Templates can give you an idea, but you should check whether your governance stakeholders have any specific requirements for the contents, format or structure of the plan.
Also, remember to make the plan "fit for purpose" - the plan for a large, complex transformation project with hundreds of stakeholders is quite different than that for a smaller project with only a handful.
A typical communication plan you will find includes Who (providers and receivers), What, When, Why, and How. That will cover distribution of certain types of data and meeting cadence reporting up and down the chain of command. If you look at several templates (which I recommend), you will find a few that add some specific information. They’re really not plans so much as requirements and objectives.
Digging a bit deeper, you may have certain types of communications that necessitate a legitimate plan. Managing a data distribution portal for information with different access limitations will require more detail, as will large involved project reviews, and external information disclosure to regulators or general public advertising as a couple of examples.
Your plan may need to identify these special types of communications requiring significant planning to support your end goals. Those may need more than a simple matrix, and include a timeline with documents and presentations to be produced, the vetting process prior to release, and have their own sub-tier schedules which need to integrate with the overall project plan to support key milestones. Saving Changes...
Nicholas TufaroCEO| Tufaro Information SystemsHudson, Fl, United States
In addition to what Keith Novak has said, also keep in mind that some individuals and/or groups respond well to different types of communications while at the same time "ghosting" other types of communications. It's best to meet with them and ask them "How frequently? How detailed? What format (text/email/phone call)?"
Once you've gathered that information and analyzed it, you may find that the best way to communicate something is not the way that you expected it! Perhaps a text message taking them to a SharePoint site with the weekly status report is preferred over an e-mail with the weekly status report in the body of the e-mail.
This is something that I've done in the past and seems to have worked out well. Saving Changes...
Templates are available for up to speed start up Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
Word of caution, Communication plans can become very (too) complex and bureaucratic. A good communication plan includes for the right information available to the right persons at the right time rather than all information to everyone all the time. I like to apply the Lean approach to communications - deliver value while minimize waste (time and effort). Communicate what is required for successful project delivery and corporate needs - no more, no less. Saving Changes...
"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."
