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5 Signs your internal communications team needs a charter
As a strategic advisory firm, we’re working on dozens of internal communications, change and culture projects at any given time. Our clients rely on us to help solve their most pressing challenges, and as a result, we’re able to spot themes, best practices, and watch-outs as they arise.
One of these best practices is creating an internal communications team charter—a foundational document that consistently drives tangible impact.
What is a communications team charter?
In simple terms, a charter is a governance document that outlines what your team does, how it operates and the value it brings to your organization. Charters typically include all or most of the following components.
Team purpose
Your team’s purpose statement explains why your team exists, who/what it supports and the value it brings to the organization.
Scope
The scope outlines what your team does and, equally important, what it does not do. This helps set clear expectations for your team and the stakeholders it serves.
Roles and responsibilities
The charter clearly defines your team’s roles and responsibilities, either collectively or by specific member roles.
Stakeholders
It’s important to identify the stakeholders who will either partner with or benefit from the work your team does in order to effectively plan what tools and resources are needed.
Operational guidelines
Operational guidelines outline how your team will communicate and collaborate with each other and with stakeholders. This section of the charter can outline preferred communication channels, meeting schedules, decision-making processes, and conflict resolution procedures. It’s crucial in promoting effective teamwork and setting expectations for how team members should interact and collaborate.
Resources and tools
The charter may specify resources, tools, and support available to your team and its stakeholders (e.g., collaboration tools, brand center, support request forms).
Metrics
Charters may include a measurement section that defines what success looks like. Expected outcomes and/or key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to evaluate your team’s progress.
What are the signs that you need a new team charter?
While we’re proponents of always having a team charter in place, there are a few scenarios where it is especially important and useful.
1. You have a new team
Whether your internal communications function is being established for the first time or a new group head has joined, establishing a team charter should be one of your first priorities. It helps you collectively define your team’s purpose, clarify roles, set expectations for the team’s scope, and agree on ways of working.
What’s more, your team charter serves as an invaluable onboarding tool when new members join.
2. Your team has experienced significant growth or reduction
Your team charter is a living document that needs to be reviewed and updated as objectives evolve and situations change. If your internal communications team is expanding or shrinking, your charter can help redefine and realign on goals, priorities, roles and responsibilities.
It can also help address confusion or conflict that may arise during the restructuring process and help stakeholders understand what they can expect from your team (i.e., what’s changing) during the transition period.
3. Your team operates in silos
If productivity, efficiency and a clear line of sight are on the decline because your team is working in a vacuum, a team charter will help define operating principles to get you back on track. Consider including elements that create consistency across the team, such as guidelines for brand voice and tone, messaging standards, communications channel strategy, approval processes, knowledge-sharing protocols, and/or file storage instructions.
4. You don’t have time to be strategic or proactive
From crisis communications to executive presentations to that “quick communication” that needs to be turned around in an hour, the plates of internal communicators aren’t just full—they’re often spilling over. If you find your team living in a reactive mode, it’s time to take a beat and figure out how to pivot.
One of our favorite parts of leading client charter workshops is the moment of recognition when they see their full scope laid out in front of them. It’s hard to track all the tasks, requests and deliverables that an IC team handles on a day-to-day basis, but when eyes land on the exhaustive laundry list, it’s hard to ignore.
As part of your charter-building exercise, write down everything your team handles on a day-to-day basis. It’s likely shocking just how much your team is managing.
Next, review each item to determine if it aligns with your team’s purpose statement. If it does, keep doing it! If it doesn’t, it’s time to figure out an alternate plan. That might mean adhering to an intake process, developing self-service tools, coaching leaders or something completely unique to your organization.
5. You have limited resources
If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having a limited or no budget, it may be time to assess the perceived value of internal communications in your organization. When leadership doesn’t recognize the value that internal communications teams bring to the business, budgets get pinched or, worse, cut altogether.
Creating a charter with your team can help you pinpoint the value you’re bringing to different stakeholders and the broader organization. It may also surface opportunities to optimize your team’s value by reallocating work that doesn’t align with your team’s purpose (see #4 above).
Once your new charter is ready for socialization, it can serve as an educational tool to showcase the team’s value and teach leaders how to engage effectively with your team. Because when the internal communications team is focused on business priorities, everyone wins.
Team charters are worth the time and investment
These are just a few scenarios in which having a charter for the internal communications team can prove invaluable. During the charter creation process, teams often uncover insights, opportunities, and even some surprises. The result is a governance document that empowers internal communications teams to focus on business priorities, work efficiently, manage expectations and deliver quality results.
Need a hand developing your team charter (and getting your stakeholders aligned)? Let our team at bink help.
