You need a communications plan whenever you communicating with the public. It’s a good idea to have an overarching strategy for all communications, as well as “mini” communications plans for projects such as a newsletter, or a major event, such as a conference.
Background: Where are you now?
Start by thinking about how you are communicating now. Are you saying what you want to say, to the people you want to say it to? By taking some time to think about the current situation, you’ll be ready for the next step—setting some objectives.
Objectives: What do you want to accomplish?
Why do you want to communicate with people? Is it to raise the profile of your organisation among decision-makers? To get people interested in supporting your organisation? Or to encourage people to support a cause you are promoting?
Of course you can’t do everything, so try to keep your objectives realistic. The old KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle is a good adage –with the best communications plans having no more than four to six objectives.
Messages: What do you want to say?
The best messages are short and simple – remember KISS!
Target audiences: Who do you want to say it to?
Most organisations want to communicate with many different audiences, including; for example:
• policy-makers (local and national)
• like-minded organisations
• the media
• academics, researchers and educational institutions
• industry or sector groups
• Iwi
• community groups
• general public
In a bulleted list, such as the one above, list all of the audiences—local, national and international—you want to reach.
Strategic considerations: What else should you consider when communicating?
Make a list of the most important influences—local, national and international—on what you are trying to communicate. You may want to consider local, national forest initiatives, and international views to what you are trying to communicate.
Approach and activities: How to get your message out?
Don’t forget to keep your messages, audiences and strategic considerations in mind. Start by deciding on your approach, then make a list of activities that support it.
For example, if your objective is to raise profile among decision-makers, your approach could be to share the results of appropriate research with local, national and international decision-makers.
Activities that support this approach could include organising workshops to demonstrate this research to decision-makers, or putting together a newsletter about the research and distributing it to key decision-makers.
Putting the plan into action
Your communications plan should include an action plan that explains:
• what you’re going to do
• when you’re going to do it
• who is going to do it
• how much it will cost