Keep the meaning; adapt the shape
Choose the channel for the reader’s task and distinguish broad employee updates from team working notes.
Chat suits a brief, timely update; email adds context or a reply path; an intranet article supports durable, structured information. Keep the confirmed facts and required action consistent across formats. Organization-wide messages should serve the stated audience; team working drafts belong in the team’s working space unless there is a clear employee-wide need.
One update in three channels
Illustrative sample: scheduled maintenance begins at 8 p.m. Thursday; the service may be unavailable.
| Details | Example shape | Useful when |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Maintenance starts at 8 p.m. Thursday. Save your work before then. | A brief, timely update with one clear action. |
| Subject: Thursday maintenance begins at 8 p.m. The service may be unavailable during scheduled maintenance. Save your work before 8 p.m. Thursday. | A subject and enough context for a reader who may not see a chat thread. | |
| Intranet article | Scheduled maintenance: Thursday, 8 p.m. The service may be unavailable during maintenance. Before it begins, save your work. Check this article for the latest confirmed details. | A descriptive heading and structured detail for readers who may return to the information. |
Review before sharing
A lightweight sequence for a routine employee-facing message.
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1
Name the audience and action
Check who needs the message, what they need to know, and what—if anything—they should do.
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2
Verify details at their source
Check program names, dates, times, links, and next steps against the authoritative source or accountable owner.
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3
Check structure and accessibility
Review heading order, descriptive links, meaningful image alternatives, and readable list structure.
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4
Proofread the final version
Read once for meaning and once for spelling, punctuation, and formatting. Route factual uncertainty to the relevant source owner before publishing.
Visual publishing kit
Choose an image treatment that supports the story; crop for context, not decoration.
Brief service update
Use a simple, informative lead image only when it helps readers recognize the topic. Keep the headline and action understandable without the image.
- Crop to keep the relevant service or setting visible.
- Avoid text baked into the image; keep essential details in the message.
- Use descriptive alternative text when the image adds information.
People-centered story
Use a genuine, approved image that supports the story’s subject. Identify the context in the caption or surrounding text rather than implying a stock image depicts a real employee.
- Keep faces and relevant context inside the crop.
- Do not crop a person in a way that changes the story’s meaning.
- Credit or attribute imagery according to the organization’s approved practice.
Durable reference
A reference page can be complete without a hero image. If an image explains a process or document, keep the key answer available as text.
- Use a crop that preserves the object or detail being explained.
- Do not rely on color, position, or image text alone to convey meaning.
- Use no image when it does not improve understanding.
Choose the channel and the source
Keep one authoritative home for shared policies, procedures, and other durable content.
| Details | Use this | Check before publishing |
|---|---|---|
| Brief, time-sensitive update | Chat or a short employee update | State the confirmed change and immediate action; link to the authoritative reference when readers need more. |
| Context or response needed | Name the audience, purpose, and reply route; avoid reproducing a full policy. | |
| Information people will revisit | A structured intranet article or approved reference | Maintain the canonical source there, then link to it from related messages. |
| Team coordination draft | The team’s working space | Keep it distinct from a published employee-facing message until the intended audience and owner are clear. |
Keep one canonical source
A short message can summarize a change; it should not become a competing copy of a shared procedure or policy.
For shared material, identify one authoritative home and keep its owner responsible for updates. In a related announcement, state what changed and who is affected, then link to that source when its real destination is known. Do not publish a second version that can drift out of date. Send a suspected error or outdated detail to the content owner; the owner checks the source and coordinates the correction. Review the page when its source changes, its audience or channel changes, or a reader reports a problem.
Who owns each part of the work
Try a small findability test
Test whether employees can find an answer using the words they would actually use.
- Ask a colleague who did not write the guide: “Where would you look to check how to write a date?”
- Record the exact search terms they try and the navigation route they choose; do not coach them while they search.
- Ask them to locate one more reference from a plain-language task, such as “How do I make an intranet article easier to navigate?”
- If the same task repeatedly leads to a wrong page or an unsuccessful search, revise the label or page wording, then repeat the task with another colleague.
Route feedback about a page to the Internal Communications Content Owner. For a disputed fact in a message, ask the relevant Source Owner to verify it against the authoritative source.
Open the relevant reference
Use these pages for the writing, mechanics, accessibility, and tone decisions behind a draft.