Communication Plan

Overview Stakeholders are individuals or groups that have an active interest in an organization. Stakeholders and stakeholder groups typically include employees, vendors, communities, government agencies, customers, investors, and lenders. Different stakeholders have different interests, attitudes, and priorities. Effective communication ensures that they receive relevant information and develop a positive attitude to your organization in the scenario.

As the regional marketing director of a theme park, you are in the process of designing a phased marketing strategy for reopening all parks after a safety incident. You have already helped other marketing directors understand the importance of having a good marketing mix to inspire customer loyalty; now help them with a stakeholder communication plan. Develop a communication plan that will ensure stakeholders understand the steps the organization is taking to benefit them.

Three aspects to consider for effective stakeholder communication are the interest of stakeholders in the organization, the impact of the reopening decision on stakeholders, and the relevance of information going to stakeholders.

Prompt Complete the communication plan for the stakeholders of the organization in the course scenario. Refer to the Exemplar Communication Grid for an example of how the template can be used.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

1. Identify the three key stakeholders (a minimum of one internal and two external groups) in the reopening of the park and describe each stakeholder’s interest in the organization.

o Internal Stakeholders

  • Employees
  • Departments
  • Management

o External Stakeholders

  • Customers
  • Suppliers
  • Lenders
  • Communities

o Use the Communication Grid Template to complete this step.

2. Identify and analyze the information about each stakeholder group and their need for communication. Use the Communication Grid Template to complete this step. Consider the following points:

  • Assessment of the impact on stakeholder (low, medium, or high) and explain why.
  • Information needs and communication methods of the stakeholder

3. Identify two crisis communication methods for communicating with stakeholders.

  • What forms of communication can be used to quickly communicate with internal stakeholder groups?
  • What forms of communication can be used to communicate with external stakeholder groups?