internal-comms

When to use this skill

To write internal communications, use this skill for:

• 3P updates (Progress, Plans, Problems)
• Company newsletters
• FAQ responses
• Status reports
• Leadership updates
• Project updates
• Incident reports

How to use this skill

To write any internal communication:

1. Identify the communication type from the request
2. Load the appropriate guideline file from the examples/ directory:
   • examples/3p-updates.md - For Progress/Plans/Problems team updates
   • examples/company-newsletter.md - For company-wide newsletters
   • examples/faq-answers.md - For answering frequently asked questions
   • examples/general-comms.md - For anything else that doesn't explicitly match one of the above
3. Follow the specific instructions in that file for formatting, tone, and content gathering

If the communication type doesn't match any existing guideline, use the templates below as a starting point.

Status Report Template

# Weekly Status Report
**Period:** [Week of MMM DD, YYYY]
**Author:** [Name]
**Team:** [Team Name]

## TL;DR
[1-2 sentences summary]

## Accomplishments This Week
- ✅ [Achievement 1 with metrics if possible]
- ✅ [Achievement 2]
- ✅ [Achievement 3]

## In Progress
- 🔄 [Task 1] - [X]% complete, ETA [date]
- 🔄 [Task 2] - blocked by [blocker]

## Planned for Next Week
- [ ] [Priority 1]
- [ ] [Priority 2]
- [ ] [Priority 3]

## Blockers / Risks
- 🚧 [Blocker 1] - need [action] from [person/team]
- ⚠️ [Risk 1] - mitigation: [plan]

## Metrics
| Metric | Last Week | This Week | Change |
|--------|-----------|-----------|--------|
| [Metric 1] | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z%] |
| [Metric 2] | [X] | [Y] | [+/-Z%] |

## Team Updates
- [Team member] on PTO [dates]
- New hire: [Name] joining as [Role]

Executive Update Template

# Executive Update: [Topic]
**Date:** [Date]
**From:** [Name, Title]
**To:** Leadership Team

## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentences - the most important points]

## Key Highlights
1. **[Topic 1]:** [One sentence with key metric]
2. **[Topic 2]:** [One sentence with key metric]
3. **[Topic 3]:** [One sentence with key metric]

## Business Impact
- Revenue impact: $[X]
- Customer impact: [Y] customers affected
- Timeline impact: [Z] days saved/delayed

## Decisions Needed
1. [Decision 1] - Deadline: [Date]
   - Option A: [Pros/Cons]
   - Option B: [Pros/Cons]
   - **Recommendation:** Option [X]

## Next Steps
1. [Action] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]
2. [Action] - Owner: [Name] - Due: [Date]

## Appendix
[Detailed data for those who want more]

Newsletter Template

# [Company] Newsletter
**Edition:** [Month Year] | **Issue #[X]**

---

## 📢 Headline Story
### [Title]
[Engaging 2-3 paragraphs about the main story]

---

## 🎉 Wins & Celebrations

### Team Accomplishments
- **[Team A]:** [Achievement]
- **[Team B]:** [Achievement]

### Employee Spotlights
**[Name]** - [Title]
[2-3 sentences about their recent contribution]

---

## 📅 Upcoming Events
| Date | Event | Location |
|------|-------|----------|
| [Date] | [Event] | [Location/Virtual] |

---

## 💡 Did You Know?
[Fun fact or useful tip about the company/industry]

---

## 📊 Numbers That Matter
- **[Metric]:** [Value] ([change] from last month)
- **[Metric]:** [Value]

---

## 🔗 Quick Links
- [Resource 1](link)
- [Resource 2](link)

---

*Have something to share? Email [[email protected]]*

Incident Report Template

# Incident Report: [Title]

**Severity:** [P0/P1/P2/P3]
**Date:** [Date & Time]
**Duration:** [X hours/minutes]
**Author:** [Name]

## Summary
[2-3 sentences describing what happened]

## Timeline (All times in UTC)
| Time | Event |
|------|-------|
| HH:MM | [Initial trigger/alert] |
| HH:MM | [First response action] |
| HH:MM | [Escalation/notification] |
| HH:MM | [Mitigation applied] |
| HH:MM | [Full resolution] |

## Impact
- **Users affected:** [Number/percentage]
- **Services affected:** [List]
- **Revenue impact:** $[Amount] (estimated)
- **SLA impact:** [Yes/No - details]

## Root Cause
[Technical explanation of what caused the incident]

## Resolution
[What was done to fix the immediate issue]

## Lessons Learned
### What went well
- [Positive 1]
- [Positive 2]

### What could be improved
- [Improvement 1]
- [Improvement 2]

## Action Items
| Action | Owner | Due Date | Status |
|--------|-------|----------|--------|
| [Action 1] | [Name] | [Date] | [Status] |
| [Action 2] | [Name] | [Date] | [Status] |

## Prevention
[How we'll prevent this from happening again]

Project Update Template

# Project Update: [Project Name]
**Date:** [Date]
**Project Lead:** [Name]
**Status:** 🟢 On Track / 🟡 At Risk / 🔴 Off Track

## Progress Overview
[2-3 sentences on overall status]

**Overall Progress:** [XX]% complete

## Milestone Status
| Milestone | Target Date | Status | Notes |
|-----------|-------------|--------|-------|
| [Milestone 1] | [Date] | ✅ Complete | |
| [Milestone 2] | [Date] | 🔄 In Progress | [X]% |
| [Milestone 3] | [Date] | ⏳ Upcoming | |

## This Period's Achievements
- [Achievement 1]
- [Achievement 2]

## Risks & Issues
| Risk/Issue | Severity | Mitigation | Owner |
|------------|----------|------------|-------|
| [Risk 1] | High | [Plan] | [Name] |

## Budget Status
- Allocated: $[X]
- Spent: $[Y] ([Z]%)
- Remaining: $[W]

## Resource Status
- Team capacity: [X]%
- Additional needs: [Description]

## Next Steps
1. [Next action 1]
2. [Next action 2]

Announcement Template

# 📢 [Announcement Title]

**Effective Date:** [Date]
**From:** [Name/Department]

---

## What's Happening
[Clear explanation of the change/news]

## Why This Matters
[Context and rationale]

## What You Need to Do
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]

## Timeline
- **[Date]:** [Event/milestone]
- **[Date]:** [Event/milestone]

## FAQs

**Q: [Common question 1]?**
A: [Answer]

**Q: [Common question 2]?**
A: [Answer]

## Questions?
Contact [Name/Team] at [email/Slack]

---

*Thank you for your attention to this matter.*

Writing Tips

Tone Guidelines

✅ Do:
- Be clear and concise
- Use active voice
- Lead with the most important info
- Include specific data/metrics
- Provide clear next steps

❌ Don't:
- Use jargon without explanation
- Bury the lead
- Be vague about timelines
- Skip the "so what"
- Assume everyone has context

Structure

1. **Lead with TL;DR** - busy readers first
2. **Use headers** - scannable structure
3. **Bullet points** - easier to read
4. **Tables for data** - clear comparisons
5. **Bold key info** - highlights important
6. **End with actions** - what's next

Email Subject Lines

✅ Good:
- "[Action Required] Q4 Budget Review - Due Oct 15"
- "Weekly Update: Engineering (Oct 7-13)"
- "[FYI] New PTO Policy Effective Nov 1"
- "🎉 We Hit $1M ARR!"

❌ Bad:
- "Update"
- "Please read"
- "Important"
- "FYI"

Tips

1. Know your audience - executives vs team vs all-hands
2. TL;DR first - respect busy readers
3. Be specific - numbers > vague statements
4. Action-oriented - clear next steps
5. Consistent format - templates save time
6. Proofread - typos undermine credibility

Keywords

3P updates, company newsletter, company comms, weekly update, faqs, common questions, updates, internal comms