Communications Plans

From nice to have to must have

I learned one of my most valuable communications lessons on a large-scale transformation project where, despite multiple channels and very frequent communications, stakeholders still felt blindsided. We had emails, intranet pages, slide decks, even town halls, yet the staff of this organisation were still saying, “I didn’t know this was coming.” At first, I was puzzled. We were everywhere. But then it clicked: there’s no such thing as “enough” communication, only “effective” communication. Our project was communicating, but not connecting. The comms were too broad, lacked authenticity, were not targeted and weren’t timed properly. The staff had tuned out or never tuned in. That experience taught me that more isn’t always better. It’s about the right message, from the right person, at the right time. Because once stakeholders stop listening, every additional message becomes noise.

So let’s be honest. Most projects treat communications planning like a checkbox. A sterile spreadsheet of bullet points that says “we’ve got comms covered.” That’s not a plan, that’s just theatre.

A true communications plan, executed well, is one of the most quietly powerful tools in a consultant’s toolkit. It’s where strategy meets delivery. It’s how you move hearts and minds, shift behaviour, and drive real understanding and perhaps even adoption. And it’s often the missing link between a brilliant idea and actual impact.

Here’s how to turn a communications plan from a nice-to-have into a necessity.

A Starting Framework

I’ve found the Change Ladder a particularly useful starting point. It helps not just with planning communications, but with navigating resistance and targeting the right messages to the right people at the right time. The ladder helps you plot where stakeholders are in their journey: from completely unaware, to aware, to understanding and beyond. Each step upward reflects a deeper level of engagement.

But here’s the important catch: not every stakeholder needs to reach the top. Some only need to understand the change to support it passively. Others like change champions, decision-makers, or impacted users might need to fully believe in and act on the change. Trying to force everyone up every rung risks wasted effort and creates unnecessary resistance. It’s about matching the message to the moment and the stakeholder’s role.

The ladder also reveals common pitfalls. Missteps like jumping from awareness straight to action, or skipping understanding altogether, are when resistance takes root. Once someone feels railroaded or confused, it’s harder to regain trust or interest. The ladder gives you a tool not just to build momentum, but to recover when it’s lost. It turns communications from a broadcast into a strategy, helping you guide stakeholders up the right path instead of pushing them up the wrong one.

Communications Guiding Principles

Before I get into the plan, here are some guiding principles. Good communication is not a broadcast. It’s a conversation to connect. Your plan should be built on principles that make communication useful, human, and repeatable. Think relevance, cadence, tone, and trust.

• A communications plan doesn't replace a change plan. Communications is only part of a mix of streams of effort to make change happen.
• Formal comms matter, but they don’t replace authentic dialogue
• People hear messages best from those they trust (usually their direct manager)
• Message frequency matters. Don’t be afraid to repeat
• Simplicity wins. Focus on what they need to know, not everything you know
• Don’t flood. Chunk your content and feed it slowly according to phase and need
• Feedback isn’t optional. It’s how you course-correct
• Not all stakeholders need to know or understand, but give them the option if they want to (usually in the form of passive comms like web pages)
• A communications plan doesn't replace a change plan. Communications is only part of a mix of streams of effort to make change happen.

Know When to Use a Comms Plan

Communications planning should begin as soon as you start shaping the project, ideally during the kick-off phase. But it’s not a set-and-forget document. It needs to be updated at every major milestone to stay relevant. Use it to align stakeholder messaging, prepare change champions, and support readiness throughout delivery. And don’t wait until things turn to custard to dust it off. A comms plan won’t rescue a project already in crisis — it only works if you’ve laid the groundwork early.

Build from Strategy, Not Tactics

The comms plan should roll directly out of your communications strategy, not sit beside it. That means starting with stakeholder groups, not deliverables. Map the who and why before you go near the what and how.

Steps to build a comms plan:

1. Identify your audiences: Use your stakeholder analysis to segment
2. Define objectives: What do you want them to know, feel, or do and what rung of the change ladder do you need them at
3. Craft key messages: Tailored, clear, and designed to trigger a response
4. Select channels: Pick the medium that suits the message and the audience
5. Assign responsibilities: Who crafts it, who signs off, who delivers it
6. Design feedback loops: How will you know it worked or whether they have reached the target you want

Use the Right Medium for the Right Message

We all default to email. It’s easy, quick, and familiar. But in most projects, it’s rarely enough. Relying on a single channel creates gaps in understanding and engagement. A good communications plan mixes messages across formats and moments, matching the message to the audience and the context.

Channel types to consider:

• Face-to-face: Best for building trust, managing sensitive issues, and enabling dialogue. This includes one-on-one conversations, small group briefings, and stakeholder meetings. People are more likely to engage and ask questions in person.
• Print: Useful for clarity, visibility, and reinforcing core messages. Think posters, flyers, handouts, and infographics. These are great for physical environments like offices, control rooms, or shared spaces.
• Digital: Covers emails, intranet updates, web pages, chat tools (like Teams or Slack), and newsletters. These channels are efficient, scalable, and easily tracked. Just make sure the volume doesn’t dilute the signal.
• Audio-visual: Includes videos, voice memos, animated explainers, or recorded webinars. High-impact formats that help explain complex changes simply and can be revisited by stakeholders on demand. Ideal for dispersed or remote teams.
• Cascade communications: When frontline leaders or line managers deliver messages verbally or in team huddles. This builds credibility and allows for immediate clarification. In my experience, this is often the most effective but underused approach.
• Events and town halls: Great for milestone moments, large-scale alignment, or answering questions at scale. These work best when structured around two-way engagement, not just one-way presentations.
• Workshops and forums: Designed for co-creation, feedback, and surfacing risks or concerns. These are valuable for shaping the message as well as sharing it.
• Passive channels: Think dashboards, digital signage, or pinned resources that stakeholders can check when they need to. These don’t push a message but keep it accessible and visible.

Feedback Makes It a Plan, Not a Monologue

If you’re not collecting feedback, you’re not communicating. You’re broadcasting. The most effective comms plans build in structured, low-friction ways for stakeholders to respond, question, or escalate.

Feedback mechanisms might include:

• Surveys
• Q&A forums
• Comment fields
• Quick pulse polls
• Team debriefs
• Manager cascades

Get Sign-Off Right

Delays in communication often come from unclear sign-off processes. Define this early. Who approves what, and how quickly? Avoid the bureaucratic black hole.

Final Word

A communications plan isn’t an afterthought. It’s an enabler of everything else. When done well, it shapes perception, reduces resistance, and pulls people forward before change reaches their door.

Don’t let the simplicity fool you. This is serious consulting craft and one of the highest-ROI tools in your kit.

Bonus – Here’s my comprehsive Ai Prompt for a deeply considered Communications Plan