Tool 4.2 Communication planning
Tool 4.2 Communication planning
Use this tool to review and develop your communication throughout the business.
Think of communication for all levels of your business:
- Big picture – business/strategic plan
- Operational plans – what are our enterprise goals and what tasks are needed to ensure we achieve them?
- Weekly plans – who is doing what this week? What are our priorities this week?
- Task specific – how do we undertake a specific task efficiently and safely?
- Role specific – what is expected of me in my role?
- Business management – policies and procedures communicate the standard
- Induction – efficiently bringing new team members onboard
There are a few examples below and some blank rows to use for your own business.
| Topic/message to convey | Who needs to know  | Method to communicate  | Do we do this already? Is this something we need to start doing?  | When is the time to start? How will I take the first step? | 
| 1. Business plan | Family Owners Team | Business plan document, annual review meeting | Need to share our plan with the whole family | Arrange a family meeting within 2 weeks | 
| 2. Operational plans and goals | Team | Quarterly team meetings, operations/management calendar on the office wall | Already have meetings but need to create an operational plan in the farm office | Start from 1 January | 
| 3. Key production and business benchmarks | Owners Managers | Business plan | Start doing | Quarterly email updates to managers | 
| 4. Who does what in the team | Team | Organisation structure, job descriptions | Have job descriptions but they need to be reviewed | Review before new employee starts next month | 
| 5. What tasks are required this week | Team | Toolbox meetings, WhatsApp group | Start doing meetings and set up messaging group | Next week, hold first meeting, use an agenda to guide me | 
| 6. Standard required for task specific tasks | Team | Standard operating procedure (SOP), checklist | Need to write down what is in my head or dictate into my phone and ask someone else to type it up | Ready at least 1 month before next doing the task | 
| 7. Taking leave | Team | Leave policy and form | Do verbally but need to write a leave policy and leave form and share with the team | Finish by end of next week | 
| 8. Individual performance | Managers Individual | One on one meeting, regular conversations and feedback | Do this informally, need to be more disciplined to ensure this is regular and consistent one on one communication | Informally: every day Formally: at least once a year at the same time each year | 
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