Three free tools and templates to improve your internal communications planning

Aimee
By Aimee Happ
October 16, 2021
4 min read
Blog
Communications
Woman taking notes for internal communications planning

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when mapping out your internal communications efforts, from planning and strategy to content creation. A few common questions we hear from internal comms professionals are, “how often should I post content?”, “is my internal comms plan truly effective?”, and “how do I create a solid, long-lasting strategy?”

If you’re asking yourself these questions, well, we’ve got you covered! Our team has created free templates and tools that were designed to specifically address these great questions. Your internal communications planning efforts will now be much smoother, seamless, and stress-free. 

Here are three free downloadable internal communications templates geared towards strategy, planning, and content creation.

1. Perfect your strategy with our Internal Communications Strategy Template

Our internal communications strategy template takes you through the agenda-setting and planning cycle for the next six months to a year (or longer!). This tool is most effective when you use your organization’s strategic objectives to inform the direction of your communications strategy. It’s also the perfect companion tool for our multi-channel messaging feature. 

Remember, your internal communications strategy should guide every piece of communications activity you carry out. It should be clear enough that you can easily refer back to it for guidance at the start of any new campaign or internal communications planning initiative. 

Having a solid strategy in place ensures members of your team are on the same page, gives other stakeholders insight into your long-term intentions, and provides you with a record of your plans.

Related reading: master internal communications by starting with a great strategy.

This strategy template is ideal for non-communicators who’ve found themselves suddenly responsible for communications planning. It’s also valuable for those who’ve been around for a while and are looking for a fresh perspective on the way they strategize their internal communications efforts.

Download your free internal communications strategy template now.

Team strategizing their internal communications planning

2. Create an effective internal communications planning document with our Communications Plan Template

Our internal communications planning template outlines the main themes you’ll need for your plan, so it’s easy to scan and customize. Use it as a starting point to structure your efforts and tailor them to your needs as you grow in your role.

Related reading: How to create an effective internal communications plan.

A communication plan is an internal communicator’s most essential tool. It’s the crucial drawing board that helps us take on the landslide of ad-hoc communications we consume on a daily basis. 

The good news is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to utilizing this template for your internal communications planning. It can be as simple or detailed as you need it to be. The aim is to streamline your efforts and manage the high volume of comms within your team. 

Download the free internal communications plan template here.

3. Improve your internal communications planning with our Content Calendar Template

Content creation is often the most complex part of the internal comms process, which is understandable. From figuring out what your content should look like, to determining the frequency, and creating strong, value-driven copy, there is a lot to consider. After all, your team is busy and you want to ensure your messaging is engaging and relevant. 

Having a content calendar that maps out internal comms planning and activities for the year will help you to stay organized, avoid scheduling conflicts, work better as a team, and demonstrate the value you provide to the business. 

We created this dynamic template that collates activity from each monthly tab onto an annual tab, providing a view of all upcoming and past activities. Once you’ve used this template to map out your content, it will be that much easier to organize your internal comms planning with our multi-channel messaging feature

Download your free content calendar now.

Maximize your internal communications planning efforts with Reach

There you have it! We hope you find these free tools useful in your internal communications planning efforts.

Visit our Resources page for more free tools, templates, and ebooks. Once you’ve gone through them, put your completed templates to work in real life by booking a free demo of our purpose-made internal comms software, Reach. We’ll show you how the software was designed to help you apply internal communications planning best practices so that you can organize, engage, and measure your internal comms.

Aimee
By Aimee Happ

Aimee Happ is proud to lead the marketing team at IC and enjoys working with the dynamic and diverse team that surrounds her. She is inspired on a daily basis by the company's mission of empowering internal communicators. Aimee holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary and loves to travel.