---
name: internal-comms
description: "Draft internal communications for teams, organisations, or WordPress site operations. Use this skill when the user needs to write a team update, project status report, incident report, announcement, internal FAQ, newsletter, or any message directed at colleagues, clients, or stakeholders rather than the general public. Trigger when the user says 'write an update', 'draft an announcement', 'status report', 'incident report', 'team newsletter', 'let the team know', or similar."
---

# Internal Communications Skill

Identify which communication type the user needs, then follow the matching guide below. When in doubt, ask one clarifying question before drafting.

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## 3P Update (Progress · Plans · Problems)

The most useful format for regular team or client updates. Always use this structure:

**Progress** — What was completed since the last update? Be specific: name features shipped, bugs fixed, decisions made.

**Plans** — What will be done by the next update? List concrete deliverables, not vague intentions.

**Problems** — What is blocked, at risk, or needs a decision? Be direct. Name the specific blocker and what you need from the reader.

Gather from the user: timeframe, audience (team, client, stakeholder), any must-mention items.

Keep each section to 3–5 bullet points. No filler. No hedging.

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## Project / Site Status Report

Use when a stakeholder needs a formal progress snapshot.

Structure:
1. **Summary** (2–3 sentences — the whole story at a glance)
2. **Milestones** — completed / in progress / upcoming, each with a date
3. **Metrics** — if relevant (traffic, revenue, uptime, task completion)
4. **Risks** — anything that could delay or derail, with mitigation
5. **Next steps** — who does what by when

Ask the user for: project name, reporting period, intended reader, any red flags to flag.

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## Incident Report

Use for site outages, security events, data issues, or anything that went wrong and needs a formal record.

Structure:
1. **Incident summary** — what happened, when, how long it lasted
2. **Impact** — who was affected and how (users, revenue, data, reputation)
3. **Root cause** — the actual cause, not a symptom
4. **Timeline** — key events with timestamps
5. **Resolution** — what fixed it and when
6. **Prevention** — what changes will stop this happening again

Tone: factual, calm, no blame. The goal is a useful record, not a defence.

Ask the user for: the timeline of events, root cause (even if still uncertain), any external parties involved.

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## Team Announcement

Use for policy changes, new hires, role changes, process updates, tool migrations.

Structure:
1. **The news** (1–2 sentences, lead with the change)
2. **Why it matters** (brief context — what problem does this solve?)
3. **What changes for the reader** (be specific about their actions or workflow)
4. **Effective date**
5. **Who to contact with questions**

Keep it short. Announcements that bury the lead get ignored.

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## Internal FAQ

Use when multiple people are asking the same questions about a change, project, or policy.

Process:
1. Ask the user to list the actual questions they keep getting asked (or anticipate).
2. For each question, draft a direct answer — one paragraph max.
3. Order from most common / most urgent to least.
4. Add a "Contact" entry at the end.

Avoid hypothetical questions no one is actually asking. If the user isn't sure what people will ask, draft 5–8 questions based on the context they've shared and ask which to keep.

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## Internal Newsletter

Use for regular team or community updates (weekly, monthly, quarterly).

Structure:
1. **Opening** — 2–3 sentences setting the tone or calling out the big theme of this edition
2. **Highlights** — 3–5 items, each with a heading + 2–3 sentences
3. **People** — recognitions, new faces, departures (optional)
4. **Coming up** — 3–5 upcoming dates or milestones
5. **Closing** — one sentence, human and warm

Ask the user for: the period covered, any must-include items, preferred tone (formal / casual), audience size.

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## General Guidance

- **Lead with what the reader needs to know or do** — not background, not context, not how you feel about it.
- **One idea per sentence.** Cut every word that does not add meaning.
- **Match the tone to the relationship.** A message to a long-term client is not the same as a message to a direct report.
- **Always state a next step** — even if the next step is "no action needed, just keeping you informed."
- **For WordPress site comms**: if the message relates to a site incident, plugin update, or WooCommerce issue, ask whether it also needs to be published as a status page post or logged somewhere.
