Create a communications plan for [INITIATIVE OR CHANGE]. The goal is [DESIRED OUTCOME], and the plan must run from [START DATE] through [END DATE]. These are the audiences, their current understanding, likely concerns, and required actions: [AUDIENCES AND ACTIONS]. Use these confirmed facts only: [FACTS, DECISIONS, AND CONSTRAINTS]. The available channels, owners, approval process, and budget limits are: [CHANNELS AND RESOURCES]. Known risks, sensitive topics, dependencies, and dates are: [RISKS AND MILESTONES]. Produce a plan with these sections: 1. A one-paragraph communication objective and three message pillars, each supported by a confirmed fact.
2. An audience matrix with audience, need, action, message emphasis, channel, sender, timing, and feedback route. 3. A chronological communications calendar showing draft, review, send, reminder, manager cascade, and follow-up moments. 4. Draft copy for the primary announcement: subject line, 100–150-word message, call to action, and FAQ links or next steps. 5. A risk register listing likely misunderstandings, early warning signs, mitigation, owner, and escalation path. 6. Measurement: reach, understanding, behavior, and feedback metrics, including how each will be collected. Separate facts from assumptions. Do not claim a decision is final, promise dates, or state legal, employment, financial, privacy, or customer impacts unless I supplied confirmation. Avoid sending every audience the same message: tailor the level of detail and sender to their role. Before answering, check that every audience has a required action or a deliberate reason for receiving information only, and check that each calendar item has an owner and approval path. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [INITIATIVE OR CHANGE] | Enter the project, launch, policy change, or event being communicated. | Company-wide migration from the legacy expense tool to Ramp. |
| [DESIRED OUTCOME] | State the decision, behavior, adoption level, or understanding the communications should achieve. | All employees submit expenses in Ramp by July 1, and managers approve reports within five business days. |
| [START DATE] | Enter the date communications work begins. | May 6 |
| [END DATE] | Enter the date by which the communications cycle should finish. | July 15 |
| [AUDIENCES AND ACTIONS] | List each audience with what they know now, their concerns, and what you need them to do. | Employees need to activate accounts and submit expenses; managers need to approve; finance needs to answer exceptions; executives need a short status view. |
| [FACTS, DECISIONS, AND CONSTRAINTS] | Provide approved facts, decisions, non-negotiable constraints, and wording that must be used. | Legacy tool becomes read-only June 24; existing receipts will migrate; corporate cards will feed Ramp automatically; reimbursement policy does not change. |
| [CHANNELS AND RESOURCES] | List available channels, message owners, approvers, capacity, and budget limits. | Email, Slack, manager toolkit, office hours, intranet; Finance owns content, Legal approves privacy wording, no paid budget. |
| [RISKS AND MILESTONES] | List sensitive issues, dependencies, important dates, and foreseeable communication risks. | Payroll cutoffs on May 15 and June 15; concern about receipt privacy; IT account provisioning must complete by May 10. |
How to use
- Paste only confirmed decisions and label open decisions as open.
- Check that each audience receives a message from a credible sender and has one clear action.
- Have the named approvers validate regulated, employment, privacy, or customer-facing claims before release.
- Send: “Draft the manager toolkit for the calendar item on May 20, including three likely team questions and approved answers.”
Variations
Executive update
Use this for a concise decision and status communication.
Write a one-page executive communications brief for [INITIATIVE]. Decision-makers are [AUDIENCE], and they need to decide [DECISION] by [DATE]. Use these verified facts: [FACTS]. Include the recommendation, why it matters now, stakeholders affected, decisions already made, open risks, and the exact ask. Limit it to 400 words plus a five-row milestone table. Flag unsupported claims and distinguish confirmed dates from working dates. Ask up to 3 questions only if a required input is missing.
Crisis holding statement
Use this in the first hours of a developing issue.
Draft internal and external holding statements for [INCIDENT]. Confirmed facts are [CONFIRMED FACTS]; unknowns are [UNKNOWNS]; approved spokesperson is [SPOKESPERSON]; next update is planned for [TIME]. Produce a 75-word employee statement, a 75-word public statement, and a Q&A of five likely questions with only verified answers. Do not speculate, assign blame, disclose personal information, or promise an outcome. Mark any statement that needs legal or regulatory approval.
Project stakeholder map
Use this before creating messages for a complex program.
Build a stakeholder communication map for [PROJECT]. Stakeholders are [STAKEHOLDERS], and the key decisions or milestones are [MILESTONES]. For each group, identify influence, impact, likely concern, information they need, required action, preferred channel, sender, cadence, and feedback mechanism. Use only these known constraints: [CONSTRAINTS]. Then identify conflicts between stakeholder needs and propose a sequencing rule. Flag groups whose role or authority is not clear rather than inventing it.
Tips
- Write the required action before drafting the message; an audience that only needs awareness should not receive a fake call to action.
- A calendar should include review and manager-cascade dates, not just send dates.
- Give frontline managers a short talk track before employees receive a change that will generate questions.
- Measure understanding with a question or observed behavior, not only open and click rates.
FAQ
Should every stakeholder get the same announcement?
Usually not. Executives, managers, affected employees, customers, and partners need different levels of detail and different senders.
What makes a communications plan actionable?
Every message has an owner, approver, audience, timing, channel, desired action, and way to collect feedback.
Can AI write sensitive employee or customer messages?
It can create a draft, but confirmed facts and required legal, HR, privacy, or regulatory review must control the final wording.