Assignment: Corporate Communications Portfolio (Partial Exam 2)

Worth: 10 points

Format: Individual or group work

Overview

You will create a change management communications portfolio consisting of three different internal communication documents about the same organizational change scenario. Your documents will demonstrate your ability to communicate about significant organizational changes effectively across different channels, audiences, and purposes.

Learning Objectives

By completing this assignment, you will:

Apply principles of effective internal communication to real organizational scenarios
Adapt message content, tone, and format for different stakeholder audiences
Demonstrate understanding of appropriate communication channels and text types for various situations
Create cohesive change management communication strategies
Analyze your own communication choices from multiple perspectives

What is change management communication?

Change management communication refers to the strategic approach organizations use to communicate with stakeholders during periods of transition. Unlike routine communication, change management requires:

Strategic planning: Thinking through who needs what information, when, and how
Stakeholder awareness: Understanding different audiences’ concerns and information needs
Channel appropriateness: Using the right format and medium for each message
Consistency with flexibility: Maintaining aligned messaging while adapting tone and detail for different audiences
Anticipation: Addressing questions and concerns before they become problems

Your portfolio will demonstrate these competencies by showing how one organizational change can be communicated effectively through multiple channels to multiple audiences.

Portfolio Requirements

Your portfolio must include four components:

Component 1: Portfolio Introduction (1-2 pages) — 1 point

Write an introduction to your portfolio that includes:

1. Scenario description (1 paragraph)

What change scenario did you select?
What organization or context are you writing for?
Why did you choose this scenario?

2. Document analysis (3 sections, one for each document)

For each of your three documents, provide:

Point of View: Who is the author? What is their role and authority in the organization?
Audience: Who is the primary audience? What are their concerns, needs, or questions?
Text Type: What format did you use and why is it appropriate for this communication?
Effectiveness Analysis: What works well in this document? What are potential weaknesses or limitations?

3. Communication strategy synthesis (1-2 paragraphs)

How do the three documents work together as a cohesive communication strategy?
When would each document be used? Is there a logical sequence or timing?
How do the documents address different stakeholder needs while maintaining consistent messaging?
What gaps exist in your communication strategy? What additional communications might be needed?

Component 2-4: Three Internal Communication Documents (1-2 pages each) — 3 points each

Create three different text types communicating about the same organizational change to different stakeholders or for different purposes. Your documents must be three distinct formats from the list below.

Available text types:

Email announcement: Message to a specific group announcing the change
Memo: Formal internal document providing detailed information about the change
FAQ document: Questions and answers addressing common concerns
Talking points: Bullet points for managers to use when discussing the change with their teams
Internal newsletter article: Accessible, engaging article for company newsletter
Team meeting script: Structured outline for leading a meeting about the change
All-hands presentation script: Speaker notes for a company-wide presentation
Manager communication guide: Instructions for managers on how to communicate about the change to their teams

Document requirements:

Each document should be 1-2 pages (double-spaced for running text; single-spaced for structured documents like FAQs or talking points)
Use professional formatting appropriate to the text type
Demonstrate appropriate tone, language register, and level of detail for the audience
Address audience-specific concerns and information needs
Maintain consistency with your overall communication strategy

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Select your change management scenario

Choose one of the following scenarios, or propose your own:

Scenario A: Technology Migration Your organization is migrating from legacy project management and communication systems to Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Planner). The transition will happen over 6 weeks and will require significant training. Some employees are excited about modern tools; others are anxious about learning new systems and losing familiar workflows.

Scenario B: Hybrid Work Policy Change After three years of flexible remote work, your organization is implementing a new policy requiring employees to be in the office three days per week. The decision was made to improve collaboration and maintain company culture. Some employees view this as a positive step; others see it as a significant quality-of-life reduction.

Scenario C: Organizational Restructuring Your department is being reorganized to better align with business priorities. Some teams will be combined, reporting structures will change, and several positions will be eliminated (though most employees will retain their jobs). The restructuring aims to improve efficiency, but employees are anxious about job security and working relationships.

Scenario D: Major Client Loss Your organization just lost its largest client, representing 30% of revenue. Leadership is implementing cost-cutting measures including hiring freezes, reduced travel budgets, and elimination of some perks. However, leadership is confident the organization will recover and wants to maintain morale while being transparent about challenges.

Scenario E: Sustainability Initiative Your organization is implementing aggressive sustainability goals including zero-waste offices, significant reductions in business travel, and changes to procurement practices. This will require behavior changes from all employees and some inconvenience. Leadership believes this is essential for the company’s future and reputation.

Scenario F: Propose your own You may propose a different change management scenario relevant to your field or interests. Your scenario should be:

Complex enough to require thoughtful communication strategy
Realistic and grounded in actual organizational challenges
Significant enough that different stakeholders would have different concerns

Get your proposed scenario approved by the instructor before beginning.

Step 2: Analyze stakeholder needs

Before writing, identify:

Who are the key stakeholder groups? (executives, managers, front-line employees, different departments, etc.)
What are each group’s primary concerns? (job security, workload, learning curve, fairness, logistics, etc.)
What information does each group need? (strategic rationale, tactical details, timelines, support resources, etc.)
What emotions might each group experience? (anxiety, excitement, anger, confusion, relief, etc.)
What channels does each group typically use? (email, team meetings, all-hands, one-on-ones, etc.)

Step 3: Plan your communication strategy

Decide:

Which three text types will best serve your communication needs?
Which audiences will each document address?
When would each document be used in the change management process?
How will the documents work together to create a cohesive strategy?

Strategic considerations:

Early communications might focus on rationale and vision; later communications might focus on logistics and support
Some audiences need high-level strategic information; others need detailed tactical guidance
Some formats are better for delivering difficult news; others are better for ongoing support
Consider which communications are one-way information delivery vs. which invite dialogue

Step 4: Write your three documents

For each document:

Choose appropriate tone and register for the audience and context
Structure information logically using the format conventions of that text type
Address audience-specific concerns while maintaining consistent messaging
Use clear, accessible language appropriate for business communication
Include relevant details without overwhelming readers
Follow principles from this week’s readings:
- From SHRM: Clear purpose, appropriate channel, consistency
- From Men, Yue & Ferguson: Motivating language (meaning-making, empathy, direction-giving)
- From crisis communication: Transparency, empathy, clarity, actionability

Step 5: Write your portfolio introduction

After completing your three documents, write your introduction that:

Introduces your scenario and explains why you chose it
Analyzes each document individually (POV, audience, text type, effectiveness)
Synthesizes your communication strategy (how documents work together, timing, gaps)

The introduction should demonstrate metacognitive awareness—showing that you can not only create effective communications but also analyze and explain your own communication choices.

Step 6: Format and polish your portfolio

Before submitting, ensure your portfolio:

Is professionally formatted with clear section headers and appropriate styling
Includes all four components (introduction + three documents)
Uses inclusive language throughout
Is free from typos and grammatical errors
Demonstrates appropriate register and tone for each document
Shows cohesive strategy across all communications

Submission Details

Assignment Type: Partial Exam 2
File Format: One MS Word document containing all four components (.docx)
File Name: LastNames_communication-portfolio.docx
Structure:
- Portfolio Introduction (first 1-2 pages)
- Document 1 (1-2 pages)
- Document 2 (1-2 pages)
- Document 3 (1-2 pages)
Due Date: End of week

Assessment Criteria (10 points total)

Component	Points	Criteria
Portfolio Introduction	1	• Clear scenario description explaining what change you’re communicating and why you selected it • Thorough analysis of each document covering POV, audience, text type, and effectiveness • Insightful synthesis explaining how documents work together as a cohesive strategy • Discussion of timing, sequencing, and any gaps in the communication approach • Well-organized, professional writing
Documents: Communication Effectiveness	1 point per document	• Appropriate tone and language register for audience and context • Clear, logical organization following conventions of the text type • Addresses relevant concerns and information needs • Demonstrates understanding of change management communication principles
Documents: Audience Awareness	1 point per document	• Clearly targets a specific audience with appropriate level of detail • Anticipates and addresses audience questions and concerns • Uses language and examples relevant to the audience’s context • Balances information delivery with empathy and motivation
Documents: Professionalism & Cohesion	1 point per document	• Each document is clearly a part of a cohesive unit • Professional formatting appropriate to the text type • Error-free writing with proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation • Appropriate length (1-2 pages) • Uses inclusive language
Total Points	10

Note on strategic coherence: While each document is evaluated individually, in evaluating your work, we’ll also consider whether the three documents work together as a thoughtful communication strategy. Documents should maintain consistent messaging while appropriately adapting tone, detail, and focus for different audiences and purposes.

Reflection Questions

Consider these questions as you develop your portfolio:

Stakeholder sensitivity: How did you adapt your message for different audiences? What specific language choices, levels of detail, or tonal shifts did you make?
Channel appropriateness: Why did you choose the three text types you selected? How does each format serve different communication purposes?
Change management strategy: If you were actually implementing this change, what additional communications might you need? What did you not include in your three documents?
Cultural considerations: How might your communications need to be adapted for different cultural contexts? What assumptions about workplace communication are embedded in your documents?
Symmetrical communication: Which of your documents are primarily one-way information delivery, and which invite or enable two-way dialogue? How did you balance the need to communicate clearly with the need to hear employee concerns?
Emotional intelligence: How did you address the emotional dimensions of change? Where did you use empathetic language, meaning-making language, or direction-giving language from Men, Yue & Ferguson’s research?
Translation challenges: As future translation and localization professionals, what challenges might you face if asked to adapt these communications for a different language or cultural context? What would you need to know about the target culture’s communication norms?

📥 Download this Content

Find this file on our repo and download it.

🤖 GAI Study Prompts

Copy the downloaded content and try it with these prompts:

“Help me identify which stakeholder groups would be most affected by [your change scenario] and what their primary concerns might be”
“Review my email announcement and suggest how to make it more empathetic while still being clear and direct”
“What are the key differences between writing an FAQ document versus a team meeting script for communicating change?”
“Help me analyze whether my three documents work together as a cohesive communication strategy—what’s missing or redundant?”
“How should I adapt the tone of my communication for senior leadership versus front-line employees?”
“What are common mistakes in change management communication that I should avoid?”
“Review my portfolio introduction—does my analysis demonstrate deep understanding of communication choices?”
“How might my communication documents need to be adapted for [specific cultural context]?”

Week 11 Complete! Next week we’ll explore Leadership and Performance Management