What is a Communication Plan?
A communication plan is a structured document or strategy that outlines how, when, and with whom project-related information will be shared. It ensures that the right messages reach the right audiences at the right time—supporting transparency, alignment, and trust.
In higher education, where projects often involve multiple departments, diverse stakeholders, and complex decision-making structures, a strong communication plan is essential. It helps keep everyone informed, reduces confusion, and supports adoption—especially during times of change management.
What are the benefits of a communication plan?
Developing a communication plan provides a number of key benefits:
- Improves Clarity: Ensures that everyone involved understands the project’s scope, purpose, and progress.
- Reduces Miscommunication: Prevents confusion or misinformation by centralizing messaging.
- Builds Trust: Stakeholders are more likely to engage with the work when they feel informed and included.
- Increases Efficiency: Reduces redundant updates or last-minute scrambles to answer questions.
- Supports Change: Plays a crucial role in navigating resistance and driving adoption during transitions.
For example, a team rolling out a new online student portal might develop a communication plan that includes FAQs, training sessions, student email announcements, faculty briefings, and a live demo video.
Where might you see a communication plan in higher education?
Communication plans are essential in a range of campus initiatives and projects, including:
- Technology implementations, where user groups (students, faculty, staff) need tailored messages
- Policy changes, to explain what’s changing and why
- Strategic planning, to communicate progress and collect feedback
- Event planning, especially for large-scale or multi-day events like orientation or commencement
- Organizational shifts, such as leadership transitions or departmental realignments
A step-by-step guide to creating a communication plan
- Use stakeholder identification and stakeholder analysis to understand who needs to receive information—and what they care about most.
- What do you want each audience to know, feel, or do as a result of your messaging?
- Develop a few clear, consistent talking points. Consider tailoring them for different groups, such as leadership, staff, students, or external partners.
- Choose the tools that work best for each audience: email, town halls, newsletters, websites, flyers, social media, meetings, or a project dashboard.
- Determine how often updates will be shared and on what schedule (e.g., weekly summaries, monthly progress emails, key date reminders).
- Decide who is responsible for crafting and sending each message. It might be the project lead, sponsor, or someone from a communications team.
- Build in feedback loops so stakeholders can ask questions and share reactions. Use insights from lessons learned or after-action reviews to strengthen future plans.
Reflective questions
- How do you currently communicate project updates to stakeholders? What’s working—and what’s not?
- What communication gaps have caused confusion or resistance in your past projects?
- Who are you not reaching in your current communication approach?
- What tools or formats are most effective for your audiences?
- How could a stronger communication plan support your team’s resource management plan, change management, or rollout strategy?