Internal communication template: five models per situation

This is an automatic translation of the Spanish original and may contain errors. Read the original in Spanish

An internal ad works when its first lines say what changes, since when and what each person should do, and when you then check that it arrived. This article is for those who write advertisements in Human Resources, internal communication or management of a medium or large company and want a model for each situation. If your message requires a conversation before writing, jump to "When a template is in the way."

The six fields that carry any ad

The downloadable templates usually give a header and a hole for "the message." What changes from one situation to another is the content of six fields, and it is appropriate to set them before writing.

The order follows the inverted pyramid. Nielsen Norman Group describes it in "Inverted Pyramid: Writing for Understanding": the most important thing goes first, so that the person who reads a single paragraph also takes the main idea, and the article starts that users do not read with attention on screen. An announcement that opens with the context and leaves the action for the fourth paragraph requires you to read it whole to know if it affects you.

The "what should each person do" field is the one that is most omitted. The guide "Writing for understanding" by Digital.gov states that the active voice makes clear who should do what. Applied to an announcement, "Confirm your shift before Thursday" says who does what; "It is requested to confirm the shifts" does not say so.

The five models

In each model, the text between quotes is an invented example. Change it for your data.

Model 1: change of time or shift

Use it when it changes when someone works.

• Subject: "New schedule for the northern headquarters since Monday, November 2"
• First line: "Since Monday, November 2, the morning shift of the North Headquarters begins at 7: 30 and ends at 15: 30."
• Who it affects: "Production and warehouse personnel of the north headquarters. Offices and south headquarters do not change."
• What should each person do: "Check your turn in the attached table. If you agree with another commitment, write to me before Thursday, October 22."
• To whom to ask: "Marta Rojas, head of shift, by mail or at the checkpoint."
• When there will be news: "On Tuesday, October 27, we will publish the final list of shifts."

He writes the month with letters and the day of the week, because a numerical date can be read in another order according to the country. With headquarters in several countries, it indicates the time zone. If the change alters the working conditions of people, consult it first with your legal advice.

Model 2: new policy or internal standard

Use it when the company publishes a rule that staff must know: use of equipment, travel, telework.

• Subject: "New equipment use policy: read and accept it before 13 November"
• First line: "Since Tuesday, 17 November, the equipment use policy has been in place, replacing the 2024 version."
• Who it affects: "All personnel with a laptop or a mobile of the company. The personal equipment is out."
• What should each person do: "1. Read the policy (four pages). 2. Accepts or rejects before 13 November. 3. If you refuse, indicate the point you don't accept."
• To whom to ask: "Pablo Soto, from Systems, on the usual channel."
• When there will be news: "On Tuesday, November 24, we will publish the most frequent doubts."

Avoid mixing "read it" with "accept it": they are different facts and are detected with different signals, as explained in receive, read and accept. Ask for acceptance only if you are going to use the record. What to do if someone keeps their rejection is a decision for your legal advice.

Model 3: closure or absence

Use it when something will not be available: an office, a service, a key person.

• Subject: "Central office closed on Friday, 13 November for maintenance"
• First line: "The head office remains closed on Friday, November 13 and reopens on Monday, 16 at 8: 00."
• Who it affects: "Whoever plans to go to the office. The Systems support is still active by mail."
• What should each person do: "If you need to remove material, do it before 18: 00 on Thursday 12. For Friday's emergency, write to support."
• To whom to ask: "For the emergency, the support mail; for the rest, your head."
• When there will be news: "If anything changes, we'll write before 4: 00 on Thursday 12."

If the closure is for a holiday, use the term of your country (in Spain, festive). What weighs most on this model is the alternative: say what exists while the service is gone. If the closure is unexpected, look. how to warn of an emergency or closure.

Model 4: organizational or responsible change

Use it when someone goes on to lead a team, two areas join or change who they report to. If the change affects the positions of specific people, these people first find out about a conversation (see "When a template is in the way").

• Subject: "Julia Vera has been running Operations since Tuesday, December 1"
• First line: "Since Tuesday, December 1, Julia Vera is responsible for Operations and replaces Andrés Pino, who passes to Projects."
• Who it affects: "The Logistics and Warehouse teams, who will report to Julia. Purchasing and Finance are still as they have been."
• What should each person do: "Until December 1, he continues to send your consultations to Andrés. Since that date, Julia. You don't have to change any processes."
• To whom to ask: "For doubts about the transfer, Carolina Mena, of Human Resources"
• When there will be news: "Julia will meet with each team on the week of December 1; the calendar will be on Tuesday, November 24."

It explains the reason for the change in a sentence. An announcement that celebrates the change without saying who decides what from now on leaves the real question unanswered. If the change is a restructuring, there is more detail in how to communicate a restructuring to staff.

Model 5: product or process novelty

Use it when you change a tool or a way to work.

• Subject: "Since November 9, purchase requests are made on the new form"
• First line: "Since Monday, November 9, purchase requests are sent on the new form; the mail is no longer valid for that."
• Who it affects: "Who's asking for shopping. The one who only approves doesn't have to do anything."
• What should each person do: "Enter the form once before November 9 (two minutes, link below). Current applications are completed by mail."
• To whom to ask: "Lucia Ortiz, from Shopping. There is a question session on Thursday, November 5, at 11: 00."
• When there will be news: "On Monday, November 16, we will review what has failed and what has changed."

If the old and new system live together for a while, say it in the field of action.

Typical errors, with a bad example and a good one

Four frequent failures: the vague matter, the action buried in the end, the tone of circular and the absence of a person to ask.

Write as you would speak at a team meeting, with short phrases and clear subject. And watch the "all": if you put it in "who it affects" when it affects three teams, the rest of the staff can get used to ignoring your ads.

After sending: a checklist

Set before sending when you will do this review, for example two working days later.

1. He's here? Check that the message went through the channel each person uses. Whoever's on shift or on vacation is out without anyone noticing. For follow-up per person, look how to know who read an internal ad.
2. Did anyone read it? Look at the reading of the affected group. Fifty percent reading can be a success if that group is the one who read it.
3. Did anyone ask the same thing three times? That repeated question marks a hole in the ad.
4. Do we have to repeat it? If people still don't know, he insists on another channel and with a particular person.
5. Did you meet the new date? If you promised to write on Tuesday 24 and don't, the next ad will be read with less confidence.

How to solve this with WorkSail Team

The templates serve on any channel. WorkSail Team covers what comes around them, and only what it does today:

• Official announcement. It is published as a fixed publication on the wall, with disable comments if you do not want a thread of consultations and with an urgent mark if the message cannot wait.
• Compulsory reading agreement. For model 2, the person accepts or rejects and both answers remain in the register. More in internal policy with registered acceptance.
• Event. For a question session or a transfer meeting, the time is shown in each person's time zone and can be added to Google Calendar or download as .ic. file.
• Reading report per person. Help with questions 1 and 2 on the list: who saw it and who didn't, ad by ad.
• Translation on demand. If you publish in Spanish or English, each person can ask for the translation into the other language when reading. Today it's just those two languages.

Three limits. The access is by a link sent to the mail, so it assumes that each person has corporate mail. The reading report indicates that the announcement was opened; that it was understood remains unchecked, and that is why the announcement and the question session are being contacted. And WorkSail Team does not write the announcement for you: the six fields you write them.

When a template sneezes

There are ads that should not start with a document.

The first case is the personal news: a change of position, a reorganization that touches certain people, a decision that not all will receive well. That person should learn about a conversation and receive the text as a summary, if necessary. A general announcement that comes before the conversation can be lived as a way to avoid it, and no template fixes it.

The second case is change with strong doubts. If you anticipate answers like "what do I do?" or "I don't agree," a meeting with time for questions is worth more than a perfect document. The announcement remains as a summary for the missing.

The third is the small team with a trivial warning. If the change affects eight people who are together, say it out loud and leave it written on a line enough. Six fields to warn that the printer changes site only increase noise.