Aalto University implements development and change projects of different sizes, which need to be communicated among the project group, to Aalto's internal target audiences (different personnel groups and students) and sometimes also outside Aalto to, for example, partners, decision-makers or the media. 

You can get started with communication planning with the help of instructions, guiding questions and document templates compiled on this page.

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Consider in more detail

Objectives

• What is the aim of communication? The objectives of communication affect the chosen means, channels and content.
• The goal of communication can be, for example, to inform about the matter, motivate the action, activate participation, take an interest in change, try new ways of working or understand a difficult issue.
• How do you know if communication was successful? Make goals that you can measure.

Target audience

• How do you tell your story so that the target group understands it and acts as desired?
• Remember the project's internal communication (project group, steering group, partners) and the project's external communication (within Aalto and other potential stakeholders).

Topic

• Is the topic difficult to understand, challenging, evoking emotions or resistance to change, requiring clarification, is it related to a sensitive issue?
• What other topics are related to your topic and what effects it has?
• If necessary, gather challenging questions into a Q&A, i.e. a question-and-answer document.

Content

• In what format is the content needed (text, image, video, illustration, infographic, presentation material)?
• Is visual design needed and what kind?
• What means of communication are needed (events, are participatory means needed, do we need to be prepared for difficult issues or surprises, i.e. think about crisis communication readiness)?
• What language versions are needed? Do we have resources for translations?

Schedule

• Before the project: Think about how much time you need to prepare the communication (planning, implementation, e.g. graphic design, content production, translations, etc.)?
• After the project ends: who is responsible for communication and maintaining and updating the necessary contents and communicating changes?

Resources

• What communication resources are needed (human, monetary resources)? Do you need to hire a person to handle communications (for example, a communications intern or a part-time communications specialist)?
• As a rule, the project is responsible for the communication resources itself. Depending on the topic and the scope of the project, consultation can be requested from the communications contact person of your unit or from the university's communications (viestinta@aalto.fi).
• If communication resources outside the project are needed, for example, for important strategic projects or brand communications, they should always be negotiated separately and in a timely manner with the university's communications.

Document templates