A template isn’t a strategy: The secrets to building an internal comms strategy that delivers results

Before I started writing this article, I poked around online to find out what information was available about internal communication strategies. I asked AI what an internal communications strategy is, and it described a plan instead. The Google AI summary? It was off too. Then I looked at some free downloadable templates. They were too formulaic, too simple, and at the other extreme, too complicated.

I couldn’t decide whether that meant there was an enormous opportunity to help set the record straight or just a whole lot of pressure to create a magnum opus. I guess time will tell!

Very early in my career, I developed my first communications strategy to lead an organization through a series of acquisitions and a period of rapid growth (no pressure at all!). Ever since then, I’ve applied strategic thinking to help internal communications teams move from distributors of news and planners of events to key contributors to business success. But this path hasn’t been a straight line–I have learned what works and what doesn’t through countless client questions, revisions, redos and through my own exploration of human motivation, organizational culture, and the science of communication and leadership.

A strategy is not a plan

The first thing to understand is that a strategy is not a plan. It’s not about making sure people get the right information at the right time, channels, or how information flows. It’s certainly not about meeting employees ‘where they are at.’ That’s a system, not a strategy. And that’s why I started out by saying most definitions, online summaries, and AI-generated answers are wrong.

A strategy is about choices

An internal communication strategy is a deliberate approach to helping employees understand where the organization is going, why it matters, and how they can contribute to its success. It aligns communication with organizational goals, reinforces the behaviours and mindsets to fuel performance, and applies an understanding of organizational culture, human motivation, and systems thinking. Most important of all, an internal communications strategy focuses on specific levers to achieve results, and those levers can vary widely. That’s why templates don’t work.

Choices and direction should be set by your strategy and not when the internal communication team receives individual requests.

The elements of a great strategy

I may sound like I am contradicting myself, but every strategy has consistent elements. But what elevates a strategy is that these elements are steps in a process, not boxes to be filled in. And what makes the strategy effective is the insight, judgement, and business acumen that form the solution.

Here is an in-depth look at the elements we include in our strategies.

Research

A communication strategy doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Before defining goals, audiences, or channels, you need a deep understanding of the environment in which your organization operates. Start by examining industry trends, competitive pressures, economic conditions, regulatory changes, and other external factors that could influence organizational success. Then go deeper by exploring the organization’s strategy, the employee experience, culture, leadership, communication effectiveness, and the challenges people face in their day-to-day work.

Then spend some time talking to your senior leadership team. Find out what keeps them up at night, what their priorities are, and what is standing in the way of the organization achieving success. This step is critical because your communication strategy must be aligned to the objectives and results leaders are focused on.

This is also where systems thinking becomes essential. Organizations are complex systems where leadership behaviours, culture, processes, technology, and communication constantly influence one another. Rather than looking at communication challenges in isolation, systems thinking helps identify patterns, relationships, and root causes. What appears to be a communication problem may be a leadership issue, a process breakdown, or a lack of clarity around priorities. Understanding these connections allows you to build a strategy that addresses the real drivers of performance and change.

Goals and Objectives

Goals and objectives define what you are trying to achieve and create the focus that guides every decision that follows. This is often the most difficult part of developing a strategy because it requires making choices. Every organization has dozens of opportunities, challenges, and competing priorities. The research you’ve conducted will be essential to cut through the noise and identify what matters most and where communication can make the greatest contribution.

A strong communication strategy typically has one overarching goal supported by several objectives. The goal should paint a clear picture of the future state you are trying to create. What will be different if your strategy succeeds? Which problems will be solved? What opportunity will be realized?

Then identify objectives that are directly tied to organizational priorities and business outcomes. While SMART objectives can be useful, the real question is whether your communication efforts will contribute to meaningful results. These might include improved performance, stronger customer satisfaction, successful adoption of change, or a stronger culture, such as increased trust and greater psychological safety.

Measurement should also be established from the beginning, not added as an afterthought. Defining measurable outcomes and connecting them to your objectives at the outset demonstrates communication’s contribution to performance, culture, and change.

Audiences

A great communication strategy requires a deep understanding of the people you are trying to reach. Yet many communication professionals struggle with building a true understanding of their audience. Some define their audience too broadly (“all employees”), while others create so many audience groups that the strategy becomes impossible to execute.

Your research, goals, and objectives should help determine the right audience groups. For an overarching internal communication strategy, I often find there are a handful of distinct audiences that matter most. The goal is to create enough focus to identify meaningful differences without making the strategy unnecessarily complex.

Once you have identified your audience groups, it’s time to go beyond basic demographics such as role, function, location, or tenure. To communicate effectively, you need to understand what makes people tick. What matters to them? What do they value? How do they feel about the organization, its leaders, and the changes taking place around them? This is where psychographics become important.

Psychographics is the study and classification of people according to their psychological characteristics, such as attitudes, values, interests, and lifestyles.

I like to think of this step as identifying the levers of influence. Communication is rarely about simply sharing information. It is about helping people understand, believe, act, adapt, contribute, or change. The better you understand your audiences, the better positioned you are to create communication that resonates, builds trust, and inspires action.

Audience insights can be documented using personas or captured in a simple table. The format matters less than ensuring you have a clear understanding of who your audiences are, what matters to them, and the role they play in achieving your objectives.

Narrative and Messaging

Employees are surrounded by information, but information alone rarely changes minds or inspires action. We make sense of the world through stories. A strong narrative provides the thread that connects individual messages, announcements, decisions, and actions into something meaningful and memorable. Your narrative should be informed by your research, aligned with your objectives, and grounded in a deep understanding of your audiences. It should help answer the questions employees are often asking themselves: What is happening? Why does it matter? What does it mean for me? What role do I play? Most of all, it should inspire employees and create a strong emotional connection with them.

Supporting the narrative should be a small number of key message themes. I typically recommend three themes that reinforce different aspects of the story. For example, if an organization is navigating significant growth, the narrative might focus on building the future together, while the supporting themes emphasize opportunity, innovation, and employee contributions (such as business execution or customer service).

Effective communication requires repetition. While the wording may change, the core ideas should remain consistent over time. We often refer to this as creating a drumbeat—a steady rhythm of communication that reinforces what matters most. This can be achieved by using every announcement, newsletter story, or change communication as an opportunity to reinforce your narrative and messaging, turning each communication into a chance to deliver on your strategy.

Of course, both narratives and messages should be clear, relevant, and human. They should connect to what employees care about and reflect the realities of their experience. The best narratives create meaning, build an emotional connection, and help people see themselves in the story.

Other Strategic Elements

I’ve learned that no two strategies are exactly alike. This is another reason that following a template isn’t the best idea. Experienced strategists understand that a strategy is not simply a collection of standard sections.

Depending on the situation, additional strategic elements may strengthen the strategy. For example, strategy pillars can help leaders focus on a small number of priorities, such as recognition, listening, leadership visibility, or purpose. Other elements might include guiding principles to shape decision-making, a SWOT analysis to identify risks and opportunities, and success factors to identify the conditions required for the strategy to work.

The goal is not to create a longer document. The goal is to provide the strategic thinking needed to move forward with confidence and ensure every communication activity supports a meaningful business outcome.

A strategy should be as simple as possible, but as detailed as necessary to achieve its objectives.

Activation Plan

The activation plan bridges the gap between strategic thinking and day-to-day execution. It translates goals, objectives, audience insights, and messaging into concrete actions that move the organization closer to its desired outcomes. Effective activation plans go beyond an editorial calendar by identifying the systems, processes, capabilities, and investments needed to bring the strategy to life.

For example, if research identifies a listening gap, the activation plan might include implementing new listening labs or manager-led discussions. If frontline employees are difficult to reach, it may require investment in new channels, digital tools, or communication ambassadors. If leaders need to play a greater role in communication, leadership coaching and enablement may become priorities.

An activation plan should clearly identify key initiatives, timelines, budget and resource requirements, and measures of success. I also find it helpful to map activities directly to the objectives, strategy pillars, or desired outcomes they support. This creates a clear line of sight between the work ahead and the results the organization hopes to achieve.

Most importantly, the activation plan should help shift communication from reactive to proactive and intentional. Rather than responding to requests as they arise, the communication team has a roadmap that prioritizes the activities most likely to advance organizational goals.

This is also the point where leaders must make decisions. If the organization wants to achieve the outcomes outlined in the strategy, investments may be required, priorities may need to shift, and new ways of working may need to be adopted. A good activation plan makes those requirements visible and creates accountability for action.

Bringing It All Together

A communication strategy is much more than a document. At its best, it provides clarity, focus, and direction. It helps organizations identify what matters most, understand the people they are trying to reach, tell a compelling story, and connect communication efforts to meaningful business outcomes.

While templates and frameworks can be helpful, strategy ultimately comes down to making choices. What are you trying to achieve? Who matters most? Where can communication have the greatest impact?

The most effective strategies are grounded in research, informed by systems thinking, connected to organizational priorities, and brought to life through deliberate action. They move communication beyond reacting to requests and position it as a strategic lever for performance, culture, change, and growth.

Perhaps most importantly, a great strategy creates alignment. It helps leaders, managers, and communication professionals move in the same direction, reinforce the same priorities, and work together to create the future they want.

If developing an internal communication strategy feels overwhelming and you are already stretched thin, you don’t have to figure it out alone. If you’re looking for a thought partner to help you clarify your goals, make strategic choices, and unlock the full potential of internal communication, let’s talk.