Communication Flowchart Template

What you'll find in this communication flowchart

This template is available as an editable Google Doc or a printable PDF. Make a copy of the Google Doc for yourself to customize it with your channels, teams, and more! There’s a tab with helpful information and a tab with the flowchart. You’ll get tips and internal comms best practices for all these channels:

One-off emails
Emails from the comms department or HR are perfect for detailed information that isn’t particularly time-sensitive but does require documented follow-up or action. Think open enrollment, programs, announcements, etc.

Newsletters

Regular employee newsletters should be used for connecting employees with updates and information they need frequently… and for connecting them with each other! Use newsletters for news (of course), employee recognition, sharing what’s happening around the business, results and trends, and as a “push notification” for other channels such as the intranet.

SMS

Text messages to team members’ personal phones are very impactful, but this channel should also be used carefully in order to preserve its power. Use SMS for benefits updates, event invites and reminders, major announcements, office closures or IT outages, during new hire onboarding, and to gather feedback.

Instant messaging 

Instant messaging channels (like Slack or Teams) are best for messages that only need to live for 24 hours or less. It’s mostly employee-to-employee, and the channels in these tools fill up fast. You won’t get a 100% read rate, but it will enter what you have to say into the broader conversation.

Meetings

Town-hall or all-hands meetings, team meetings, and 1:1 meetings should be part of your comms plan, but shouldn’t be relied on as the only source of any information. You should use face-to-face meetings to present major information and then follow up with other channels. And also make sure to address what’s happening in other channels face-to-face.