Effective school communication is essential to your school’s reputation, community support, and student success. Without good communication, with all of your audiences, you build unnecessary stumbling blocks that will affect trust, engagement, and even enrollment.
What is a communication plan?
It is simply a roadmap you will use to get your message to the right audience at the right time by using the best channels. It is the process of creating a comprehensive plan that addresses the issues your school is facing and keeps your audience engaged in events and projects.
Just as you would use a map or GPS to take a trip to an unfamiliar location, you should use a map to reach your communication goals as well. That is what a school communication plan can deliver, and it is well worth the effort. And yes, effort will be required.
Why schools need a communication plan
There are many benefits to working through a school communication plan. Here are a few:
Benefit #1: Fulfills your school’s mission. A majority of schools have a mission statement or goals that they labored over, painstakingly developed, and recorded at some point. The whole idea behind a mission statement is to use it as your north star. It will keep you pointed in the right direction through every effort, and that includes your communication strategies. If your projects, events, and programs don’t tie into your school’s mission statement, you risk diluting your school’s brand, and your school mission will become meaningless—or worse, a lie.
Benefit #2: Clarifies and unifies your purposes. Your communication plan, like the map we mentioned earlier, will get you from where you are to where you would like to be. You will accomplish your goals, keep your promises, and fulfill your school’s potential (and your students’ potential). The tactics you apply, while different for each issue, will get you to your desired destination, just as each correct turn in the road will keep you from becoming hopelessly lost.
Benefit #3: Efficient use of resources. By using your staff’s time and financial resources wisely, not duplicating efforts but repurposing content, you will avoid wasteful and ineffective efforts. And, by aligning your staff with your communication goals (which you’ve tied to your school’s mission), you have everyone pulling in the same direction with consistent messaging and unity that will help you achieve your goals more quickly.
Benefit #4: Measuring your success. Once you have identified your audience’s needs, how to reach them where they are, you can begin to measure the success of your plan. You will be able to stop wasting time on ineffective efforts and put your focus on what works. However, you must have a planned outcome to determine your success, and a communications plan helps you keep that laser focus on your destination.

What’s stopping you (common roadblocks)
There are a few common pitfalls you will want to avoid that can derail your communication projects, so watch out for these:
Challenge #1: Unclear goal or vision. If your goal is vague and not clearly defined, or if those involved don’t understand why this is important now and what its impact is on them, it may fail. Be sure that staff and others involved with your plan recognize its value and timeliness. Keep them updated on your progress, and share any successes along the way. Keep them motivated and enthused, and you’ll find helpers and not hindrances.
Challenge #2: Poorly structured plan. Don’t wing it. Clearly define your purpose and why it matters. Be sure everyone understands the “why behind the what” so they can recognize the value and benefits for the projects. Outline the specific steps, timelines, responsibilities, and outcomes for each step of the plan. Don’t assume anything. Write it down and be sure those involved understand their roles.
Challenge #3: Failing to gather lessons learned. Be sure to take a step back after any project or issue to evaluate how you’ve done. What might you improve? What should you avoid in the future? Share these lessons with others, particularly administrators, to continue to strengthen your communication efforts.