Nothing will stop a project faster than a lack of communication. To fill the gap, misinformation will quickly spread. This will lead to ever increasing amounts of frustration from leaders to stakeholders until overall apathy envelops the project. In turn, the project will stall out or people will come to resent it.
To avoid a disastrous outcome, communication needs to be a vital part of any project. However, churches rarely plan on how things will be communicated. Instead, somebody will mention making some pre- or post-service announcements along with an article in the newsletter. While that might work on something simple or routine, it will spell utter doom for a large or major project. This is where a communication plan comes into play. Taking the time to carefully and thoughtfully plan out communications will greatly increase a positive outcome and project completion.
A communication plan is simply a strategic guide to communicating with various groups of people both inside and outside a congregation. The plan spells out who, what, when, where, why, and how.
This tool enables a person or team to communicate effectively with church leadership (church workers, councils, boards, and/or committees who indirectly oversee the project and/or lead the church), the project team (those directly involved in overseeing or running the project), and members of the congregation (stakeholders). A communication plan gives clear guidelines for how information will and should be shared, who is responsible for sharing the information, and who needs to be “looped in” at various stages of the project.
Filling in the answers to the above questions creates the initial communication plan, or action plan. Following the action plan helps to design the media needed in the communication campaign for the project. Keep in mind that feedback should be sought as the plan is implemented and the plan adjusted as needed. For example, it might be discovered that the frequency of information to a certain group should be increased or decreased, or that a medium should be added or dropped because it is not effective, or that a different person is a better fit for communicating to a certain group, etc. In this sense, a communication plan is a somewhat living document that should be updated as necessary.
There are four ways most communication plans are organized.
How the plan is organized is up to the person or group that puts it together. It should be put together in a way that makes sense to those who will be using it or referring to it. It is usually easiest to create a communication plan in a spreadsheet software. If done this way, a plan can have different pages or sheets that organize the plan in different ways.
Creating a communication plan can seem overwhelming, especially if it is somebody’s first time in doing so. Even though there are a few steps, the process is simple and painless. Taking each step one at a time is the best way.
Name | Title |
---|---|
Samuel | Communications Chair |
Moses | Team Member |
Lydia | Team Member |
Miriam | Team Member |
Jehoshaphat | Team Member |
Paul | Support Member |
James | Support Member |
A capital campaign to raise $2.5 million to build a temple in Jerusalem, which includes some rebranding and facility work of the tabernacle as needed.
Group/Person | Role/Title | Frequency | Format/Channel | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Director Team | N/A | Major milestones/CTS meetings | Email or team communication platform, in person | High-level decisions involving budget, keep informed of progress, solicit feedback when needed |
Campaign Team | N/A | Major milestones, CT meetings | Use a team communication platform (i.e., basecamp, Slack, etc.) | High-level decisions and final approvals, keep informed of progress, solicit feedback when needed |
Communication Team | N/A | All | Daily/weekly/monthly check-ins through team communication platform, weekly/monthly meetings | Keeps to campaign timeline for production of communication items (newsletters, social media posts, etc.) |
David | King | Major milestones, daily/weekly/monthly as needed | Scroll, in person | Keep informed of progress, solicit feedback when needed |
Aaron | Chief Priest | Major milestones, as needed | In person, email | Keep informed of progress, solicit feedback when needed, help as needed |
Israelites | Taxpayers | Major milestones, completion | Royal herald, mailers | Keep informed of progress |
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