trying to communicate.
• Encourage action from your readers by inviting feedback or participation.

7. Scheduling internal communications

Timing is important when it comes to internal communications, and it’s vital that you get it right. For example, if you send an important message to your employees late on a Friday afternoon, it may result in less people reading and actioning the communications. Instead, you should aim to send on a Monday or Tuesday morning when employees are more engaged and ready for the work week ahead.

Depending on the nature of your messages, you may want to send internal social media posts at a time when employees are more likely to engage with them, such as during lunch time or at the end of the day where they won’t be so distracted by work (or vice versa!)

Look at your intranet analytics to determine the peak interaction times so that you can post content at a time where it is likely to get more interaction.

8. Providing an employee advocacy tool

A good way to enhance your internal communications plan is by introducing an employee advocacy tool. These are platforms that empower employees to share pre-approved company content on their personal social networks and helps to amplify the organization’s messaging and increase brand visibility.

9. Identifying ambassadors

Identify ambassadors who are passionate, influential employees who also embody the company’s culture and values to serve as advocates and help spread the messaging and achieve other goals associated with your internal communications plan.

Look for employees who consistently demonstrate enthusiasm for their work, actively participate in company initiatives, and who have leadership qualities. You can also conduct surveys or feedback sessions to determine employees’ interest in becoming ambassadors.

By leveraging the influence and passion of these employees, you can easily amplify your communications effort.

10. Measuring the internal communications strategy

After implementing your plan, it's time to assess the outcomes.

• Identify what you're measuring (is it retention, uptake of new software etc.)
• Determine measurement methods (scoring, financial analysis, etc.).
• Monitor engagement metrics such as likes, shares, and comments on your intranet.
• Assess if your plan has reached the right audience.
• Solicit feedback periodically so that you can understand employees' perspectives.
• Analyze demographic trends and engagement patterns.
• Evaluate peak engagement times for messaging.

Measuring communication strategies is an ongoing process, shaping the success of your business as it evolves.

DOWNLOAD INTERNAL COMMUNICATION PLAN TEMPLATE

How to Get Your Internal Communications Plan Approved

In order to get your internal communications plan approved by your company’s leadership, you will often need to have a compelling case that demonstrates tangible benefits for the company. It’s important that you emphasize to leadership that the returns of the plan will significantly outweigh the investment of time and resources.

Your case should provide evidence, such as metrics, that will show how you intend to achieve key objectives and what this will mean for the companies bottom line.

You should also highlight how the plan will contribute to overall organizational performance and how it can be directly linked to the company’s strategic objectives.

Data-driven insights and case studies can also be used to illustrate the potential impact of the plan on aspects such as employee morale, productivity and the overall success of the business.

Get executive buy-in early in the process

Senior leadership is more likely to approve your internal communication plan when they feel involved in its development, whether this involvement is genuine or perceived.

Early buy-in from executives will help to ensure the internal communication plan has alignment with organizational goals, which can then lend more weight when it comes to getting approved. Their active involvement at this stage will demonstrate commitment.

Use a data-based approach

A data-based approach can significantly bolster the chances of executives approving your internal communications plan.

Tracking metrics such as email opens, link clicks, device and location data, and read times will provide concrete evidence of your campaign effectiveness. Analyzing these metrics allows you to identify the content that resonates the most with employees and demonstrate the plan's impact on the organization.

It’s important to present data in an easily digestible format so that leadership comprehends the plan's benefits effortlessly.

Focus on the solution, not the problem

Another good way to ensure you get executive buy-in is to present your case in way that highlights the solutions within your internal communications plan rather than dwelling on the problems that exist in the organization that you want to address.

For example you could present statistics on low levels of employee engagement that exist worldwide and not just in your company. Then you can delve into assessing the strengths and weaknesses that currently exist in your organization so that you can make recommendations.

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In the ever-evolving business landscape, internal communication remains an important factor to ensure success. Good internal communication helps ensure businesses can innovate, adapt and thrive.