Communication is a critical part of any organization’s success. Once, I was working closely with the senior leadership to create an email that addressed late deliveries. I remember that when we first started, there were so many ideas swirling in our heads about how to approach this project and what tone of voice would be best for our company. I wished I had someone with a communications strategy plan who could tell me the “best” way to approach this project in order to be successful.
I started reading and researching, looking for what I felt was a good strategy to communicate with our target audience. Luckily, after some research and conversations with others who had more experience than myself on the topic at hand, what finally developed was a communications strategy plan that we used over and over again for all of our marketing and communication efforts.
What Is A Communications Strategy Plan?
A communications strategy is a plan for communicating with your target audience. It includes who you are talking to, why you are talking to them, how and when you will talk to them, what form of communication the content should take and what channels you should use to share it.
1. What Is The Purpose Of Your Communications Plan?
A clear purpose helps keep everyone on board. Make sure the right people hear your message when they are ready and in a way that you want them to hear it. Your communication objectives should be to answer these questions: Who do I need to reach? Why do I need to reach them? What will my communications say? How will I deliver this message at the time that will have the best impact on my audience (and for me)? And what channels am I using or can I use for delivery?
You’ve developed your objectives and identified the key elements of your strategic plan. But can you communicate it properly throughout your organization?
The key to developing this understanding at all levels of an organization is effective strategic planning communication. When considering strategy implementation, the scope of an organization’s internal communication strategy can make or break the efforts.
With communication being such a prominent driver of strategic success, some organizations may find it helpful to develop a communication plan. A solid communication plan ensures information is being disseminated effectively at all levels.
What Is A Strategic Communication Plan?
A strategic communication plan is a written plan outlining communication to your team on your organization’s objectives. This plan is deliberate with messages and tactics used to help engage employees with your strategy and fuel performance success for your organization.
In his book Balanced Scorecard: Step-By-Step for Government and Nonprofit Agencies, Paul Niven outlines common objectives and key elements for developing a internal communication strategy. We’ll walk through both—and then provide you with a four-step plan that will help you better communicate your strategy.
Common Objectives For Your Strategic Plan
- Build awareness of the Balanced Scorecard, or strategic plan, at all levels of the organization
- Provide education on key Balanced Scorecard concepts to all audiences
- Generate the engagement and commitment of key stakeholders in the project
- Encourage participation in the process
- Generate enthusiasm for the Balanced Scorecard and strategic plan
- Ensure that team results are disseminated rapidly and effectively
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