Internal Communications

Official Anthropic skill for creating professional internal company communications using standardized formats and templates that align with organizational best practices.

Essential for team leads, project managers, and executives who need to create consistent, professional internal communications following company standards.

Core Purpose

This skill provides structured guidance for writing various types of internal company communications:

3P Updates (Progress, Plans, Problems) for team reporting
Status Reports tracking project or departmental progress
Leadership Updates for executive communication
Company Newsletters for organization-wide messaging
Project Updates on initiative developments
Incident Reports documenting issues and responses
FAQ Responses for common internal questions

Three-Step Workflow

Standardized Process

Identify the specific communication category from user request
Load the relevant guideline document that matches the type
Follow the formatting, tone, and content specifications

This ensures consistency across all internal communications.

Communication Types

3P Updates (Progress, Plans, Problems)

Purpose: Regular team status reporting

Structure:

Progress: What was accomplished this period
Plans: What's planned for next period
Problems: Current blockers or concerns

When to Use:

Weekly or bi-weekly team updates
Project milestone reporting
Cross-functional coordination

Status Reports

Purpose: Track project or department progress

Structure:

Executive summary
Key metrics and KPIs
Accomplishments this period
Upcoming milestones
Risks and mitigation

When to Use:

Monthly department updates
Project health reports
Stakeholder communications

Leadership Updates

Purpose: Executive-level communication

Structure:

Strategic overview
Key decisions and rationale
Impact on organization
Call to action (if applicable)

When to Use:

Company-wide announcements
Strategic direction changes
Major organizational updates

Company Newsletters

Purpose: Organization-wide engagement

Structure:

Headline/main story
Department highlights
Employee spotlights
Upcoming events
Resources and reminders

When to Use:

Regular cadence (weekly/monthly)
Building company culture
Sharing wins and updates

Project Updates

Purpose: Initiative progress communication

Structure:

Project overview
Current status and health
Recent accomplishments
Next steps and timeline
Resource needs

When to Use:

Sprint reviews
Milestone completions
Stakeholder alignment

Incident Reports

Purpose: Document issues and responses

Structure:

Incident summary
Timeline of events
Impact assessment
Resolution steps taken
Prevention measures
Lessons learned

When to Use:

System outages
Security incidents
Process failures
Post-mortems

FAQ Responses

Purpose: Answer common internal questions

Structure:

Clear question statement
Concise answer
Additional context (if needed)
Related resources or contacts

When to Use:

Policy clarifications
Process documentation
Onboarding materials

Template Guidelines

Each communication type has pre-built examples in the repository's examples/ directory, ensuring:

Consistency across formats
Professional tone and structure
Completeness of required information
Alignment with organizational standards

Writing Standards

Tone and Voice

Professional Standards:

Clear and concise language
Action-oriented statements
Appropriate formality level
Positive framing where possible

Avoid:

Jargon without explanation
Overly casual language
Vague statements
Excessive detail

Formatting Best Practices

Structure:

Use clear headings and subheadings
Bullet points for lists
Bold for emphasis (sparingly)
Short paragraphs (3-4 sentences max)

Readability:

Front-load important information
Use active voice
One main idea per paragraph
Include section breaks

Handling Ambiguity

If Communication Type is Unclear:

Ask clarifying questions about:
- Audience: Who will read this?
- Purpose: What's the goal?
- Format: Any existing templates?
- Tone: How formal should it be?
Use general-comms.md guideline as fallback
Adapt closest template to fit needs

Customization

While templates provide structure, customize for:

Company culture - Match organizational voice
Audience needs - Adjust detail level appropriately
Communication goals - Focus on what matters most
Context - Consider timing and circumstances

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing any internal communication:

Audience-appropriate - Right level of detail and formality
Clear purpose - Reader knows why they're reading it
Action items - Next steps are explicit (if applicable)
Complete information - All necessary context provided
Proper format - Follows template structure
Proofread - No typos or grammatical errors
Timely - Sent at appropriate time

Common Use Cases

Weekly Team Updates

Scenario: Engineering team lead sends Friday update

Use 3P Updates template
Highlight sprint progress
Note upcoming sprint goals
Flag any blockers

Quarterly Business Review

Scenario: Department head presents to leadership

Use Status Report template
Include KPI dashboard
Highlight key wins
Address challenges honestly
Outline next quarter plans

Company Reorganization

Scenario: CEO announces structure changes

Use Leadership Update template
Explain strategic rationale
Detail what's changing
Address concerns proactively
Provide clear next steps

Service Outage

Scenario: Engineering documents production incident

Use Incident Report template
Timeline with timestamps
Impact quantification
Root cause analysis
Prevention plan

Best Practices

Communication Excellence

Do:

Be clear and concise
Use templates consistently
Tailor to your audience
Follow up on action items
Archive for future reference

Don't:

Overload with information
Bury the lede
Use unexplained acronyms
Send without proofreading
Forget to set expectations

Repository Resources

The internal-comms repository includes:

Pre-built templates for each communication type
Example communications showing best practices
Formatting guidelines
Tone and voice standards
Company-specific customization guidance

About This Skill

This skill is an official Anthropic skill from the Anthropic Skills Repository. It represents best practices for internal business communications.

Official Skills are maintained by Anthropic and provide production-ready templates and guidance.

Official Anthropic skill for creating professional internal company communications including status reports, leadership updates, and team announcements.