Communication is the lifeblood of any successful organisation. But convenient as email and Slack are, just having the right tech tools isn’t enough. To engage and align employees, you need substance and heart behind your communications.

That’s where an internal communications plan comes in. A strong plan makes comms strategic, not scattershot. It’s a chance to step back and think – who do we need to reach? What messages matter most? How do we inspire our people?

Done right, internal communications bonds individuals to a shared mission. It turns employees into brand ambassadors. It powers change and growth.

In this post, we’ll explore why internal comms matters, and how to build a plan that connects people across your organisation. Get ready to inform, engage, and unleash your workforce.

Benefits of an Internal Communication Plan

An effective internal communication plan offers many benefits:

– Increased employee engagement – Employees who feel well-informed and connected to company goals are more engaged with their work. Effective communication fosters morale and job satisfaction.

– Enhanced alignment – Consistent messaging ensures all employees understand company vision, values, and priorities. This alignment improves productivity.

– Greater transparency – Open and timely communication demonstrates transparency and earns employee trust. Employees are more invested when they feel “in the loop.”

– Improved change management – Clear messaging helps employees understand reasons for change. This smooths transition and reduces uncertainty.

– Stronger company culture – An internal communication plan spreads common mission and values. It brings people together and reinforces culture.

– Crisis management – Reliable communications channels and processes help manage messaging during difficult events like scandals or transitions.

In summary, strategic internal communication is a central pillar for building a happy, healthy, and high-functioning organisation.

Steps to Develop an Internal Communication Plan

Creating an impactful internal communication plan takes research, planning, and input from leadership, HR, and employees across the company. Here are key steps:

Set Objectives 

Begin by defining the goals you want your internal communications to achieve. Common objectives include:

• Improve employee engagement scores by 15% 
• Increase employee satisfaction and retention 
• Enhance awareness and adoption of new initiatives or tools by 25%
• Reduce response time to internal inquiries by 50%

Setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals will focus your efforts and allow you to track progress.

Identify Your Audience

Recognize that your organisation has many audiences with different communication needs. Segment groups, such as:

• Leadership/Management
• Frontline Employees
• Remote Employees
• Field Employees/Sales Teams
• Office Employees
• New Hires
• Shifts/Departments

For each audience, determine preferred channels, key concerns, and information needs. This understanding will allow you to tailor communications appropriately.

Develop Key Messages 

For each audience group, determine the 3-5 most important messages or initiatives you need to communicate over the next year. These could include:

• New product launches
• Values/mission statement rollout 
• HR policy changes
• Expansion to new markets
• Leadership transitions
• Company restructures or mergers

Defining key messaging in advance provides clarity for communicators.

Select Communication Channels

Choose communication channels that work for your audiences:

Email – Useful for delivering important announcements, newsletters, and reminders. Should optimise for mobile and allow comments/feedback.

Company intranet – Houses resources, policies, toolkits and archives. Keep updated and promote new content.

Digital screens – Place in high-traffic areas to display engaging visuals, videos, and posters. Update content regularly.

Signs/flyers – Post in common areas like cafeterias, break rooms, and lobbies. Draw attention to events, initiatives, and HR messages.

Webcasts/virtual meetings – Hold live video events for interactive updates, Q&As, training, and presentations. Record and share afterwards. 

Surveys – Regular pulse surveys gather employee feedback on initiatives, satisfaction, concerns and ideas.

Brand journalism (blog) – Create a blog for thought leadership articles on company news, HR tips, industry insights, etc.

Ambassadors – Identify employee volunteers across regions/departments to share key messages peer-to-peer. 

Social media – Maintain active presence on internal social networks like Yammer to engage, gather feedback, and foster community.

Print newsletter – Curate a digest of company news and events to mail or hand out. Include photos/stories to humanise content.

Evaluate reach, accessibility, engagement levels, and existing habits across groups to determine optimal platforms. Aim to provide critical information across multiple channels.

Create a Communications Calendar 

A detailed calendar listing all planned communications activities ensures messaging alignment. It should outline:

• Communication initiatives and key messages
• Target audiences
• Channels used
• Date, time, and frequency 
• Responsible parties

Review regularly and share across teams to coordinate efforts and minimise duplication. Look for opportunities to tie communications to special dates, events, or cultural moments.

Determine Resources Needed

Identify resources required to implement communications across selected channels:

– Staff – Dedicated personnel to produce content, manage platforms, and track effectiveness

– Executive participation – Make sure leaders visibly champion initiatives in communications

– Budget – FundEmployee from events, trainings, giveaways, paid platforms, etc.

– Vendor support – Secure help designing/distributing print collateral or developing digital channels 

– Creative assets – Stock photos, animations, logos, templates, etc. to create engaging branded content

– Translation – Ensure communications localise for global employees as needed

– Legal/compliance – Review policies around confidential info, record keeping, data security, etc.

– Technology – Video Conferencing, online forums, analytics, etc. needed to manage platforms

Outline resources required for each program to assess feasibility.

Define Success Metrics

Determine metrics and set measurable targets to evaluate effectiveness. Track:

– Reach – Percentage of employee population exposed to each message

– Engagement – Levels of participation, readership, contributions, feedback

– Sentiment – Positive/negative reactions and comments 

– Program adoption – Percentage of employees taking desired actions, using tools etc.

– Surveys – Changes in employee awareness, satisfaction, engagement scores

– Business impact – Correlations between communications and productivity, retention, revenue etc.

Analyse data regularly to see what works and what needs adjustment. Report on successes to demonstrate value.

Implementing and Evaluating the Plan 

With research complete, it’s time to execute the internal communications plan:

– Get leadership buy-in – Review plan and gather executive endorsement to set the tone.

– Train your team – Educate internal communicators on plan goals, guidelines, processes, timelines and their role. 

– Roll out communications – Launch recurring and special initiatives across selected platforms.

– Monitor engagement – Track participation, feedback volumes, performance metrics etc.

– Refine and repeat – Review data, adjust ineffective tactics, and continue executing coordinated messaging. 

To maximise impact:

– Ensure consistency – Reinforce key messages across channels and teams. 

– Make messages tangible – Provide relevant examples and demonstrate local impact.

– Engage managers – Equip them to directly convey and discuss communications. 

– Encourage participation – Enable two-way dialogue through surveys, forums, Q&As etc.

– Be transparent – Communicate openly and invite feedback.

Strategic internal communication takes dedication. But the investment pays dividends in the form of a thriving, aligned organisation.

Conclusion

Effective internal communication is essential for productive, united workforces that can drive success. Developing a comprehensive internal communications plan involves identifying audiences, setting goals, choosing appropriate platforms, coordinating activities, and measuring results. With deliberate effort and participation across the organisation, internal communications can inform, engage, and rally employees behind shared mission and values. Organisations that dedicate themselves to open, consistent, and relevant messaging will improve information accessibility, employee satisfaction, and ultimately, performance.