For consultants planning who hears what, and when
Communication Plan Template With Example
A seven-column communication plan: who hears what about your project, from whom, how and when, plus an escalation path and an annotated change example.
How it works
How do you write a communication plan?
To write a communication plan, list the groups who need to hear about the project and agree three core messages with the sponsor. Then give each group its own row in a table. Each row says what that group needs to know, who tells them, through which channel, how often and when, and where they can ask questions. Name one person as each row's owner, never a team. The Project Management Institute found in 2013 that high-performing organizations created formal communications plans for nearly twice as many projects1 as low performers.
Take the groups from your stakeholder analysis, and split any group where some people are affected and others aren't. The core messages cover why the project is happening, what changes and when, and what it means for each person. Prosci, which sells change management training, finds that employees prefer to hear the business reasons for a change from senior leaders2 and the personal impact from their own manager. So the sponsor explains why before any manager explains what changes. Brief the staff who will field customers' questions before customers hear.
Deliver news that changes someone's job in person or on video, not by email. Prosci finds face-to-face communication the most effective during change, and recommends repeating key messages five to seven times2. Give every row a feedback route, such as a huddle or a question log, that the owner reads. UK government project guidance says escalation triggers should be set out3 at the start of a project. So at the kickoff meeting, agree the escalation path: for each level, what sends a problem up, who handles it on each side and how fast.
How it works
From stakeholder list to approved plan
Download it or open it in River
Download both Word documents free, with no account, or click Edit with AI to open them in River.
Paste your stakeholder list
Optional. Before you click, paste your stakeholder list or project summary, and River drafts the plan from it, sponsor's message first.
Name every owner
Swap every bracket for a real name and date. River lists what only the client can answer as questions to confirm.
Get the sponsor's approval
Run the seven checks under “Before you share it,” get the sponsor's approval, then update the plan at every milestone.
| Audience | What they need to know | Owner | Channel · when |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Northfield depot staff | Why the order cut-off is changing | Dana Whitlock, COO | In person · Thu 10 Dec |
| Pickers, dispatch and drivers | The new handoff, step by step | Jo Mensah, depot lead | Shift briefing · Fri 11 Dec |
| Customer service | What to say about late orders | Mei Tan, service manager | Team meeting · Fri 11 Dec |
| 212 pilot customers | Order by 12 p.m. from 14 Dec | Luis Ferreira, sales director | Email · 11 Dec, reminder 30 Dec |
The sponsor's message goes first. Problems not fixed in 3 working days go up from Ana Ruiz to Dana Whitlock.
What you'll get
Who hears what, from whom and when, with an escalation path and a worked example
- A seven-column plan with one named owner for every message
- A three-level escalation path with response times on both sides
- An annotated change example, or a first draft from your stakeholder list
Before and after
Your project summary in. A first draft plan out.
Pilot at Northfield from 14 Dec: cut-off moves from 2pm to 12pm, new handoff for depot staff. Sponsor Dana (COO). Jo runs Northfield. Luis's sales team tells the 212 customers. Customer service will get late orders. Eastgate and Riverside not changing yet.
Row 1: All Northfield depot staff hear why the cut-off is changing. Owner: Dana, COO. In person, before any other message, on [date]. Row 2: Northfield depot staff learn the new handoff, step by step, before 14 Dec. Owner: Jo. Shift briefing, then daily huddles in pilot weeks. Row 3: Customer service learns what to say to a customer who orders after 12 p.m. Owner: [customer service manager]. Row 4: The 212 pilot customers hear that the order cut-off moves from 2 p.m. to 12 p.m. on 14 Dec. Owner: Luis. Email, then a reminder. To confirm with the client: Why is the cut-off moving? Who briefs customer service? When does Dana speak to the depot?
The sponsor's message goes first, and every owner or date your notes don't give stays in brackets.
What lands in your doc
What's inside the communication plan template
- Purpose and core messages
What the plan must achieve, and the three messages every audience hears in the same words. - The plan, in seven columns
Audience, what they need to know, message owner, channel, frequency, timing and feedback route, in the order messages go out. - How to fill each column
What belongs in every column, with an example, so each row is specific enough to act on. - An escalation path
Three levels, each with a name on both sides, a trigger for going up, and a response time. - Checks, checklist and rules
Signs the plan is working, seven checks before you share it, and the six rules behind the template. - Example Communication Plan, Annotated
A finished plan for an invented food distributor's order cut-off pilot, with notes on why each part works.
Questions consultants ask
Common questions
What is a communication plan?
A communication plan is a short project document that lists each group the work affects and what each group needs to hear. For every message it names one sender, the channel, how often and when it goes out, and how people can reply. On client projects it often sets out an escalation path too. The sponsor should approve it before anything is sent.
What should a project communication plan include?
A project communication plan needs a short statement of purpose, three core messages and a table with one row per audience. Each row gives what that group needs to know, one message owner, the channel, frequency, timing and a feedback route. Add an escalation path with names and response times, and two or three signs that the messages are landing.
How is a change management communication plan different?
A change management communication plan covers people whose work will change, not just those who want updates, so order matters more. Talks with any union come first, then the sponsor's reasons, then each manager's briefing. In the US, the National Labor Relations Board says employers have a duty not to make certain changes without bargaining with the union4. Involve the client's labor relations team early.
Who should send each message?
One named person per message: whoever the audience trusts on that subject. The sponsor gives the business reasons, each person's own manager explains what changes in their job, and customers usually hear from their account manager. Prosci calls having the project team send all the communications2 one of the most common mistakes. Consultants draft messages for the client's staff, but rarely send them.
How often should you communicate during a project?
As often as each audience needs in order to act, so it differs by group. A sponsor might want a weekly status report and a monthly steering committee meeting, affected staff a daily huddle during the change, and customers an email and a reminder. Prosci recommends repeating key messages five to seven times, so schedule the repeats.
Is this communication plan template free?
Yes. Download both Word documents, the template and the annotated example, free with no account. Edit with AI opens them in River, which is free to start, where you can edit the plan, share it or ask River to change it. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
What does Edit with AI do?
Edit with AI opens the template in a free River workspace, with the annotated example beside it. Paste your stakeholder list or project summary first, and River drafts the plan, starting with the sponsor's message. Owners and dates your notes don't give stay in brackets, with questions to confirm with the client. Afterwards, River can write the sponsor's first announcement or a dated message calendar.
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