Get, To, By: A simple guide to planning your communications

Some communications won´t require a strategy. On the other hand, it can be best practice to undertake months of planning and execution. For example, when communicating about a fundamental change in an organisation it is best practice to start communicating about the change a minimum of 18 months in advance.

When planning your communications it is perhaps easiest to think of the maxim Get, To, By.

Get

Who do you want to get to? These are your stakeholders, the people who want to communicate with, either directly or indirectly. Try to define them, narrowing you focus and being as precise as possible. For example: UEB, your Department Manager, students or a research team.

To

What do you want to do? What are your objectives? Here you would break down exactly what your communication objectives are.

By

This is the backbone of any communication strategy. This is where you detail your communication objectives and break them down into specific actions and target dates. Here too you would mention exactly who your stakeholders are and who would be responsible for a specific activity. You also detail the communication channels you will use to make sure your message reaches your target audience.

Finally, you should detail how you are going to measure the success of your communication activity and also the possible risks involved in the project.

An example communication plan template is available to download from the right-hand menu.