Communication plans and implementation

Contents

Communication plans and implementation is the process of promoting, explaining and reinforcing learning before, during and after delivery. It helps ensure learning opportunities are visible, understood and supported by learners, managers and stakeholders.

A communication plan identifies the target audiences, key messages, communication channels, timing and measures of success (such as tracking user behaviour). It outlines what information should be communicated, who should receive it, when it should be delivered and how it will be shared.

There should be a plan to support the learning culture throughout the year, the release of a new product and then operation of the product.

Implementation is the process of putting that plan into action through scheduled and coordinated communications that drive awareness, participation and completion.

Effective communication includes both promotional activities that create awareness and operational communications that guide learners through their learning journey.

Why is it important?

Communication is critical to the success of learning and capability initiatives. Communication is critical to drive awareness, encourage participation, support completion of mandatory learning, and reinforce the value of learning and development. Without consistent communication, staff may miss opportunities or be unaware of available support.

Even high-quality learning products may experience low participation if staff are unaware of their availability, do not understand their value, or are unclear about what action they need to take.

A communication plan provides a structured and coordinated approach to sharing information, ensuring messages are clear, consistent, and delivered at appropriate points in time.

A structured communication approach helps reduce confusion, improve participation, support completion of mandatory learning and reinforce key messages over time. It enables learners and managers to understand expectations, deadlines, access arrangements and available support. Consistent and timely communication also reduces avoidable enquiries (which impacts help-desk support), misdirected enrolments, low attendance rates and rework by ensuring information is delivered clearly and at the right time.

What are the benefits

Receives clear and timely information on learning opportunities, requirements and deadlines.
Know what action is required and how to access learning and support.
Clearer understanding of what learning is available and how to access it.
Learners can better plan and prioritise learning alongside work commitments.
Learner has greater confidence in meeting mandatory learning obligations and expectations.
Experiences a more consistent and coordinated learning journey.
Planned communications reduce follow up questions and rework by providing the right information at the right time, increasing confidence and uptake across the organisation.

Suitable for

Communication planning and implementation is suitable for all learning and capability initiatives, particularly mandatory learning, enterprise-wide programs, priority capability initiatives, APS-wide and cross-agency offerings, and learning that requires active manager or executive sponsorship to support participation and completion.

Communication streams

Learning culture communications: Year-round communications that build awareness of learning opportunities, reinforce the value of continuous learning, promote capability development, and encourage a positive learning culture across the organisation. These communications help keep learning visible, reinforce organisational capability priorities, and support ongoing engagement with development opportunities.
Launch communications: Targeted communications used to introduce new learning products, programs, services or initiatives. These communications create awareness, explain the purpose and benefits, generate interest, and encourage participation among the intended audience. Launch communications should be viewed as the beginning of an ongoing communication effort rather than a standalone activity. Following launch, the learning offering should be incorporated into broader learning culture communications to maintain visibility, reinforce its value and support sustained participation over time.
Operational communications: Communications that support learners once they engage with a learning activity. These communications provide practical information and guidance throughout the learner journey, including enrolment confirmations, reminders, instructions, session updates, due dates, completion notifications and support information. Their purpose is to ensure learners understand what action is required, when it is required, and how to successfully complete the learning experience.

Understanding learner motivation

Learners are often balancing learning with competing workplace priorities. Consider what motivates participation.

Driver	Trigger	Considerations
Mandatory Requirements	A legislative, policy, compliance or organisational requirement requires participation or completion.	Examples include mandatory training, induction requirements, security awareness training, refresher training or role-based certifications. Communications should clearly explain obligations, deadlines and consequences of non-completion.
Career Development	A desire to build capability, prepare for future roles or progress professionally.	Learners are motivated when they can see a connection between the learning and career growth, leadership pathways, accreditation or professional development opportunities. Participation is often self-motivated and influenced by career aspirations. Communications should focus on the benefits, outcomes and opportunities the learning may support.
Performance Improvement	A need to improve capability, address a skills gap or support changing job requirements.	Learning may be driven by performance discussions, new responsibilities, organisational priorities or capability assessments. Communications should emphasise practical workplace benefits. A manager or mentor can help identify options to support an individual.
Personal Interest	Genuine curiosity or interest in the topic.	Learners engage because the subject aligns with their interests, values or aspirations. Communications should focus on relevance, benefits and opportunities for exploration.
Quality	Positive feedback, recommendations or evidence that the learning provides value.	Learners are more likely to participate when learning has a strong reputation, receives positive reviews or is endorsed by colleagues, managers or leaders. Testimonials and success stories can be effective triggers. Communication should focus on positive learner experiences, practical outcomes and evidence that the learning is relevant, high quality and worth the learner's time.
Access	Learning is easy to find, access and complete.	Participation is often influenced by practical considerations such as time availability, manager support, cost, technology requirements, accessibility and platform usability. Communications should explain how learners can access the learning and what support is available.
Awareness	Learners become aware that the opportunity exists.	Even highly valuable learning can experience low participation if learners are unaware of it. Communications should focus on visibility, promotion, timing and clear instructions on how to engage.

Communication checklist

Consideration	Learning Culture Communications (Annual)	Launch Communications	Operational Communications
Awareness and Engagement	Promote continuous learning, capability development, learning pathways, new releases and organisational priorities throughout the year. Maintain ongoing visibility and engagement.	Create awareness of a new learning product, program, service or initiative. Explain why it matters and why learners should participate.	Reinforce awareness of enrolled learning and required actions throughout the learner journey.
Audience	All staff, managers, supervisors and executives. Audience may vary depending on capability priorities and learning initiatives.	Target audience for the learning initiative, plus managers and stakeholders who can influence participation and support.	Primarily enrolled learners. May also include managers, supervisors, instructors and administrators.
Timing	Planned across the year and aligned to capability priorities, mandatory learning cycles, events, campaigns and new learning releases.	Pre-launch, launch and post-launch communications. Includes awareness, reminders and reinforcement following release.	Triggered throughout the learner journey, including registration, enrolment, reminders, due dates, attendance, completion and evaluation.
Messaging	Promote the value of learning, capability development opportunities, organisational priorities and a culture of continuous improvement.	Explain the purpose, benefits, audience, expectations and value proposition of the learning opportunity.	Focus on actions learners need to take, when they need to take them, available support and any consequences of non-completion.
Key Information to Include	Learning opportunities, development pathways, success stories, capability priorities, upcoming events and organisational learning initiatives.	Purpose of the learning, benefits, target audience, duration, expectations, enrolment process, time commitment and key dates.	Purpose of the communication, required action, relevant deadlines, direct links, support contacts, FAQs and compliance requirements where relevant.
Auto-Populated Fields / Automation	Generally limited. May include newsletter subscriptions, learning recommendations or personalised campaign content where available.	Usually minimal automation. Most launch communications are tailored and campaign-based, although audiences may be segmented automatically.	Extensive use of automated communications and system-generated emails. May include learner name, course name, course links, session details, due dates, completion dates and registration information.
Communication Channels	Newsletters, intranet articles, notice boards, executive messages, manager toolkits, team meetings, social platforms, other linked platforms, events and communities of practice.	Email campaigns, intranet articles, webinars, stakeholder briefings, newsletters, manager communications and launch events.	System-generated emails, platform notifications, SMS (where enabled), calendar invitations, facilitator communications and support channels.
Measurement	Learning awareness, campaign reach, newsletter engagement, participation trends, repeat learners and organisational engagement with learning.	Open rates, click-through rates, registrations, enrolments, attendance, campaign engagement and stakeholder feedback.	Completion rates, attendance rates, overdue rates, evaluation responses, learner satisfaction and support enquiries.

Operational workflow communications - examples

User Management and self-registration

User journey	Types of emails - learner	Key information to include / call to actions
Registration	Registration approved. Registration denied. Registration pending approval.	Your account has been approved. Bookmark the URL. To search for our available learning offerings. Please visit the catalogue on the top right of the home screen. Subscribe to Newsletter. If you have any questions or concerns throughout your learning journey please reach out to (inbox/hotline). We need to investigate your request.
Profile created on your behalf	New account.	A new account has been created for you. Go explore the catalogue. Did you know that you can also access. If you require support anytime throughout your learning journey with us. You can view the {site_name} frequently asked questions here or contact us. Subscribe to newsletter. Complete a capability assessment.
Verify yourself & Password reset	Verify email address. Verification successful. Verification successful account pending approval . MFA verification. Passkey setup request. Password reset.	Subscribe to newsletter. View and search for all our available learning offerings in the catalogue. If you require support anytime throughout your learning journey with us. You can view the {site_name} frequently asked questions here or contact us. Use provided code to complete verification. Request to setup passkey for account. Setup following URL. Link remains valid for [timeframe]. If you are continuing to experience issues with resetting your password. Please contact us.
Account merge	Account merge successful. Account merge denied.	Please allow 24 hours for your account merge to be fully processed. If you believe this is incorrect. Please feel free to contact us.
Cohort learning	Cohort user to invitation.	You’ve been invited to join this cohort. Other cohorts you should consider.

Learning experience

User journey	System emails - learner	System emails - supervisor / instructor	Key information to include / call to actions
Expression of Interest	Expression of interest added. Expression of interest removed.	Expression of Interest Notification.	What will happen if a session is open? What happens if you are removed? What else may you be interested in which is similar. If you wish to resubscribe or express your interest in a different course.
Skills & capabilities	Assessment. Save your searches.	Recommendations.	Login to complete assessment. Does someone else need to review.
Enrolled	Registration Confirmed. Registration Confirmed with Payment. Registration Request Denied. Request Registration Approval. Registration Pending Confirmation. Registration supervisor withdrawn option. Self-registration confirmed.	Minimum Capacity not Reached. Instructor assigned. Instructor unassigned.	Complete your pre-work before attending. Use pre-work direct Links to the activity. What to do with Calendar invites. What to do if you will be getting comms from another channel & what to look out for and do. Don’t contact the instructor. Contact the POC in the signature block.
Withdraw	Registration withdrawn. Self-registration withdrawn.	Person withdraw.	How to find another session. What does the withdrawal mean. Why you were withdrawn.
Reminder	Registration Reminder.		Complete your pre-work before attending. Use pre-work direct Links to the activity. Complete all mandatory activities. We ask you please arrive/logon 15 minutes prior to the course start time.
Changes	New or Updated Session Information. Session cancelled. Session changed.	New or Updated Session Information. Session cancelled. Session changed.	Why there is a change/what the change is. Do they have to action anything? Explain the processes if a session is cancelled when there is a payment assigned. For cancelled sessions. Provide suggestions on what to do next.
Attended	Attended. Did not attend. Partially Attended.	Person attended. Person did not attend.	Join this community. What other courses we recommend now. If you think you attended, what should you do if this is wrong. How to download a certificate.
Completed	Congratulations. Feedback.		Join this community. What other courses we recommend. If you think you attended, what should you do if this is wrong. How to download a certificate. Subscribe to newsletter.

Payments

User journey	System emails - learner	Key information to include / call to actions
Payment process	Payment Confirmed. External Payment confirmed.	Where you can find your receipt. Where can view your purchase.
Refund requested	Refund request.	Course details of the course the participant is registered in. All details required to process refund.
Refund denied	Refund request denied.	Has been denied because of the following reason(s). If you believe you are still entitled to refund please contact us.
Refund approved	Refund request approved. Refund approved forward.

Workflows

User journey	System emails - learner	Key information to include / call to actions
Reminder	Refresher Reminder.	Re-complete the course before refresh date. Email address and hotline. If for any reason you are unable to complete the course please let us know.
Expired	Completion Expired.	Re-complete the course to update your completion date. We request that you please complete this training by (dd/mm/yyyy). Email address and hotline. If for any reason you are unable to complete the course please let us know.
Due	Due date reminder. Course overdue.	Please complete this course as soon as possible. Your completion for this course is now overdue. Email address and hotline. If for any reason you are unable to complete the course please let us know. What will happen if you do not complete it.

General practices

Good practice
Define clear communication objectives and success measures. Identify primary and secondary audiences. Tailor messages to different audience groups. Communicate early and reinforce messages throughout the learning lifecycle. Use a mix of communication channels. Include clear calls to action. Use plain, task-based language that reflects how end users search and decide. Explain why the learning matters to learners. Align communications with learning cycles and business priorities. Monitor communication effectiveness and adjust where required.

Good practice

Define clear communication objectives and success measures.
Identify primary and secondary audiences.
Tailor messages to different audience groups.
Communicate early and reinforce messages throughout the learning lifecycle.
Use a mix of communication channels.
Include clear calls to action. Use plain, task-based language that reflects how end users search and decide.
Explain why the learning matters to learners.
Align communications with learning cycles and business priorities.
Monitor communication effectiveness and adjust where required.

Practices to avoid
Relying on one-off communications without ongoing reinforcement throughout the learning lifecycle. Using inconsistent messaging, timing or channels that create confusion about requirements and expectations. Failing to explain the purpose, value, time commitment or expected outcomes of the learning. Providing unclear instructions, deadlines or next steps, including communications without clear calls to action. Assuming learners understand technical, system or L&D terminology without explanation. Not tailoring communications to the needs of different audiences or the impact on end users. Delivering information too early, too late or at inappropriate points in the learner journey. Failing to define ownership, responsibilities and accountability for communication activities. Launching learning initiatives without a communication plan to build awareness before, during and after delivery. Relying solely on generic promotions that do not support engagement, participation or completion.

Practices to avoid

Relying on one-off communications without ongoing reinforcement throughout the learning lifecycle.
Using inconsistent messaging, timing or channels that create confusion about requirements and expectations.
Failing to explain the purpose, value, time commitment or expected outcomes of the learning.
Providing unclear instructions, deadlines or next steps, including communications without clear calls to action.
Assuming learners understand technical, system or L&D terminology without explanation.
Not tailoring communications to the needs of different audiences or the impact on end users.
Delivering information too early, too late or at inappropriate points in the learner journey.
Failing to define ownership, responsibilities and accountability for communication activities.
Launching learning initiatives without a communication plan to build awareness before, during and after delivery.
Relying solely on generic promotions that do not support engagement, participation or completion.

Example – communication planning
A learning team develops a new mandatory cybersecurity course for all employees. The course is published in the learning system, but no formal communication plan is developed. Communications are limited to a single announcement shortly before the compliance deadline. Potential Issues Staff are unaware of the course or do not understand that completion is mandatory. Managers receive limited information about expectations and are unable to encourage participation. As deadlines approach, support teams receive a significant increase in enquiries, completion rates remain low and additional effort is required to remind staff and track compliance. Better Approach The learning team develops a communication plan before launch. Communications are delivered through multiple channels over several months, including executive messaging, manager briefings, intranet communications and reminder emails. Key messages focus on why the learning is important, what staff need to do and where support is available. As a result, awareness is higher, participation increases and compliance challenges are reduced.

Example – communication planning

A learning team develops a new mandatory cybersecurity course for all employees. The course is published in the learning system, but no formal communication plan is developed. Communications are limited to a single announcement shortly before the compliance deadline.

Potential Issues

Staff are unaware of the course or do not understand that completion is mandatory. Managers receive limited information about expectations and are unable to encourage participation. As deadlines approach, support teams receive a significant increase in enquiries, completion rates remain low and additional effort is required to remind staff and track compliance.

Better Approach

The learning team develops a communication plan before launch. Communications are delivered through multiple channels over several months, including executive messaging, manager briefings, intranet communications and reminder emails. Key messages focus on why the learning is important, what staff need to do and where support is available. As a result, awareness is higher, participation increases and compliance challenges are reduced.

Example – communicating implementation
A communication plan has been developed for a leadership program, but implementation is inconsistent. Scheduled communications are delayed and some messages are not distributed. Potential Issues Learners receive information at different times and through different channels. Some participants miss enrolment deadlines and others arrive at sessions without completing required pre-work. Managers are unable to support participation because expectations were not communicated consistently. Better Approach Communication activities are delivered according to an agreed schedule. Participants receive consistent information through coordinated channels, managers receive supporting information and reminder messages are issued at key points throughout the program. Learners understand expectations and complete required activities before attending.

Example – communicating implementation

A communication plan has been developed for a leadership program, but implementation is inconsistent. Scheduled communications are delayed and some messages are not distributed.

Potential Issues

Learners receive information at different times and through different channels. Some participants miss enrolment deadlines and others arrive at sessions without completing required pre-work. Managers are unable to support participation because expectations were not communicated consistently.

Better Approach

Communication activities are delivered according to an agreed schedule. Participants receive consistent information through coordinated channels, managers receive supporting information and reminder messages are issued at key points throughout the program. Learners understand expectations and complete required activities before attending.

Example – operation communications
An organisation launches a new mandatory learning program. Learners are enrolled, but automated notifications, reminders and completion communications have not been reviewed or configured appropriately. Potential Issues Learners do not receive enrolment confirmations, due date reminders or clear instructions on how to access the learning. Some staff miss completion deadlines because they were unaware of their obligations. Help desk requests increase as learners seek assistance locating courses, understanding requirements and confirming completion status. Better Approach Operational communications are configured and tested before launch. Learners receive timely enrolment confirmations, reminder notifications, due date alerts and completion messages containing clear instructions and support information. Communications provide consistent guidance throughout the learner journey, resulting in fewer support requests, improved completion rates and a better learner experience.

Example – operation communications

An organisation launches a new mandatory learning program. Learners are enrolled, but automated notifications, reminders and completion communications have not been reviewed or configured appropriately.

Potential Issues

Learners do not receive enrolment confirmations, due date reminders or clear instructions on how to access the learning. Some staff miss completion deadlines because they were unaware of their obligations. Help desk requests increase as learners seek assistance locating courses, understanding requirements and confirming completion status.

Better Approach

Operational communications are configured and tested before launch. Learners receive timely enrolment confirmations, reminder notifications, due date alerts and completion messages containing clear instructions and support information. Communications provide consistent guidance throughout the learner journey, resulting in fewer support requests, improved completion rates and a better learner experience.

Topics

Communication