# Internal Comms

> Writes clear, appropriately-toned internal communications including project status updates, company newsletters, all-hands summaries, incident reports, FAQs, onboarding docs, and team announcements. Use when writing anything meant for a colleague, team, or company-wide audience.

- Skill: `atharva-188/internal-comms` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add atharva-188/internal-comms`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/atharva-188/internal-comms/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: AthArvA-188 (https://skillmd.com/u/atharva-188)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/atharva-188/internal-comms

---


# Internal Comms

A framework for writing internal communications that get read, understood, and acted on. Different formats for different audiences and purposes.

## Format Guide

### Project Status Update (weekly/bi-weekly)
Structure: **RAG status → progress → blockers → next steps**

```
## [Project Name] — [Date]
Status: 🟢 On track / 🟡 At risk / 🔴 Blocked

**This week**
- [What was completed]

**Next week**
- [What's planned]

**Blockers / Decisions needed**
- [Specific ask, tagged to a person if applicable]

**ETA to milestone**: [Date or "TBD — see blockers"]
```

### Incident / Post-Mortem Communication
Structure: **What happened → Impact → Timeline → Root cause → Actions**

```
## Incident Report: [Brief title]
**Date**: [Date]
**Severity**: [P0/P1/P2]
**Duration**: [Start → Resolution]

**What happened**
[2-3 sentences. Plain language. No jargon.]

**Impact**
- Affected: [users, services, data]
- Scale: [how many, how long]

**Timeline**
- [HH:MM] Event
- [HH:MM] Detection
- [HH:MM] Mitigation started
- [HH:MM] Resolution

**Root cause**
[Single sentence. Blame systems, not people.]

**Actions to prevent recurrence**
| Action | Owner | Due |
|--------|-------|-----|
```

### Team Announcement (new hire, org change, project launch)
Structure: **What's changing → Why it matters to you → What to do**

Keep it short. 150-250 words. No corporate filler.

### Company Newsletter (monthly/quarterly)
Structure: **Headline moment → Team spotlights → Key metrics → What's coming**

Aim for scannable. People read newsletters at 30% attention. Put the most important thing first and make it possible to skim.

### FAQ Document
Structure: **Most important questions first → Questions grouped by topic → Links to more detail**

Write questions the way people actually ask them, not the way you wish they would. "How do I get reimbursed?" not "Expense Reimbursement Policy."

### All-Hands Summary (post-meeting recap)
Structure: **Key announcements → Decisions made → Q&A highlights → Action items**

## Tone Calibration

Before writing, choose the tone:

| Tone | Use when | Example signal words |
|------|----------|---------------------|
| Warm + direct | Good news, milestones, team wins | "Excited to share", "proud of", "thank you" |
| Clear + neutral | Process updates, policy changes | "Starting [date]", "going forward", "to clarify" |
| Serious + calm | Incidents, difficult decisions | "I want to be transparent", "this is significant" |
| Urgent | Blockers, time-sensitive requests | "Needs your input by [time]", "action required" |

Avoid: passive voice, hedge words ("hopefully", "kind of", "sort of"), unnecessary preamble ("I wanted to reach out to let you know that…")

## Quality Checklist

Before sending:
- [ ] Can the reader understand the key point in under 10 seconds?
- [ ] Is there exactly one primary call to action?
- [ ] Are names and dates correct?
- [ ] Would a new employee understand this without context?
- [ ] Does it say something, or does it just report that you exist?

## Tips

- The biggest mistake in internal comms is burying the lead. Put the most important information first, always.
- If you're writing to get a decision made, say so explicitly: "I need a yes/no on [specific thing] by [date]."
- Long emails get read less carefully than short ones. If it's more than 300 words, use headers.