What is an organizational communication plan?

An organizational communication plan is a tool that helps to generate strategies and concrete actions to improve the exchange of information in an organization.

If you still do not know what it consists of, in this article we will present everything you need to know.

An organizational communication plan is a document that aims to facilitate the exchange of information, data and knowledge in an organization, both internally and externally.

It is a type of action plan that makes it possible to identify the objectives of the organization, the message, the sources, the audience, the format and the most appropriate channels for communication actions.

This process helps the message being sent to be received, understood and put into practice by the target audience (whether external or internal), as well as a means to monitor communication efforts.

When it comes to creating a communication plan, it seeks to organize the actions that an organization is going to carry out to achieve a satisfactory result, whether it is to boost sales, launch a product or even raise awareness about a topic of importance to the sector.

Why make a communication plan?

A plan will allow you to direct your communication with precision and efficiency because:

• It provides a framework for determining who you need to reach out to and how.
• It can be long-term, helping you chart how to raise your profile and hone your image in the community over time.
• It will make your communication efforts more efficient, effective and lasting.
• By spending time on the organizational communication plan up front, you can save a lot of time later because you know what to do at any point in the process.

What should an organizational communication plan include?

Some of the most important elements that should be part of a good organizational communication plan are:

1-Purpose and focus

The purpose generally consists of a high-level description of the plan, the reason for its existence, and a general idea of ​​how the organizational communication plan will be implemented.

2-Communication goals and objectives

They represent what communication is expected to achieve.

3-Communication functions

Clearly define all roles and their corresponding communication responsibilities.

4-Communication tools and methods

The tools used and the way in which the message is conveyed will vary from project to project. The key is not to get stuck in using a single method for communication messages. Your preferred tools and methods should be those where the target group has the best chance of understanding what you are communicating.

Always keep your receiver in mind when developing the content of the communication and the method in which it will be transmitted. Methods that offer opportunities for people to ask questions or provide feedback can add real value to your project.

Steps to make an organizational communication plan

Now that you know what an organizational communication plan is, its importance and what are the elements it includes, we will present the main steps to carry it out:

1. Establish the purpose

The first step is to define the central objective of the communication plan, since this is where all the proposals, actions and ways of evaluating the results obtained in the implementation of the plan will start.

At this point, we recommend using SMART objectives, which will help you build specific, measurable, achievable, realistic objectives and within adequate time frames.

2. Select the target audience

Defining who will be the target audience will allow you to plan your communication in a logical way, since you will need different messages for different groups, and channels and methods to reach each of them.

3. Choose the communication channels

The tools used and the way in which the message is conveyed will vary from project to project. The key is not to get stuck using only one channel.

To find out which are the ideal tools and methods for your collaborators, it is advisable to implement an organizational communication survey , which will show you which ones will allow the receiving group to have the best opportunity to understand what you are communicating.

Always keep your receiver in mind when developing the content of the communication and the channel on which it will be transmitted. Channels that offer opportunities for people to ask questions or provide feedback can add real value to your project.

4. List available resources

The plan should contain a careful description of the requirements and resources available within the organization, as well as how much you can spend and how much staff time is reasonable to use.

5. Create the action plan or roadmap

This step consists of putting everything together in a document that can be put into practice and that guides each of the activities from start to finish. This document is the Project Communication Action Plan, which will dictate who hears what and when they will hear it. It is a detailed plan that includes:

• Stakeholders or public (who)
• Message or topic (what)
• Communicator (of whom)
• Calendar or frequency (when / how often)
• Delivery method (how)
• Condition
• Comments

The action plan will be a working document that will change as the communication needs of your project change.

6. Evaluation of results

If you evaluate your communication plan in terms of both its execution and its operation, you can make changes to improve it, so that it will continue to be more effective each time you put it into practice.

Types of organizational communication plans

Although we have listed some general aspects of the organizational communication plan so far, you should know that there are several types and that your choice will depend on the context and the objective for which it is being developed.

Some of the most common types of organizational communication plans are:

1-Organizational communication plan around a project

It generally consists of a list of documents and reports that will be communicated as part of a specific project, so it can include aspects such as the justification or the needs that initially motivated it and the strategies that will be carried out to reach the desired result.

2-Organizational change communication plan

This communication process seeks to provide relevant information about an important change at the organizational level.

For example, a human resources initiative that aims to update job grades to include a technical pathway that allows people to progress in their careers without becoming managers. This requires planning meetings, approvals, and communication to the entire organization.

3-Process communication plan

This is a plan for communicating the information necessary to complete a process. For example, a communication plan for a budget process that must be followed by multiple teams.

This establishes a structure for meetings and documentation to be conducted throughout the organization.

4-Marketing plan

Marketing teams can spend large sums of money on promotional and advertising strategies in a disconnected way, without achieving their expected objectives.

Therefore, marketing communication plans turn out to be key documents that include an analysis of the target audience, channels, competition, marketing campaigns and production capacity, among other aspects, allowing optimization of actions and resources. destined for this area.

Organizational communication plan example

Now we will present a brief example of an internal communication plan: