Communication planning

Communication Planning

Effective communication does not happen by chance, but rather results from careful and thoughtful planning.

A mistake that many organizations make is to confuse means with ends; in other words, they decide on specific communication tactics without clearly determining what they want to accomplish and what problems or needs the tactic will address. Considerable time, energy, and money can be wasted on communications tools — like newsletters or brochures — that look good but have no clear purpose or goals. It is critical for organizations to first identify what they want to accomplish, with whom, and why. Selecting the most effective means for achieving the expressed goals then becomes easier and more purposeful.

Communication plans can be developed in a number of different ways, using a variety of terms. They can be used to launch a new product, or to plan the ongoing growth of the firm. They should be a key component of any business plan. In the end, however, all of them need to include these key ingredients:

Background — a brief description of the situation at hand, including any pertinent information leading up to the challenge being addressed by the plan.
Desired outcomes — a list of objectives you want to achieve.
Audience(s) — the various groups who are involved or on the receiving end of the communication strategies.
Positioning statements — key statements that describe who you are and what you do.
Strategy(ies) — the overall communication approaches that will be used.
Tactics — the specific communication activities you will use to achieve the desired outcomes.
Implementation Plan — a timeline of when each communication activity will take place and who will be responsible.
Budget — costs related to implementing the plan.
Evaluation — an analysis of the success of the communication plan, what worked, what didn’t and why.

in•sight communications has developed communications plans for a variety of businesses and organizations. We can help you develop a plan that will bring in bottom line results for your organization.