How To Stick With An Internal Communications Plan

After several weeks of consultation, collaboration and preparation, your communications plan has been published! And you are pretty chuffed with it too. You have addressed the needs of all stakeholders and are using a variety of communications channels. So, it’s a job well done, right?

Well, developing a communications plan is only part of the process. Making sure you stick to the plan and regularly review progress is just as important. Here we share some tips on how to ensure you stick with an internal communications plan.

Incorporate review mechanisms

Your company’s operating environment is likely to change over time. Economics, technology and politics can all have significant impacts on your market. Even six months ago, who would have anticipated the far-reaching effects of the coronavirus pandemic on work?

And that’s why it’s essential to have review mechanisms incorporated within your communications plan. Senior managers and team leaders should regularly check that the plan’s goals remain aligned with your brand. Is the strategy relevant to today’s operating environment? And does it still reflect the organisation’s aims and objectives?

Regular reviews also allow you to monitor and assess what’s working well. And perhaps more importantly, it means you can take early corrective action for those aspects that need improving.

Involve Employees

Involve employees in the development and ongoing review of the communications plan. An effective plan includes two-way communication channels. Whether it’s a #comms channel on the team chat, CEO blogs, Q&A staff sessions or social intranets, continuous dialogue is essential.

Staff involvement makes your strategy more effective as workers have increased buy-in to the process. Furthermore, it increases accountability. Employees will be keeping a check on progress and can provide honest feedback.

An inclusive approach has other benefits too. Research from Salesforce found employees who have an organisational voice are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered and perform their best work.

Delegate Tasks

All too often, the burden of delivery falls to already overloaded senior managers within the organisation. Delegating tasks to team leaders is one way to share responsibility for delivery as well as ownership of the strategy. And while you are at it, why not set up a cross-departmental staff group to oversee the strategy’s implementation? The involvement of a broad cross-section of workers will improve your rates of employee engagement across the board. And it sends a crucial message to staff about how much you value their input. Be sure to assign a senior manager to the group to ensure it has sufficient authority and the necessary resources.

Internal Communications Plan: Invest To Succeed

Internal communication is the key driver of employee engagement. And the statistics on the impact of engagement speak volumes. Engaged employees are 44% more productive and contribute 20% more revenue. Sticking with your internal communications plan is well worth the investment. Make sure you stay on track with these tips.