DEVELOPING A COMMUNICATION
PLAN (FOR PROJECT MANAGERS)
HEV COURSE 202
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The Tools We Will Explore Today
 What is the Role of a Public Affairs Coordinator?
 Definition/Description
 What are the components to Communication Planning?
 Format
 Steps in a communication plan
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Public Affairs Coordinator
 Public affairs coordinators facilitate mutual
understanding between organizations and the public.
This involves understanding the concerns of individual
community members, interest groups, investors,
consumers and government agencies, as well as
addressing them through strategic use of the media
and direct communication.
 These professionals may also plan and direct events
designed to improve relations with the community, and
coordinate public appearances for company executives.
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Photo by Minnesota Department of Transportation
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Communication Planning
 The success of the project is the responsibility of the project
manager when a PAC is not involved.
 It is the project managers responsibility to develop a
communication plan.
 The development of your own communication plan is essentially
how the planner should respond to situations.
 Simple steps can be followed to craft a well organized
communication plan.
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Communication Planning
 The pieces of a communication plan are laid out in a logical order:
 The communication plan moves from Organizational Goals to
Situation Analysis to Audience and Messages;
 The plan builds naturally from the most general to the most
specific areas of concern.
 There are five steps in completing an effective communication
plan and it’s important to try to fully complete each step before
moving to the next one.
•
http://www.orgwise.ca/sites/osi.ocasi.org.stage/files/resources/Strategic%20Communications%20Planning%20%20COCo.pdf
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STEPS IN A TYPICAL COMMUNICATION PLAN
Goals & Situation Analysis
Audience & Messages
Strategies & Tactics
Budget & Timelines
Implement & Evaluate
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Communication Planning
 Step One: Goals and Situational analysis
 Organizational Goals (Defining Success) (this should be the
very first area you address)
 What are the barriers you face in achieving your goals? What
are the strengths or the items in your favor?
 Communication Objectives (Defining Success)
 What is the existing situation?
 Situation Analysis: Organizational Background
 Has prior research been done in this specific area? If so,
what were the results, and how do they affect or relate to
this plan?
 Situation Analysis: External Environment
 What are our customer’s expectations?
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Communication Planning
 Step Two: Audience and Messages
 Audiences (these must be determined before you move to
messages)
 Who do you need to communicate to?
 Different audiences may require different messages and in
different forms.
 Messages
 What do you want to say to your audience?
 What does your audience need to remember?
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Communication Planning
 Step Three: Strategies and Tactics
 Strategies (must be determined before you move to tactics)
 What’s your general action plan?
 Tactics(requires a timeline of when tactics need to be
executed and assignments to who will execute the tactics)
 What are the specific steps you will take to accomplish
your goals?
 What communications tools and vehicles will you use to
get your messages out to your different audiences?
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Communication Planning
 Step Four: Budget and Timelines
 Budget (this is helpful to do before you develop the Timing and
Timeline sections, in case you identify certain strategies/tactics
requiring resources you don’t have access to) (for services that
can’t be provided in‐house)
 What is your budget?
 How will you implement your plan based on your budget?
 Timing
 Create and follow a timeline for the project.
 Keep all people involved in the project up-to-date and
informed of any changes to the timeline.
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Communication Planning
 Step Five: Implement and Evaluate
 Implement the Plan
 What type of follow‐up is needed?
 Evaluate the Results
 How will you determine the success of your communications
efforts? What qualitative and quantitative methods can be
used to measure success rate?
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Photo by Minnesota Department of Transportation
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The Tools We Explored Today
 What is the Role of PAC?
 Definition/Description
 What are the components to Communication Planning?
 Format
 Steps in a communication plan
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Sources and Resources

MnDOT website
 www.dot.state.mn.us
 http://www.dot.state.mn.us/publicinvolvement/mndotemployees.html
 http://www.dot.state.mn.us/publicinvolvement/pdf/developingyourpub
licinvolvementplan.pdf#communications

Center for Community Organizations
 www.orgwise.ca
 http://www.orgwise.ca/sites/osi.ocasi.org.stage/files/resources/Strategi
c%20Communications%20Planning%20-%20COCo.pdf

Nathan Wegner for the Urban and Regional Studies Institute at Minnesota
State University, Mankato
 http://www.sbs.mnsu.edu/ursi
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