Internal Comms

Internal Communications & Change Messaging

Overview

This skill produces clear, empathetic internal communications that build trust, reduce uncertainty, and drive alignment during both routine updates and organizational changes. It recognizes that internal audiences are the most important and often the most skeptical: they know the organization's gaps and can't be hand-waved with polished marketing language.

When This Skill Triggers

• User needs to announce a change (new hire, departure, restructuring, policy update)
• User asks to draft a memo, internal announcement, or staff update
• User needs talking points for a town hall, all-hands meeting, or leadership briefing
• User mentions change management or organizational transition communication
• User needs onboarding, offboarding, or transition communications
• User asks to communicate difficult news internally (budget cuts, layoffs, program changes)

Communication Types

1. Organizational Announcement

New hires, departures, promotions, structural changes

2. Policy or Process Change

New policies, procedure updates, system migrations

3. Crisis / Difficult News

Budget cuts, layoffs, safety incidents, public controversies

4. Progress Update

Project milestones, strategic initiative updates, quarterly reviews

5. Cultural / Engagement

Employee recognition, values reinforcement, morale-building

6. Transition Communications

Leadership transitions, mergers, departmental reorganizations

Core Principles

1. Respect Intelligence

Internal audiences are insiders. They know the backstory, the politics, and the gaps. Don't oversimplify or sugarcoat. Treating employees like adults who can handle complexity builds more trust than spin ever will.

2. Lead with the "What" and "Why"

People want to know two things immediately: what's changing and why. Don't bury the lead behind three paragraphs of context. State the change, then explain the reasoning.

3. Acknowledge What You Don't Know

"We don't have all the answers yet, and here's what we're doing to get them" is more credible than manufactured certainty. Provide a timeline for when more information will be available.

4. Name the Emotional Reality

If a change is going to cause anxiety, say so. "We know this raises questions about your roles" is more effective than pretending everyone will be thrilled.

5. Provide Specific Next Steps

Every internal communication should answer: "What do I need to do now?" Even if the answer is "nothing yet," make that explicit.

Message Structures

Standard Internal Announcement

Subject: [Clear, specific subject - no vague "Update" or "Exciting News"]

[Greeting appropriate to audience size and formality],

[The news: State the change or update in 1-2 clear sentences.
Do not build up to it. Lead with it.]

[Context: Why this decision was made. Be honest about the
reasoning. 2-3 sentences.]

[Impact: What this means for the reader specifically.
Address "What does this mean for me?" 2-3 sentences.]

[Next steps: What happens now? Include dates, deadlines,
or follow-up actions. Be specific.]

[Support: Where to go with questions. Name a specific person
or channel, not a generic "feel free to reach out."]

[Closing: Brief, warm, forward-looking. 1 sentence.]

[Name and title]

Change Management Communication

Subject: [Name of change] - What's Changing and What to Expect

[Team/colleagues],

[State the change directly. One sentence.]

[Why: The reasoning behind this decision. Be transparent
about the factors involved. Acknowledge tradeoffs if
they exist. 2-4 sentences.]

[Timeline: When this takes effect and what the
transition looks like. Include key dates.]

[Impact on you: Address the most common "what about me?"
questions directly. If roles are affected, say so.
If roles are NOT affected, say that too.]

[What stays the same: Anchor people by naming what
isn't changing. This reduces anxiety. 1-2 sentences.]

[Support and resources: Training, FAQ documents,
office hours, or one-on-one availability.
Be specific about who, when, and how.]

[Questions: Specific channel for questions.
"Drop questions in [Slack channel]" or
"I'll hold office hours on [date] from [time]."]

[Acknowledgment: Name the emotional reality.
"I know change is never easy" or "I understand
this raises concerns." Keep it brief and genuine.]

[Name and title]

Difficult News Communication

Subject: [Honest, direct subject line - not "Important Update"]

[Team],

[State the difficult news directly. Do not hedge or
euphemize. 1-2 sentences.]

[Reasoning: Why this happened or why this decision was made.
Be as transparent as you can be, acknowledging constraints
on what you can share if applicable. 2-3 sentences.]

[What we're doing: Concrete actions being taken to address
the situation or support affected people. Be specific. 3-4 sentences.]

[Impact and support: What resources are available.
For layoffs: severance, outplacement, timeline.
For budget cuts: what's been prioritized and why.
For safety: what's been done to prevent recurrence.]

[Emotional acknowledgment: Genuine, brief. Not performative.
1-2 sentences.]

[Next steps and timeline: What happens next and when
people will hear more.]

[Availability: "I'm available at [specific times/channels]
for anyone who wants to talk."]

[Name and title]

Tone Calibration

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Burying the lead: Don't make people read 200 words before learning what changed
2. Corporate hollow-speak: "Synergize," "leverage," "align resources" mean nothing to anxious employees
3. False enthusiasm: Not every change is "exciting." Some changes are necessary and difficult. Say so.
4. Premature reassurance: "Everything will be fine" before explaining what's happening destroys trust
5. One-size-fits-all: Senior leaders and front-line staff may need different messages about the same change
6. Forgetting the "reply-to": Every message needs a clear place to direct questions

Audience Segmentation

For significant changes, consider separate communications for:

• All staff: High-level announcement with key facts
• Directly affected teams: Detailed impact and transition specifics
• Managers: Talking points for team conversations, FAQs for common questions
• External stakeholders: If needed, a coordinated external message

Before You Begin

Ask these questions before drafting any internal communication. Do not begin drafting until you have answers to questions 1, 2, and 3.

1. The change: What's the change or news you need to communicate? Include what is known and what is not yet decided.
2. The audience: Who is receiving this message? If the audience includes mixed-status employees (e.g., tenured and adjunct faculty, or permanent and contract staff), flag whether a single message is appropriate or whether separate communications are needed.
3. Emotional temperature: Will people be anxious, excited, confused, or angry? Have there been rumors already, or will this land as a surprise?
4. Disclosure constraints: Are there things you cannot say yet? (Legal constraints, pending decisions, HR reviews) Note the boundaries so the draft doesn't imply more certainty than exists.
5. Timeline: When does this go out, and when do people need to act?
6. Sender: Who is this from? (CEO, department head, HR, direct manager) Faculty and staff read the sender line carefully.

Output Checklist

Before presenting any internal communication, verify:

1. Change is named in the first sentence — do not build up to it.
2. No passive voice obscuring responsibility — "We decided" not "it was decided," "I am communicating" not "faculty are being informed."
3. Specific contact named for questions — not "feel free to reach out to HR" but a named person and channel.
4. Most anxious reader check — read the draft from the perspective of the most at-risk person in the audience. Does it answer their fears honestly, or does it leave them to fill in gaps with worst-case assumptions?
5. Audience segmentation considered — if the audience includes mixed-status employees, confirm whether one message is appropriate or whether separate communications are needed.
6. No em dashes anywhere — subject line or body. Replace with commas, semicolons, or rewritten sentences.

Hard Rules

• Never promise what you can't deliver. If the future is uncertain, say so.
• Never use passive voice to obscure responsibility. "We decided" not "it was decided."
• Always provide a specific contact for questions. Not "reach out to HR" but "contact [Name] at [email]."
• Name the change before explaining it. Context comes after the headline, not before.
• Read it from the most anxious person's perspective before sending. Does it answer their fears?

Reference Files

• references/faq-template.md - Template for building change-specific FAQ documents (user-maintained)
• references/talking-points-template.md - Template for manager cascading communications (user-maintained)
• assets/comms-plan-template.md - Multi-channel communication plan template

Note: Change management frameworks (ADKAR, Kotter, Bridges) are covered by Claude's training. This skill applies them automatically based on context.

Test Cases

1. Departmental restructuring: University department merging two programs
2. New leadership: Announcing a new department chair or dean
3. Policy change: New remote work or AI usage policy for a newsroom
4. Difficult news: Budget reduction requiring program cuts at a university
5. Progress update: Quarterly update on a strategic initiative