Project Name

Communications plan

Date

Background to the project

(Include a summary statement on the project, including membership of the project board, timeframe for delivery, and a reference to the business case, with reference to the benefits the project will bring. It might be useful to include a statement on any other college initiatives that could be supported by or negatively impacted by the communications of this project e.g. predicted benefits to the National Student Survey (NSS) or the employee engagement survey results).

Our stakeholder communications: plan of action

i)  Overall objectives for all of our communications

(State the objectives of the plan using the following as a basis for thought. It is important for objectives to be SMART – to have clear aims and measurable outcomes.)

In summary, our overall communication objectives are to:

·  Raise awareness of the xxx project.

·  Share the benefits …

·  Ensure those who are affected by xxx project are well informed, consulted and engaged in the practical implications of the project.

·  Provide our staff, students and stakeholders with a way in which to get involved

·  Celebrate the success of the project once it’s complete, through personal stories in the weekly Principal’s message and/or stories on iQuad.

We want all of our target audiences to:

·  Think about the xxx project ….

·  Feel positively about the xxx project ...

·  Act in support of the xxx project …

ii)  Target audiences

(Identify who will be interested in this project and the potential impact of the project, both internal e.g. students and staff and external e.g. the local community as applicable.)

There are a number of stakeholders who have an interest in the xxx project for a range of reasons. The stakeholder groups make up our target audience for the xxx communication plan. These target audiences, the impact of xxx on them, and our objectives in communication with them, are as follows:

Audience / Why are they interested in this activity? / What are our objectives in communicating with this group?
Executive
Academic Staff
Professional Services staff
Students
xxx

iii)  Our message map – what’s the story?

(The message map succinctly captures the overarching benefits of the project, through the key message and supporting messages. You can see an example outlined in the diagram below, which relates to the new Library and Student Services Centre.

The proof points should quantify the benefits e.g. why the project is needed, what tangible changes it will bring. The anecdotes box should show how the messages in this map will be brought to life – this can focus on any videos or imagery that you may have to showcase the project, for example)

In our communications with all of our stakeholders we will have a series of core messages, which we continually reinforce. By following this approach we can ensure real clarity on what the project means for us as a College, and in turn for our staff, students, alumni and local community where appropriate.

iv)  Communication channels

(Which channels will be used for the communication?)

We will use a range of communication channels and techniques specific to the target audience. The channels include:

Staff:

·  Staff eZine - …

·  Staff intranet (iQuad) - …

·  Yammer - …

·  Tailored emails - …

Students:

·  Student eZine - …

·  Tailored emails - …

·  A5 cards for Common Room - …

Executive:

·  Committee meetings

·  Reports

Stakeholders:

·  Tailored emails - …

·  Project reports - …

v)  Communication plan timings

[In developing the plan, it’s important to map the communication landmarks (e.g. each communication via a particular channel to an audience) against the project landmarks. You may want to do this in a table at this stage or in a separate excel spreadsheet and encourage people to view an annex e.g. ‘Please see annex 1 for more detail on the communications plan, including project and communications timings.’ – see example of a communications plan on page 6 of this document]

vi)  Feedback mechanism

[Include a statement on how stakeholders can provide feedback on the project.]

vii)  Budget

[What budget is required from the project to deliver the communication plan? Consider brochures, conferences etc. Do you need to ask the Project Board for funding?]

Items / Business need / Cost
Total / £ xxx
Page 3 of 6

Annex 1: Communications Plan

Year 1 / Month 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12
Project
Landmarks (group into consultation, delivery, celebration)
Audience
Board / PID (incl. top line planned messaging) / Highlight Report / Milestone Report / Highlight Report / Milestone report
Staff / iQuad / iQuad
Students / eZine / eZine
Executive / Business Case / Update Report / Update Report / Update Report / Exception Report
Page 3 of 6