Creating a Stakeholders Communications Plan

7/23/2019 Creating a Stakeholders Communications Plan

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www.sparc.org.nz

Creating a StakeholderCommunications Plan


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CREATING A STAKEHO

Table of

contentsWhy have a stakeholder communications plan?

The stakeholder communications planning template

Communications planning framework

Step 1: Setting communications objectives

Step 2: Setting key messages for the organisation

Step 3: Defining and prioritising your key stakeholders

Step 4: Key messages for each stakeholder group

Step 5: Developing communications tactics for each stakeholder group

Step 6: Allocating budget and responsibilities

Step 7: Developing a quarterly communications calendar

Step 8: Assessing results and adapting the plan

Communication tactics cheat sheet


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Theyre called stakeholders because if you dont look afte

theyll come after you with seven foot stakes! Rob Th

In its simplest form, a stakeholder communications plan outlines who yo

communicate with, about what, how youre going to do it, and how oft

are also a few important considerations such as timing and budget.

An effective stakeholder communications plan will:

support your organisation in achieving its stated goals and objectiv

support or improve your operational effectiveness

support or improve your relationships with those who are importa

your success (often called key stakeholders or your target audience

deliver measurable results to your organisation.

What a stakeholder communications plan isnIts not a marketing plan which would help you to define new pro

or services to offer to your audience, and how you would go abou

promoting these.

Its not a sponsorship plan which would detail how you would go

and supporting a commercial arrangement with a sponsor.

Its not a business plan for your organisation, though it may help y

some of your organisations business goals.

What it is

It is primarily a public relations plan (including media relations) tho

may include some wider communication tools such as advertising

marketing where these support your stakeholder communication o

Why have a

communications pstakeholder

WHY HAVE A STAKEHOL


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While communications planning is fairly straightforward in terms of the step

need to go through, the biggest challenge is often ensuring the plan can ac

delivered with the human and financial resources you have available.

The eight-step communications planning framework detailed here is designe

use by those who dont have a communications background. It offers examp

prompts that aim to help you think strategically in order to develop a pragm

communications plan.

Youll need to work through the following eight steps in sequence, to arrive

workable plan:

1. Setting communication objectives

2. Setting key messages for your organisation

3. Defining and prioritising key stakeholders (target audiences)

4. Setting additional key messages which are relevant for each stakeholder

group and their particular issues/concerns

5. Developing effective communication tactics for each target audience

6. Allocating budget and responsibilities

7. Developing the quarterly communications calendar

8. Assessing results and adapting the plan

The template below shows how the steps fit together to form a plan.

Business goalsCommunications Objectives Objective A, Objective B, Objective C, Objective D

Overriding Key Messages Message A, Message B, Message C, Message D

Expectations/

Issues

Priority Specific Key

Messages

Communication

Tactics

Who Budget M

Stakeholder

Group A1 $

The stakeholder

planning tempcommunicatio


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Step 1: Setting communications objectives

This first step is the most important. All communication objectives must

your organisation in achieving its stated goals. If you are clear about whe

organisation is going and what it needs to achieve, it becomes much sim

out what you need to do in terms of communications activity to support

Ideally, all objectives should be SMART, that is Specific, Measurable, Ach

Realistic and Time-bound, but this is not always possible when delivering

communications to a myriad of different audiences, and often on a smal

The best way to work out your objectives is to ask the question:

A year from now, what do we want to have achieved from a com

point of view that will support our organisation in achieving its g

Example

Using a fictitious organisation, Rounders NZ, we have set two key busine

them to achieve in the following year:

1. To achieve a unified organisation which is working productively and e

together and which clearly understands the work plan

2. To effectively introduce the new international rules into New Zealand

the Olympic Rounders Committee

To support these business goals, your communication objectives may be

By the end of the year, all rounders district organisations an

fully understand and support our strategic goals and progra

next three years.This is a SMART objective and can be measured

you think about how you are going to measure it when you put yocommunications plan together at the start. You may want to intro

checks or surveys throughout the year rather than waiting till the e

to find out if youve achieved your objective.

Build awareness and understanding about the new changes

within our sporting code to increase compliance by players a

Communicationplanning framew

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Step 2: Setting key messages for the organisatioConflicting messages create confusion and for this reason it is helpful to defi

key messages your organisation wants to communicate. These will be the m

important things you want people to know or understand about you, in ord

achieve your communications objectives and support your business goals.

These key messages should be used repeatedly in all your communications,

stakeholders. They need to be well understood by your board, your staff an

else likely to be communicating about you to others.

It helps if you all sing from the same song sheet.

Generally you will have two sets of key messages one overriding set of me

are applicable to all your audiences, and a second set of key messages that a

and relevant to one or more of your target audiences. This section deals wit

organisations overriding key messages. Specific messages addressing the iss

concerns of each stakeholder group are covered under Step 4.

Example

Some prompt questions to ask when determining your overall key messages

What are the most important things you want people to understand a

organisation? e.g. Rounders NZ is the new national body that rep

the interests of all rounder bodies in New Zealand.

What is your organisation aiming to achieve in the year or years aheade.g. Rounders NZ is working to gain international accreditation

which will allow New Zealand players to participate in internat

events and series.

What projects, initiatives or events are going to be the focus for you t

Rounders NZ is working to secure sponsorship to fund its first-e

national team to the world championships.

These messages should be used repeatedly in your communications through

year, and used in conjunction with the very specific messages you decide on

stakeholder group.


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Step 3: Defining and prioritising your key stakThose individuals, groups or organisations who are most critical to your o

success, and who you can have some manageable contact with, are the

you want to include in your communications plan.

Everyone will have a different reason for being involved with you and yo

to put yourself in their shoes and understand what it is they want from y

expectations or issues they have that can influence the relationship. Onc

have listed each stakeholder (or target audience) group, and identified thand expectations, you can then determine how important each one is, re

each other.

If you can, try and assess where each stakeholder group is, in terms of it

satisfaction with your organisation. Try and rate each of them on a satisf

of 1-10 (where 1 is they dont like you at all and 10 means they love you)

combined with each stakeholders influence, will help you decide where

on your priority list.

For example, a group of coaches who are very dissatisfied may be a sma

may have the power to disrupt your entire operation and prevent you fro

your goals. You would rate them a 2 in terms of their satisfaction. When

with their influence, you may decide to give them the highest communic

a 1 on your priority plan for the year.

The rating used in the example below shows a communications priority o

1-4, where;

1 = Highest priority most likely to receive time, resources and budcommunications plan

2 = Strong priority will need to give attention to their communica

3 = Lesser priority still need to communicate but less attention tha

4 = Low priority may get some general communications that are m

for higher priority groups

Carrying out some simple research with your stakeholders is a great way

their satisfaction. It will also provide you with a benchmark for the futureare improving on the things that are most important to them. Informatio

out this type of research is covered under Step 8.

Example Stakeholder priority for Rounders NZ

Target audience Priority Expectations/issues

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District coaches 1 Want more support and recognition fromRounders NZ.

Want opportunities to network and upskill

Want to see more recognition of the sport sports media

Want input into national team selection

Current satisfaction rating: 2

Rounders NZ DistrictAssociations 2 Want to be given a share of member feesto deliver local coaching services

Want to see better communication from na(tired of multitude of emails and noticesfrom different people within Rounders HQ)

Want input into national team selection

Want to see the sports profile lifted


Rounders NZ members 3 Not sure what the role of Rounders NZ actuis and where the money goes

Want to see more regional and national eveintroduced

Want to see more recognition of the sport sports media


Sponsors 3 Want clear reporting about what is delivere

Want to see good media coverage aboutsponsored events

Want quality control of events and sponsor


Charitable trusts 3 Want bullet-proof accounting in terms of haccounted for

Want to see proof of purchase

Want profile by association


SPARC 3 Wants to see professional managementof the sport

Wants to see proven participation figures


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Step 4: Key messages for each stakeholder grOnce you have determined who your key stakeholders are, and prioritise

will be some key messages you need to develop to address their specific

issues. This is done to ensure that your communications are particularly r

them and they get a sense that you understand their point of view.

Where the overriding key messages fit in...

Please note that all stakeholder groups also need to receive the overridinmessages you have set out in Step 2. It is necessary to keep up the repet

messages throughout all your communications to all audiences so they

in achieving your organisations business goals.

Example

Stakeholder Issues/Expectations Key messages

Sports media 1 Dont view rounders as aserious sport and dont see needto cover it.

Dont have a workingrelationship with Rounders NZ.

Current satisfaction rating:not applicable

SpecificRounders is a fast-growinplaying membership of 7,

For any media enquiries, pthe Rounders NZ sports mSue Thomson.

OverridingRounders NZ is the new nthat represents the interesbodies in New Zealand.

Rounders NZ is working tointernational accreditationparticipation at internatio

Rounders NZ is on the huso it can take the first eveto the world championsh

Rounders NZ

District coaches1 Want to be given a share of

member fees to deliver localcoaching services.

Want to see bettercommunication from nationalbody (tired of multitude of emailsand notices from differentpeople within Rounders HQ).

Want input into nationalteam selection

Specific40% of membership feesby the districts to adminis

locally. This includes coac

All coaching communicatin the coaches section of NZ website. Only urgent inow being sent via email

The Rounders NZ nationainclude a coaching repres

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Step 5: Developing communications tactics foreach stakeholder group

The next column in your communications plan defines exactly how you will

communicate the key messages to each priority stakeholder group. At this p

must keep very firmly in mind what you can realistically do given your budge

the skills and resources of your team.

This is also an opportunity to be creative, to look at your stakeholders and a

Where is the best place or what is the best time to engage with you? For eit might be that you decide to ask for a speaking slot at a coaching conferen

communicate what you want, or host a function to get all your key stakeho

room together. You may also have the budget to carry out some advertising

publication read by your stakeholders, if you think that is the best way to en

message gets through in a cost-effective manner.

Example Sports media

Stakeholder Issues/Expectations Key messages Tactics

Sports media 1 Dont view roundersas a serious sport anddont see needto cover it.

Dont have a workingrelationship withRounders NZ.

Currentsatisfaction ratings:not applicable.

SpecificRounders is afast-growing sportwith a playingmembershipof 7,000.

For any mediaenquiries, please

contact theRounders NZ sportsmanager, SueThomson.

OverridingRounders NZ is thenew national bodythat representsthe interests of allrounders bodies in

New Zealand.

Rounders NZ isworking to gaininternationalaccreditationto allow Kiwiparticipation atinternational events

Develop list of inflsports media and sports media contIdentify if anyone has existing relatiowith them.

CEO to make appovisit key sports jou

introduce herself, with local contact

Include sports jouon distribution listmagazine.

Send media releasfollow up with phonew sponsors, intaccreditation, namof national team e

Invite sports journto have a go at cerounders competitat nationals in Auc

Encourage sponsonews on Rounders


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Step 6: Allocating budget and responsibilitiesYou know what youre going to do and when. To ensure it all happens, y

make sure that there are owners for each communications activity, prefe

who is able and experienced at dealing with the task you have allocated

In the case of a conference or event, there may be multiple members of

organisation working on it, but there should only be one clear owner w

responsibility and accountability for ensuring it all happens. In a large org

communications plan and associated activity may work to support the evnecessarily organise it.

The next two columns in the communications template one to identify

responsible for implementing the communications tactic, and the second

what budget you anticipate might be needed for this need to be comp

you add it all up, you may find that you have to revisit the plan to either

items or find a more cost-effective way of achieving what you want.

Stakeholder Issues/Expectations Key messages Tactics W

Sports

media1 Dont view

Rounders as aserious sportand dont seeneed to cover it.

Dont havea workingrelationship

with RoundersNZ.

Currentsatisfaction:not applicable

Specificrounders is a fast-growing sport with aplaying membershipof 7,000.

For any mediaenquiries, pleasecontact the Rounders

NZ sports manager,Sue Thomson.

OverridingRounders NZ is thenew national bodythat representsthe interests of allrounder bodiesin New Zealand.

Rounders NZ isworking to gaininternationalaccreditationto allow Kiwiparticipation atinternational events.

Rounders NZ

Develop list of influentialsports media and generalsports media contacts.Identify if anyone indistricts has existingrelationships with them.

J

CEO to makeappointment to visit key

sports journalists andintroduce herself, intandem with localcontact person.

S

Include sports journalistson distribution list foryour magazine.

J

Send media releasesand follow up with

phone calls whenannouncements aremade about newsponsors, internationalaccreditation, namingof national team etc.

Invite sports journalistst h t l b it

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Step 7: Developing a quarterly communicationscalendar

The purpose of the quarterly communications calendar is to give you an at-

list of all the things that you need to achieve in your communications plan a

when. This ensures you can see whats coming up and start planning with s

advance warning. It also works to ensure that there is no overlap between k

and activities and that you can physically manage the communications plan

the year.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sep Oct

Website

Media releases

and visits

CEO news

National

conference

Events calendar

Member

brochure

Celebrity

rounders match

Coaches

forum


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Step 8: Assessing results and adapting the plaOnce a plan is implemented, you need to know if it is working to achieve

objectives you set. Armed with that information, you can then review an

your key messages, communications tactics and timing to be more effec

With small organisations and small budgets, its likely that anecdotal feed

a general sense that things are working might be as much as youll get.

it isnt too difficult or time-consuming to build in some measures at the s

Some simple things you can do to check how things are working might i

Conduct some in-person interviews with your top stakeholders to

for how they view you and what the issues are. Have they noticed

with your communications and do they feel it is working for you a

What suggestions do they have to improve it?

If you have key stakeholders together for a conference, forum or s

them a written questionnaire to fill out, asking them for feedback

you want to measure.Monitor and collect all the news clippings that mention your organ

or issues of relevance to you. You can either ask your regional and

representatives to keep a watching brief over the media and send

clippings, or else pay for a professional media monitoring agency t

and despatch clips to you electronically.

If you have objectives around compliance (e.g. new rules), it may b

reporting from referees is introduced at the start of the season, if t

Include a small survey in your regular newsletter and ask stakeholdback. These often work best if you provide some form of incentive

the response rate e.g. a gift or something sport-related to an ag

An online survey with your key stakeholders asking them to give y

terms of your performance across a number of key measures. Ther

great online tools available that cost little to set up (around $300)

you pay around 5 cents per response. This will only be useful if the

are asked in the right way and it may be worthwhile seeking advic

someone who has experience in research and question design. Thalso provides you with a benchmark to measure yourself against in

A communications plan is not a static thing. It should always be reviewed

amended with a view to making it as effective as possible. Ensuring succ

of keeping it manageable and working to the eight - steps outlined abov

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The following table aims to provide some guidance about some common

communication tactics and what to take into account when choosing them.

Tactic Positives Things to note

Website Great information resource

Excellent for breaking newsand announcements

Accessible 24/7 to everyone

Can have secure sectionsto provide informationto members or toselect groups

Can run surveys, ompetitions,and full transaction servicesover the web

Excellent at building yourbrand if it is designedconsistently with the rest ofyour brochures, reports etc

Can be expensive set-up. Good designavigation are essemake it work well

Need a website youpdate easily your

Can be time-intenhave lots of inform

load and update reDoes need promotpeople know how

If you want peoplemore than once, yto make an effort updating content

Online newsletters Fast and easy despatchof news to stakeholdersdesktop

Much cheaper than printingand posting newsletters

Recipients can easily forwardon to others who mightbe interested

Can be viewed as you dont seek perfrom stakeholders

information in this

Limited ability to uor graphics as thesnewsletter to be belse take too long

Need to keep emato date to be effec

Needs to be short written, preferablyof contents at top

readers timeHave to print it outo take it somewhfrom your desk to

Printed newsletters

and magazinesHave longer shelf life thanonline newsletters becausethey sit around on desks

Much longer prodtimes with layout ainvolved

Communicationtactics cheat sh


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Tactic Positives Things to note

Functions Good way of relationshipbuilding and getting keystakeholders together

Good way of informallynetworking, influencingviews of others and seekingfeedback

If managed well, canengender a lot of goodwill

toward your organisation

Can be expensby the time yoinvitations, catassociated cos

Need to ensurcompelling reato attend peor major annoor a celebratio

Media releases The most cost-effective wayof gaining publicity

Can gain excellent coverageacross a variety of media ifthe news is strong enough

Can help you developproductive workingrelationships with keysports journalists

Providing a backgrounderwith your media release isa useful way of educatingthe journalist about yourorganisation

Providing a written releasegives you more control thana phone interview where youare relying on the journalistwriting things accurately

Need to ensurwell written ansomething ne

just informatiogive out

Cant control story will appemedia may twto their own v

For controverswill need to prenquiries and answer the ha preparing soand answers inrecommended

Still need to fowith a call to tto ensure theyto check if the

any queries

Advertising Gives you total control overthe message, the timing andthe branding

Often useful if you are havingyour message blocked by

journalists

You get to choose whichmagazine or paper(or radio/tv) you want

Can be expens

Unless you havhelp, a badly wdesigned ad wnoticed and wyou are percei

Brochures Great for providing allmanner of information toyour stakeholders, whether itbe to do with new memberrecruitment, explainingwho you are and how youoperate, or promoting

If you try and information inwill lessen reaEither take somor make the bBad design wiimage and the

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87188 05/2006

Level 4, Dominion Building, 78 Victoria Street,

PO Box 2251, Wellington, New Zealand

Phone: +64 4 472 8058 Fax: +64 4 471 0813

www.sparc.org.nz

Documents

Creating a Stakeholders Communications Plan