Company Communication Cadence

COMMUNICATION PHILOSOPHY

Company Communication Fundamentals

COMMUNICATION CADENCE PHILOSOPHY

WHY COMMUNICATION CADENCE MATTERS:
☐ Creates predictability and trust
☐ Ensures information flows to everyone
☐ Prevents information asymmetry
☐ Enables distributed decision-making
☐ Builds company-wide alignment
☐ Reduces anxiety and rumors

COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES:

1. DEFAULT TO TRANSPARENCY
   ☐ Share more, not less
   ☐ When in doubt, communicate
   ☐ Bad news travels fast anyway
   ☐ Trust people with information

2. CONSISTENCY BUILDS TRUST
   ☐ Same time, same channel
   ☐ Predictable cadence
   ☐ Keep commitments
   ☐ Show up reliably

3. RIGHT CHANNEL, RIGHT MESSAGE
   ☐ Urgent vs. important distinction
   ☐ Async vs. sync appropriately
   ☐ Audience-appropriate depth
   ☐ Format matches content

4. TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION
   ☐ Listen as much as talk
   ☐ Create feedback channels
   ☐ Act on input received
   ☐ Close the loop

COMMUNICATION ANTI-PATTERNS:
☐ Information hoarding
☐ Inconsistent messaging
☐ Wrong channel selection
☐ One-way broadcast only
☐ Assuming people know
☐ Overloading with detail

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COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK

Comprehensive Communication Cadence System

COMPANY COMMUNICATION CADENCE

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CEO COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
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ALL-HANDS MEETINGS:
Frequency: ☐ Weekly ☐ Bi-weekly ☐ Monthly
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Purpose: Company alignment, culture, transparency
Content:
  ☐ Business metrics and health
  ☐ Major wins and challenges
  ☐ Strategic updates
  ☐ Recognition and culture
  ☐ Q&A

CEO WEEKLY UPDATE:
Format: ☐ Email ☐ Slack ☐ Video (Loom)
Frequency: Weekly (e.g., Friday PM)
Length: 3-5 minutes to read/watch
Content:
  ☐ Week highlights
  ☐ What I'm thinking about
  ☐ Upcoming priorities
  ☐ Personal observation
  ☐ Shoutouts

SKIP-LEVEL CONVERSATIONS:
Frequency: Monthly (rotating)
Duration: 30 minutes each
Purpose: Pulse, development, accessibility
Approach:
  ☐ Schedule 4-6 per month
  ☐ Random or rotating selection
  ☐ Informal conversation
  ☐ Gather unfiltered feedback

CEO AMA (ASK ME ANYTHING):
Frequency: Quarterly
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Format: Pure Q&A
Rules:
  ☐ Pre-submitted questions (anonymous)
  ☐ Live questions welcome
  ☐ Will answer honestly
  ☐ "I don't know" is valid

CEO OFFICE HOURS:
Frequency: Weekly or bi-weekly
Duration: 1-2 hours (open door)
Purpose: Accessibility, culture
Format:
  ☐ Sign-up slots (15-20 min)
  ☐ Walk-ins if available
  ☐ Any topic welcome

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LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION
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EXECUTIVE TEAM TO COMPANY:
| Executive | Channel | Frequency | Content |
|-----------|---------|-----------|---------|
| CEO | All-hands | Bi-weekly | Overall |
| CTO | Tech update | Monthly | Product/Tech |
| CFO | Metrics | Monthly | Business |
| VP Sales | Revenue | Weekly | Pipeline |
| VP People | Culture | Monthly | People |

MANAGERS TO TEAMS:
Team meetings: Weekly (60 min)
1:1s: Weekly (30-45 min)
Async updates: Daily stand-ups
Performance: Quarterly reviews

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL:
Leadership sync: Weekly (exec team)
Department heads: Bi-weekly
Project teams: Per project cadence
Stakeholder updates: As needed

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OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION
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COMPANY METRICS:
Dashboard: Live/always accessible
Weekly summary: Key metrics email
Monthly deep dive: All-hands segment
Quarterly review: Full business review

PROJECT COMMUNICATION:
| Project Size | Updates | Channel |
|--------------|---------|---------|
| Large/strategic | Weekly | Slack + meeting |
| Medium | Bi-weekly | Slack |
| Small | Completion | Slack |

CHANGE COMMUNICATION:
Pre-announce: Leadership alignment
Announce: All-hands + written
Reinforce: Ongoing updates
Feedback: Open channels

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STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
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STRATEGY UPDATES:
Quarterly: Strategy review in all-hands
Annual: Full strategy share
On-demand: When significant changes occur

PLANNING COMMUNICATION:
Annual planning: Town hall on plan
OKR setting: Team-by-team rollout
Budget: Finance overview

BOARD COMMUNICATION TO COMPANY:
Post-board: Summary to all employees
Key decisions: As relevant
Investor updates: Quarterly summary

Channel Purpose Matrix

COMMUNICATION CHANNEL MATRIX

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CHANNEL SELECTION GUIDE
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| Channel | Best For | Not For | Response Time |
|---------|----------|---------|---------------|
| All-hands | Alignment, culture | Details | Sync |
| CEO email | Updates, context | Urgent | 24-48 hrs |
| Slack #general | Announcements | Discussions | Async |
| Slack channels | Team coordination | Sensitive topics | Hours |
| Slack DM | Quick questions | Complex issues | Hours |
| Email | Formal, detailed | Urgent, brief | 24 hrs |
| Video call | Decisions, nuance | Information share | Sync |
| Loom | Demos, updates | Discussion | Async |
| Doc/Notion | Reference, planning | Announcements | Async |
| 1:1 | Personal, coaching | Team info | Sync |

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URGENCY MATRIX
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URGENT + IMPORTANT:
☐ Direct message or call
☐ Immediate response expected
☐ Example: Customer crisis, outage

IMPORTANT + NOT URGENT:
☐ Email or scheduled meeting
☐ Response within 24-48 hours
☐ Example: Strategy input, planning

URGENT + NOT IMPORTANT:
☐ Slack or quick message
☐ Response same day
☐ Example: Meeting reschedule

NOT URGENT + NOT IMPORTANT:
☐ Async channels
☐ Response when convenient
☐ Example: FYI updates

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MESSAGE TYPE BY CHANNEL
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ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Primary: All-hands meeting
Secondary: Slack #general + email
Follow-up: Written documentation

DECISIONS:
Primary: Meeting with stakeholders
Secondary: Email summary to broader group
Follow-up: Update relevant docs

FEEDBACK REQUESTS:
Primary: Specific channel or survey
Secondary: Meeting discussion
Follow-up: Summary of input and decisions

RECOGNITION:
Primary: All-hands or team meeting
Secondary: Slack #wins channel
Follow-up: 1:1 acknowledgment

BAD NEWS:
Primary: Meeting first (team/individual)
Secondary: Broader communication appropriate
Follow-up: Check-in and support

Communication Calendar Template

ANNUAL COMMUNICATION CALENDAR

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MONTHLY RHYTHM
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WEEK 1:
Monday:
☐ CEO weekly update sent
☐ Executive team meeting
☐ All team meetings

Tuesday-Thursday:
☐ 1:1s (managers)
☐ Skip-levels (CEO)
☐ Cross-functional syncs

Friday:
☐ Week recap communications
☐ Recognition moments

WEEK 2:
Monday:
☐ CEO weekly update
☐ Executive team meeting

Tuesday:
☐ All-hands meeting (bi-weekly schedule)

Wednesday-Thursday:
☐ 1:1s continue
☐ Department meetings

Friday:
☐ Week recap

WEEK 3:
Monday:
☐ CEO weekly update
☐ Executive team meeting

Tuesday-Thursday:
☐ 1:1s
☐ Monthly department reviews begin

Friday:
☐ Cross-functional social

WEEK 4:
Monday:
☐ CEO weekly update
☐ Executive team meeting

Tuesday:
☐ All-hands meeting (bi-weekly schedule)

Wednesday:
☐ Monthly business review

Thursday:
☐ Next month planning

Friday:
☐ Month recap communication
☐ Monthly metrics shared

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QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION EVENTS
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QUARTER START (Week 1-2):
☐ OKR rollout communication
☐ Quarterly priorities all-hands
☐ Team goal-setting meetings

MID-QUARTER (Week 6-7):
☐ Progress check-in
☐ Strategy refresh if needed
☐ Team pulse surveys

QUARTER END (Week 12-13):
☐ QBR (Quarterly Business Review)
☐ Results communication
☐ Board meeting summary

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ANNUAL COMMUNICATION EVENTS
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Q1 (January):
☐ Annual kickoff all-hands
☐ Strategy and goals reveal
☐ Company celebration

Q2 (April):
☐ Q1 review
☐ Mid-year strategy check
☐ Engagement survey

Q3 (July):
☐ Mid-year state of company
☐ H2 priorities
☐ Team offsites

Q4 (October):
☐ Annual planning preview
☐ Year-end planning
☐ Budget communication

DECEMBER:
☐ Year in review
☐ Recognition celebration
☐ Next year preview

CEO Communication Templates

CEO COMMUNICATION TEMPLATES

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WEEKLY UPDATE TEMPLATE
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Subject: Week of [DATE] Update

Hey team,

HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:
• [Win 1]
• [Win 2]
• [Update]

WHAT I'M THINKING ABOUT:
[1-2 paragraphs on something strategic,
cultural, or reflective]

LOOKING AHEAD:
• [Priority 1]
• [Priority 2]

SHOUTOUTS:
Thanks to [names] for [specific contributions]

Have a great weekend,
[CEO]

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MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT TEMPLATE
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Subject: [Clear headline of announcement]

Team,

I'm writing to share [big news].

WHAT'S HAPPENING:
[Clear statement of the change/news]

WHY:
[Context and rationale]

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU:
[Specific impact]

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT:
• [Date]: [Action]
• [Date]: [Action]

QUESTIONS?
[Where to ask, when Q&A is]

[CEO]

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POST-BOARD SUMMARY TEMPLATE
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Subject: Board Meeting Recap - [Date]

Team,

Quick recap from our board meeting:

WHAT WE DISCUSSED:
• [Topic 1]
• [Topic 2]
• [Topic 3]

KEY FEEDBACK:
• [Board input]
• [Areas of focus]

DECISIONS MADE:
• [Decision 1]
• [Decision 2]

NEXT BOARD MEETING: [Date]

Questions? Drop them in #ask-ceo.

[CEO]

Communication Effectiveness Tracker

Metric	Target	Actual	Trend
All-hands attendance	>85%
CEO update open rate	>70%
Question submission rate	>10/meeting
Communication satisfaction (survey)	>4.0
"I feel informed" score	>4.0
Manager communication rating	>4.0

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