HOW TO WRITE A CORPORATE COMMUNICATION PLAN?

How to Develop the Plan

Take the following steps to develop an effective communications plan:

1. Conduct a research-communications audit. Evaluate your current

communications. Some organizations hire firms to do this, but the price for the

objectivity of an outside auditor can be high. To conduct your own audit, find

out:

·        what every employee is doing in the way of communication,

·        what each communication activity is designed to achieve, and

·        how effective each activity is.

To get the answers to these questions:

·        brainstorm with staff,

·        talk to department heads,

·        interview the Board President & CEO,

·        interview board members,

·        survey customers/clients,

·        host focus groups, and

·        query non-customers.

2. Define your objectives. Armed with information from your audit, define your overall communications objectives (that is, the results you want to achieve).

These might include such objectives as:

ü excellent service to customers/clients/donors,

ü customer loyalty,

ü increased program enrolment,

ü centralization of the communications effort,

ü increased employee teamwork,

ü improved employee retention and recruitment,

ü improved program delivery,

ü visibility for the organization, and

ü influence on media, customers/clients/donors, and other audiences.

3. Define your audience. List all the audiences that your organization might want to contact, attempt to influence, or serve. Included on your list may be:

o   clients,

o   general public,

o   competitors,

o   funders/donors,

o   program staff,

o   subcontractors,

o   employees,

o   federal, regional, and local governments,

o   spokespeople, and

o   the media.

4. Define your goals. With stated objectives-and considering available human and financial resources-develop your goals or program of work. In other words, develop a comprehensive, multi-task approach to achieving each objective.

5. Identify tools. Decide what tools will be used to accomplish the stated

goals. These tools are the nitty-gritty tasks you'll be tackling all

year-everything from a simple flyer to an employee newsletter to a CD-ROM.

Don't overlook less obvious tools such as posters, report covers, and web sites. Plan to brainstorm ideas with staff (or even a colleague or two from a non-competing organization) in a totally freewheeling afternoon.

6. Figure costs. In order to select among the options available, develop cost

estimates for each approach. At this point, estimates are close enough to land

you within established budget parameters so that you can make choices. Later, more precise costs can be pinpointed.

7. Establish a timetable. Once objectives, goals, audiences, and tools have been identified, quantify the results into a calendar grid that outlines roughly what projects will be accomplished and when. Separate objectives into logical time periods (monthly, weekly, etc.).

8. Evaluate results. Build into your plan a method for measuring results.