Chapter 27. Communications

Whether communications are internal or external, a planned approach matters. People receive many communications in a day and can easily miss or ignore information if it is not planned and targeted appropriately. Unclear or conflicting communications can confuse, irritate or leave gaps. Generally, each portfolio, programme or project should have an overall communications plan. This plan should outline the communication packages (events and activities) to be run. When a group of related events and activities are planned, this is a campaign.

The Government Functional Standard for Communication requires each government organisation to prepare a communication plan annually. The communication plan for a portfolio, programme or project needs to be aligned and consistent with that of its sponsoring organisation and should set out:

• how it supports the effective delivery of both the wider government, and the sponsoring organisation’s own, policies, priorities and public services
• outcome-based metrics summarising what outcomes the communications are looking to achieve

See Government Communication Service’s Strategic communication guidance for further support on communication planning. 

The Government Functional Standard for Communication sets out how to plan and manage campaigns. All government communications campaigns are required to follow the objectives, audience, insight, strategy, implementation, scoring (OASIS) campaign life cycle.

The Project delivery glossary defines a campaign as:

A planned sequence of communication and interactions that uses a compelling narrative over time to deliver a defined and measurable outcome.

The Guide to campaign planning: OASIS can help ensure campaigns:

• have defined, achievable and measurable objectives
• are driven by an understanding of the target audience’s attitudes, habits and preferences
• are delivered against an agreed strategic approach, defining aspects such as the proposition, messages and channels
• are implemented against a defined plan which takes into account known constraints (such as time, cost, resources and risk)
• are scored and monitored for their effectiveness

See Government Communication Service’s Marketing guidance for further support on campaigns and the OASIS campaign life cycle.

For every communication event or activity, it should be clear:

• who the target audience is
• what the message is
• when it is needed
• how it is to be delivered
• how its effectiveness is to be measured

The Government Functional Standard for Communication requires government departments, agencies and arm’s length bodies comply with the HM Government identity guidelines.

The unifying element of the government’s identity is the Royal Coat of Arms, which only departments of HM Government and its organisations are permitted to use, other than agreed exceptions for individual departments, in Scotland (where the Royal Arms of Scotland is used) and overseas.

For those engaged in project delivery, this normally means that communications should follow the brand of the organisation they are a part of or are delivering for. For larger-scale work, a separate brand might be needed, especially where the public are impacted and need to be communicated with, or where the organisation’s brand for communications is not appropriate. When considering how to brand communications, project delivery professionals should refer to the HM Government brand guidelines, the organisation’s brand guidelines and, where appropriate, consult with relevant communications teams in the organisation or Cabinet Office.

See Government Communication Service’s SAFER framework for digital brand safety for guidance on ensuring digital brand safety when placing paid advertising and organic content across online platforms. 

All communications, internal or external, should meet the standards expected of civil and public servants and be consistent with the core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. Government Communication Service set principles for Internal communications in their guidance.

The HM Government brand guidelines requires all government communications to be professional, transparent and authoritative.

Professional communications should be formal, accurate and consistent. This means avoiding colloquialisms and being specific, informative and to the point. Facts and figures should support points and recommendations. Communications should be fact-checked and proof-read before release.

Transparent communications should be clear, open and accessible. Important areas and calls to action should be signposted. Both sides of an argument should be presented without judgement. Jargon and difficult words should be avoided and longer sentences and paragraphs broken up.

Authoritative communications should be direct, unambiguous and confident. This means using the active voice, using definitive rather than vague language, and limiting the use of tentative words.

Following these guidelines helps ensure that internal and external communications are clear, appropriate and effective, regardless of their audience. The Government Digital Service’s Style guide covers the style, spelling and grammar conventions for all content published on GOV.UK for both general and technical audiences and should be followed for all communications.

All forms of communication, regardless of channel, are potentially disclosable  under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and under legal disclosure requirements. Make sure all communications meet the standards expected at all times.

The public sector equality duty places a legal obligation on public bodies (and those performing functions on behalf of them) to consider how any policy or decision affects people who are protected under the Equality Act 2010. Communications is no exception. Communications managers and their teams need to consider the needs of the potential audience and be mindful that not everyone receives or responds to communications in the same way.

When communicating, consideration should be given to the need for:

• simple, clear language, writing in plain language as far as possible to aid understanding
• alt text, text descriptions of images, photography and any other visual content
• captioning and transcripts, text versions of the any audio or visual content

The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 places a duty on public sector bodies to take necessary measures to make their website or mobile application perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Meeting this legal requirement involves:

• complying with level A and level AA of the success criteria set out in the Web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium
• publishing an accessibility statement that explains which parts of the website of mobile application are not accessible, the reasons why, any accessible alternatives provided and how users can report accessibility problems

The British Sign Language Act 2022 recognises British Sign Language as an official language of England, Wales and Scotland. While the Act does not place a requirement for all government communications to be translated into British Sign Language, government organisations should continue to improve their provision of British Sign Language. In particular, the Act states that British Sign Language should be actively considered for public announcements on policy or changes to the law, including:

• publication of plans, strategies, policy and other consultations and consultation responses
• press conferences
• social media
• websites

For more support, see Government Communication Service’s guidance on Inclusive and accessible communications. 

How communications will be evaluated should be defined as part of planning, as specific arrangements often need to be set up to gather the right data. Without this, it can be difficult to demonstrate whether communications have contributed to the objectives of the work.

The Government Communication Service’s GCS evaluation cycle sets out a structured process for planning and conducting evaluations of communication activities, covering inputs, outputs, outtakes, outcomes, impact and learning and innovation. The cycle applies to communications aimed at behaviour change (where most government communication is focused), raising awareness or influencing attitudes, and recruitment.

When planning communications, consideration should be given to:

• what baseline data is needed before the communication activity starts
• what metrics will be used to track reach, audience response and behaviour change
• how real-time data can be used to adapt communications while a campaign is still running
• how lessons will be captured and fed back into planning for future activities

Communication requires a systemic approach to identifying the target audience, analysing their communication needs, and planning and undertaking the communication activities through the life cycle. Defining a framework to govern these activities, and deciding on suitable tools and processes to support them, provides the foundation for effective communication.

The first step is to take a strategic view of the likely requirements for communications. Is this a simple and short-term project involving mainly internal communications, or an iterative and complex programme reaching deep into society, needing a mix of internal communications, marketing, public announcements and media as well as specialist communications teams? Is there a significant risk of manipulated, false, and misleading information (see theframework RESIST 3: Building resilience to information threats for support)?

This initial view should provide a basis for defining an overall approach for communications, to be set out in the communications framework which forms part of the governance and management framework for the work. The communications framework defines the processes, methods and tools to be used, including:

• roles and accountabilities for communication
• tools needed for communication and assessing its effectiveness

The communication framework can develop and change to reflect the needs in the communication plan.

Advertising, marketing and communications activity over a defined threshold are subject to Cabinet Office spend controls and need specific through Cabinet Office controls. This should be factored into the communications framework and scheduled in the work plan.

Communications should be coordinated, and a plan for this purpose should be developed and maintained throughout the life cycle. The plan should include the objectives, an overview of the planned communications campaigns, events and activities, when or at what frequency, their target audience and how their effectiveness is to be evaluated (see 27.6.1.1 and 27.6.1.5).

The other task at this point is to identify what communication tools, techniques and channels may be required to fulfil the communication plan. These should be set out in the communications framework.

For smaller work, communications activities can be handled using the sponsoring organisation’s communication grid, standard channels and techniques such as internal briefings and newsletters, emails and information sites, ”show and tell’ events or ‘town hall’ events. For larger and more complex endeavours, consideration should be given to whether there is a need for:

• specialist data analysis techniques and software to understand the target audiences, and their perceptions and responses
• digital media to enable communication teams to connect directly and quickly with influencers and audiences in a well-managed and planned way
• marketing campaigns or partnership marketing to help reach citizens across multiple channels (see Government Communication Service’s guidance on Planning and delivering effective communications partnership strategies)
• media relations to help explain the policies and objectives of government programmes and projects through partners in the media to help create pubic understanding and public trust through the media’s duty to hold government to account (see Government Communication Service’s guidance on Media)

Communications involves a series of related activities, as shown in Figure 27.1, and considered below. These may be sequential or iterative, depending on the nature of the portfolio, programme or project.

The approach to communications should be defined, including any processes, methods, tools and techniques to be used. This forms part of the overall governance and management framework for the work (see Chapter 4: Governance and management). The important aspects of this activity are discussed in more detail in 27.6.2.2 on defining the communications framework. The framework should be maintained to address relevant feedback from its use.

This activity looks at the combined needs for communication across a portfolio, programme or project so that an overall view of what needs to be communicated, to who and when is maintained. When overseeing communications, the communications manager should consider whether there are any common themes emerging in messaging, audiences or effectiveness of communication and whether further activity is needed in consequence. The communications manager is also the initiation point for specific campaigns or events.

The communications plan (see 27.6.1.1 on taking a planned approach to communications) brings together all of the communication activities, campaigns and events relating to the work and its outcomes. The plan should outline how all audiences are to be communicated with in a coordinated way, with priorities set on those activities which are likely to have the most impact.

It can draw on the work done under stakeholder engagement (see Chapter 26: Stakeholder engagement). Activities, where significant, should be included in the overall schedule, resource and cost plans for the work (see Chapter 16: Planning). Once approved, the communication plan should be managed under change control, as for other parts of the plan (see Chapter 22: Change control).

Throughout the life cycle, communications need to be reported on regularly so that the portfolio director and senior responsible owner and their respective boards have an up-to-date understanding of problems or opportunities arising and can plan any required responses accordingly.

The communications framework and plan should be monitored to make sure they remain effective and appropriate as the work proceeds, particularly if things change significantly.

The purpose of planning a campaign, event or activity is to ensure that each communication is viewed in the context of a wider campaign and can be linked back to a clear objective.

When planning a campaign, event or activity, objectives should be defined to ensure that those managing and delivering the communications are clear on what is required and so that different elements can be aligned. Communications objectives should:

• support the policy or business aims of the portfolio, programme or project
• describe how communication is expected to contribute to achieving this aim
• be achievable and measurable
• be focused on outcomes not outputs

It is important to use data to develop an understanding of the target audience’s attitudes, habits and preferences so that communication activities can be relevant, meaningful and effective (see Chapter 26: Stakeholder engagement). Any analysis should be done in accordance with the Government Functional Standard for Analysis.

The objectives and audience insights should be used to define the target audience, proposition, messages and channels and techniques to be used. To ensure that the campaign or event is realistic, a plan should be developed that includes:

• any risks or issues
• roles and accountabilities
• the method for measuring the success of the campaign or event
• the approach to be taken
• the timescales for delivery
• resources required
• any partners to be involved

Once planned, the campaign, event or activity should be delviered with each communication package initiated in accordance with the plan. Progress should be monitored in terms of outputs, outtakes and outcomes.

Evaluation should be conducted to assess the performance and success of the campaign, event or activity. It is important to capture information and lessons to understand whether the campaign, event or activity achieved the planned objectives such as changing behaviour, improving operational effectiveness, building reputation or explaining a portfolio, programme or project (see 27.6.1.5 on on measuring the effectiveness of communications).

Lessons should be captured, shared and used to improve current and future communication activities (see Chapter 38: Learning from experience). Communications information and data should be stored for future reference, ensuring that any sensdata Is handled appropriately (see Chapter 24: Information and data management).

Once a campaign, event or activity has concluded, it can be closed and the relevant manager stood down. The communications manager should agree that the campaign, event or activity has closed and update the communications plan.

When no longer needed, the communications framework should be closed down. As part of this, any ongoing need for communication activity following the closure of a programme or project should be identified and transitioned to managers in operations to take on, or alternatively moved to the portfolio level.

The effectiveness of communications overall should be evaluated as part of closing the work. Communications information and data should be archived in accordance with the sponsoring organisation’s information and data retention policies (see Chapter 24: Information and data management). Lessons should be captured, shared and used to improve future communication activities (see Chapter 38: Learning from experience).