By Tabitha Onyinge – Omenya

The one fascination I still have from my days in the newsroom is the docket, you know, the book that lists who covers which function when. We’d peep at the docket, strategically placed by the editor’s side, at least ten times a day. We’d look at it first thing in the morning, to be sure things were still as we left them the previous evening; up to ten times in the course of the day, just in case we’d been assigned more duty; and as we left work each evening, to prepare for the next day.

I liked the docket because it brought order in the newsroom by its transparency (no one person got more assignments than he deserved), and by helping us plan our days. The docket also created discipline in an otherwise bunch of strong-heads who were inclined to having our own way.

As a communication consultant, the one question I do ask organisations at my initial engagement is: “do you have an internal communication plan?” To me, the internal communication plan is an older sibling of the newsroom docket. Yet often organisations that give the most excuses about not having the strategy are the ones that would benefit most from one. Over time, I’ve gathered enough excuses to fill up a truck! “We’re just a handful employees” “We already have an employee manual” “We have an organisational communication strategy” “What’s that?” “We don’t intend to communicate with ourselves…” The list goes on…

Communication strategies have an unspoken value attached to the target audience – to communicate with them in a clear, smooth and flawless manner. Similarly, an internal communication strategy shows that the institution values its internal audiences. Having the plan enhances the effectiveness of all external communication because employees buy-in. Employees who understand and feel connected to the organisation’s goals are unlikely to be disconnected, dismissive or cynical about the organisation’s goals or products.

Like the docket, an internal communication plan brings order in that each employee knows what and how to communicate with colleagues and external audiences. This is often clearly laid down in the plan.

Have you ever doubted the authenticity of a document from an institution you know because the organisation’s logo was skewed, and the corporate colours were all wrong? I see that a lot from organisations that don’t have an internal communication plan, simply because the plan usually contains a brand identity style that guides visual presentation as well as language style and tone, among others.

Recently I got an invitation from a project manager of a not for profit organisation, to be one of the key speakers at the launch of a book I’d helped the organisation develop. Shortly after that, I got from the organisation’s CEO an invitation plus an apology for not including me in the programme of the launch. I discovered on the day of the launch my name on the programme as a key speaker! It did not take me a lot of probing to find out that the NGO does not have an internal communication plan.

An organisation’s internal communication plan stipulates who communicates what with the public, and the messages are all generated by one source, just like the docket that is managed by the editor. It ensures that all members of the institution are speaking with one voice.

While the overall communication plans of institutions do offer general guidelines on how to handle a lot of communication processes, they tend to overlook internal communication processes. If your company does not already have one, maybe it is time you considered preparing one.