For consultants planning who hears what, and when
Communication Plan Template With Example
Audience, what they need to know, message owner, channel, frequency, timing and feedback route, plus an escalation path and an annotated change management example.
| 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 go from Ana Ruiz to Sam Ortega, then 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: Pickers, dispatch and drivers learn the new handoff from 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 orders by 12 p.m. go out next working day. Owner: Luis. Email, then a reminder. To confirm with the client: 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.
Why it works
What goes in a communication plan?
A communication plan template sets out who needs to hear what about a project, from whom, through which channel, how often and when, and how they can answer back. It turns “keep people informed” into a table with one named owner for every message. This template has seven columns: audience, what they need to know, message owner, channel, frequency, timing and feedback route. Around the table sit three core messages the sponsor approves, an escalation path with response times on both sides, and checks that the plan is working.
When a project changes how people work, the plan becomes a change management communication plan, and the order of messages matters. Prosci's research on preferred senders finds employees want the business reasons for a change from a senior leader, and what it means for them from their own supervisor. So the template's rule is sponsor messages first: the sponsor explains why, then each manager explains what changes for their team. Prosci also recommends repeating key messages five to seven times, which is why frequency has its own column.
The second doc is an annotated example: an invented food distributor piloting a new order cut-off at one depot, with six audiences from depot staff to 212 customers. Download both as Word files with no account, or paste your stakeholder list or project summary for a first draft, with unknown owners and dates in brackets. Map who matters first with the stakeholder analysis template. Then keep the sponsor informed with the weekly status report template, and record what each meeting decides with the meeting minutes template.
What lands in your doc
What's inside the communication plan template
- Purpose and core messages
What the plan must achieve, and three messages every audience hears in the same words: why, what and when, and where to ask. - 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, when to go up a level, and how fast each side responds. - Checks, checklist and rules
Signs the plan is working, seven checks before you share it, and six rules, from one owner per message to sponsor messages first. - An annotated change example
A finished plan for an invented food distributor piloting a new order cut-off, with a note on why each part works.
How it works
From stakeholder list to approved plan
Open the template
Click Edit with AI. The template opens in River with the annotated change example beside it.
Paste your stakeholder list
Optional. Paste your stakeholder list or project summary, and River drafts each audience's row, sponsor's message first.
Name every owner
Owners and dates your notes don't give stay in brackets, listed as questions to settle with the client.
Get the sponsor's approval
The sponsor approves the core messages and the escalation path, then you update the plan at every milestone.
Questions consultants ask
Common questions
What is a communication plan?
A communication plan is a short document that says who needs to hear what about a project, from whom, how, how often and when, and how they can respond. On a client project it also says who escalates problems to whom. It is usually written in the first two weeks and approved by the sponsor.
What should a project communication plan include?
Three core messages, then one row per audience: what they need to know, the message owner, the channel, how often, when, and how they give feedback. Add an escalation path with names and response times on both sides, and two or three checks that the messages are landing. This template has all of these.
How is a change management communication plan different?
It covers people whose work changes, not just people who want updates, so the order matters more. The sponsor explains why before managers explain what changes for each team. Each affected group gets its own row, messages go out more than once, and every row gives people a way to ask questions before the change starts.
Who should send each message?
One named person per message, chosen for who the audience trusts on that subject. Business reasons come from the sponsor or another senior leader, and what changes in someone's job comes from their own manager. Customers usually hear from whoever manages the relationship. The consultant rarely sends messages to the client's own staff.
What is an escalation path, and why put it in the plan?
An escalation path says who raises a problem with whom, when, and how fast each side responds. Agreeing it at kickoff makes going up a level part of the plan rather than a complaint. Most client projects need three levels, each with a named person on the client side and on yours.
How often should you communicate during a project?
As often as each audience needs to act, which differs by row. The sponsor might want a weekly status report and a monthly steering committee, depot staff a daily huddle during the change, and customers an email and a reminder. For key messages, Prosci recommends five to seven repetitions, so plan the repeats.
Is a communication plan the same as a stakeholder analysis?
No. A stakeholder analysis works out who matters, how much influence each person has and where they stand. The communication plan comes next, and says what each of them hears, from whom and when. Do the analysis first, then turn each group into a row in the plan.
Your next step
More for your project
Give every message one owner
Open the template with an annotated change example beside it, or paste your stakeholder list for a first draft with the sponsor's message first.