Internal Communications Framework

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

Objectives & Outcomes

Objective	Desired Outcome	Success Metric
Alignment	Employees understand strategy and priorities	Strategy understanding surveys
Engagement	Employees feel connected and informed	Engagement scores
Culture	Values and behaviors are reinforced	Culture surveys
Trust	Leadership is seen as transparent	Trust scores
Efficiency	Information flows effectively	Information satisfaction

Audience Segmentation

Segment	Characteristics	Key Needs	Best Channels
Leadership	Executives, directors	Strategic context, early info	Direct, small meetings
Managers	People managers	How to communicate to teams	Email, manager meetings
IC Contributors	Individual contributors	What it means for me	All-hands, Slack, email
Remote/Distributed	Not in HQ	Inclusion, access	Video, async channels
New Hires	<90 days	Context, culture	Onboarding, buddy program

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COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

Channel Strategy Matrix

Channel	Best For	Frequency	Owner
All-Hands	Major updates, vision, celebration	Monthly/quarterly	CEO
Email (CEO)	Important announcements	As needed	CEO
Email (HR/Ops)	Policy, benefits, admin	As needed	HR
Slack/Teams	Real-time, informal, urgent	Ongoing	Various
Internal Newsletter	Curated updates, culture	Weekly/bi-weekly	Comms
Intranet/Wiki	Reference, documentation	Updated as needed	Ops
Manager Cascade	Team-specific context	After major announcements	Managers

Channel Selection Decision Tree

WHICH CHANNEL TO USE?

Is it urgent/breaking?
├── Yes → Slack/Teams + follow-up email
└── No ↓

Is it a major announcement?
├── Yes → All-hands + CEO email + Slack
└── No ↓

Does it affect everyone?
├── Yes → Email to all + Slack
└── No ↓

Does it need discussion/context?
├── Yes → Manager cascade or team meeting
└── No ↓

Is it reference information?
└── Wiki/Intranet

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COMMUNICATION TYPES

Company Updates

COMPANY UPDATE TEMPLATE

SUBJECT: [Month/Quarter] Company Update

Hi team,

Here's what's happening at [Company]:

📈 BUSINESS UPDATE
• [Key metric]: [Current state]
• [Highlight]: [Achievement]
• [Focus area]: [What we're working on]

🎯 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
• [Priority 1]: [Status]
• [Priority 2]: [Status]
• [Priority 3]: [Status]

🙌 WINS & RECOGNITION
• [Team/Person] for [Achievement]
• [Customer win]
• [Other win]

📅 WHAT'S COMING
• [Upcoming event/milestone]
• [Date to know about]

Questions? [How to ask]

[Leader name]

Strategic Communication

STRATEGY COMMUNICATION TEMPLATE

SUBJECT: Our Plan for [Period/Initiative]

Team,

I want to share our thinking on [topic] and what it means for us.

THE CONTEXT:
[Why we're making this decision - 2-3 sentences]

WHAT WE'RE DOING:
[Clear description of the plan - 3-4 sentences]

WHY THIS APPROACH:
[Reasoning behind the decision - bullet points]
• [Reason 1]
• [Reason 2]
• [Reason 3]

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU:
[Impact on employees - specific and honest]

TIMELINE:
• [Date]: [Milestone]
• [Date]: [Milestone]

QUESTIONS:
[How to ask questions - specific channel/meeting]

I'll share more as we progress. Thank you for your commitment
to [Company].

[Leader name]

Change Communication

CHANGE COMMUNICATION TEMPLATE

SUBJECT: [Changes to X / Important Update on X]

Team,

I'm writing to share some changes that will affect [scope].

WHAT'S CHANGING:
[Clear, specific description of the change]

WHY WE'RE MAKING THIS CHANGE:
[Honest reasoning - don't spin]
• [Reason 1]
• [Reason 2]

WHAT'S NOT CHANGING:
[Reassurance about what remains stable]

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU:
[Specific impact by group if different]
• [Group 1]: [Impact]
• [Group 2]: [Impact]

TIMELINE:
• [Date]: [What happens]
• [Date]: [What happens]
• [Date]: [Effective]

YOUR QUESTIONS:
I know this raises questions. Here's how to get answers:
• [FAQ document/link]
• [Q&A session date/time]
• [Direct contact for specific concerns]

[Personal note acknowledging the impact]

[Leader name]

Crisis Communication

INTERNAL CRISIS COMMUNICATION TEMPLATE

SUBJECT: [IMPORTANT] Update on [Situation]

Team,

You may be aware of [situation]. I want to make sure you have
accurate information directly from me.

WHAT HAPPENED:
[Clear, factual description - no speculation]

WHAT WE'RE DOING:
• [Action 1]
• [Action 2]
• [Action 3]

WHAT WE KNOW (AND DON'T KNOW):
We know: [Facts]
We don't yet know: [Uncertainties - be honest]

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:
• [Guidance on external inquiries]
• [Guidance on customer/partner questions]
• [Other relevant guidance]

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT DO:
• Do not speculate with customers or media
• Do not share information on social media
• Direct all external inquiries to [contact]

I will update you [when/how often]. If you have questions,
[how to ask].

[Leader name]

Celebration Communication

CELEBRATION COMMUNICATION TEMPLATE

SUBJECT: 🎉 [Achievement] - Celebrating [Team/Person]

Team,

I wanted to take a moment to recognize [achievement].

THE WIN:
[Description of what was achieved]

WHY THIS MATTERS:
[Significance - business impact, customer impact, team impact]

WHO MADE IT HAPPEN:
[Recognition of individuals/teams - be specific]
• [Person/Team]: [Their contribution]
• [Person/Team]: [Their contribution]

WHAT THIS SHOWS:
This is a great example of [value/behavior we want to reinforce].

Congratulations to everyone who contributed. 👏

[Leader name]

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ALL-HANDS MEETINGS

All-Hands Structure Template

ALL-HANDS AGENDA TEMPLATE

DURATION: [60-90 minutes]

1. OPENING (5 min)
   • Welcome, housekeeping
   • Acknowledge new hires

2. BUSINESS UPDATE (15-20 min)
   • Key metrics
   • Progress on priorities
   • Customer wins

3. DEEP DIVE (15-20 min)
   • [Rotating topic - product, team, initiative]
   • Guest presenter from the team

4. RECOGNITION (10 min)
   • Team/individual shoutouts
   • Values awards
   • Milestone recognition

5. LOOKING AHEAD (10 min)
   • Upcoming priorities
   • Important dates
   • Teasers

6. Q&A (15-20 min)
   • Pre-submitted questions
   • Live questions
   • Closing

POST-MEETING:
• Recording shared within 24 hours
• Summary notes distributed
• Unanswered questions addressed

All-Hands Best Practices

Do	Don't
Start and end on time	Run over without warning
Mix formats (video, slides, demos)	Read slides verbatim
Acknowledge difficult topics	Avoid tough questions
Leave time for real Q&A	Plant questions or rush Q&A
Share recording for remote/absent	Make it the only source of info

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MEASUREMENT

Internal Comms Metrics

Metric	How to Measure	Target
Open rates	Email analytics	70%+
Engagement	Slack reactions, comments	Increasing
All-hands attendance	Meeting attendance	80%+
Understanding	Pulse surveys	80%+ understand strategy
Satisfaction	Annual survey	"Well-informed" 75%+

Quarterly Communications Review

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS QUARTERLY REVIEW

COMMUNICATIONS SENT:
• CEO emails: _____
• All-hands: _____
• Newsletter editions: _____

ENGAGEMENT METRICS:
• Average email open rate: _____%
• All-hands attendance: _____%
• Slack engagement: [trend]

FEEDBACK THEMES:
• What employees want more of: _____
• What employees want less of: _____
• Questions/concerns raised: _____

CRISIS/CHANGE COMMUNICATIONS:
• [Event]: [How we handled it]
• [Event]: [How we handled it]

IMPROVEMENTS FOR NEXT QUARTER:
1. _____
2. _____
3. _____

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