Final Communication Plan

Assignment Information & Grading Rubric for Communications Plan Paper (Final Project)

Learning Objective: Students demonstrate writing skills, application of course concepts, and consultative and evaluation skills in responding to an organizational need.

_______Writing – 30% Paper consists of full sentences, topic sentences, and clear thought process. Content is organized in a logical manner. Student includes a variety of content, including paraphrased information and sources beyond class assigned reading material. All sources are cited.

______ Content – 70% Student identifies an organization/unit in which they have personal experience and/or exposure, and examines an organizational change that should be communicated to both internal and external stakeholders. (*If a topic cannot be identified, students can use one provided – please reference the end of this document). As part of the strategic communication plan, students will need to address the following:

1. Identify the internal and external constituents. This should include 3 – 4 internal stakeholders and 3 – 4 external stakeholders. These should be clearly identified in your plan and you should offer an overview of each. In relation to your plan, are they supportive of the change? Why or why not? What concerns may they have? How will your messaging either capture their support or address their resistance?

2. Evaluate what communication methods and channels are most appropriate for each. Explain why. This should include a look at traditional communication methods (internal print publications; external print publications) or new communication methods (social media, internal websites, blogs, etc.). What factors did you consider when determining the most appropriate channel?

3. Determine the leadership approach to the communications for each group that is most appropriate. Explain why. Please reference outside sources and/or your previous course discussions about leadership theory. Based on your stakeholders, what type of leadership approach is most effective? Why?

4. Develop a communication plan based on the following timeline: immediate launch; one week post initial messaging; one month post initial messaging. The format for this section (only) can be an outline and include bullet points.

5. As part of the plan, students will need to identify the key messaging. The plan should include a minimum of four different methods that can be used to deliver the message. This includes written, oral and multi-media presentations. The student will need to evaluate why each method was selected for the different constituent groups. For this section, please reference the methods and channels you identified in section two and provide specific messaging for each.

6. Students will also need to develop evaluation criteria. For this section, students will need to establish communication methods for evaluating the reaction of the different constituents and how that will be incorporated for future communications. You will need to identify specific ways to track the effectiveness of your communications. This could include employee surveys, focus groups, website/social media views, etc.

Students will need to reference course concepts and readings and demonstrate that you are applying such scholarly knowledge into their plan development. Within your plan, you need to reference outside research to support your plan components. This can include readings from the course, as well as additional research. Please use a minimum of four external sources. You should incorporate the sources throughout your paper to support your methodology as you develop your communications plan.

The final plan should be compiled into a document between 8 – 10 pages. In addition to the 8 – 10 pages, please include a Reference page and a Title page.

A presentation to your classmates, including a visual component, is also required. Students need to ensure that they are not revealing confidential information regarding their employer.

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*Your organization is facing a revenue decline and the organization as a whole has to reduce operating expenses effective immediately. This includes a salary freeze for 6 months; a hiring freeze; and suspension of any overtime hours for 6 months. While this message has a direct impact on internal employees, the perception of such cutbacks also impacts external constituents.