Steps You Need to Create a Communication Plan

Communication templates are helpful tools you can use when developing your communication plan and strategies. These are seven steps you can use when creating a plan or improving on strategies you already have in place:

1. Assess your company’s current situation.

Ask yourself what your company’s current status is, what it is currently focusing on, where it excels and where it falls short. By making a determination of what works and what does not, you will be better able to align your plan with your objectives and ultimate purpose as an organization. In order to create communication templates that are truly feasible and effective, utilize the SWOT analysis.

The SWOT analysis involves looking at four points, namely, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. By looking at these four points, you will be better informed when it comes to planning out your objectives.

2. Lay out your objectives.

Serving as the foundation of your communication plan, your objectives should be laid out for the purposes of the organization, not for the mere sake of communication itself. Objectives are laid out to figure out how communication can aid you in achieving your goals as a company. The objectives that you list down should contribute to the overall objectives of the organization.

3. Pinpoint your audience.

When creating communication templates, figure out who your audience even before formulating your messages. While some messages are for everyone in the company for, particular messages are meant for only some departments or specific individuals. Pinpointing your audience helps you discern where efforts and resources need to be placed.

Define your audience by ranking those you want to communicate with in terms of importance. Who needs to get the information you are seeking to disseminate, and who will your message affect?

4. Formulate the message you want to relay.

Considered as one of the most important steps when creating a plan, your message needs to be relevant to the audience you have identified. It also has to clear, brief and compelling so as to avoid confusion and to attract your audience. Make sure your messages are memorable and impactful.

5. List the methods and solutions you want to utilize.

When creating communication templates, it is important to figure out the methods and solutions you want to use when delivering your messages. Remember to use appropriate methods and solutions for your messages, after all, some information are better relayed through different methods and solutions than others. For example, when relaying news about a product launch, it is better to opt to relay this information through a company newsletter than through individual face-to-face chats with staff members.

6. Assess your delivery.

Delivery is not just about choosing the right methods and solutions, it is about relaying the right message to the right audience at the right time. It is therefore important to focus on the actual execution of the delivery.

Here are some of the things you need to consider when delivering your message:

1. Who needs the message and when do they need it?
2. When is the best time for me to deliver my message?
3. Do I need to deliver the message more than once?
4. What resources are involved when delivering my message?

After pushing through with your plan and strategies, the most important step you need to take is to evaluate what has occurred and to learn from your successes and mistakes.

Learn from your planning and process and be persistent at optimizing what you are doing so that you are able to extract the best results possible. Quarterly or even monthly evaluations will help you further your plan and strategies.