Change Management Communications Project

Go to claude.ai and sign in. Find the Projects section in the sidebar.

1. Click Projects in the left sidebar
2. Click New project
3. Name it something specific, like "Q3 Sales Reorg Comms," not a generic label you'll reuse across different changes

What you should see: A "Create a project" screen asking what you're working on and what you're trying to achieve. Troubleshooting: If you don't see a Projects option, confirm you're logged into the account tied to your Pro plan, not a personal free account.

Fill in the project description fields: what this project is for, who the reader of each output usually is, and what tone to use. Do this before uploading files, since it shapes how Claude reads everything that comes after.

1. Describe the project's purpose in one or two sentences
2. State the tone explicitly (direct, compassionate, no corporate euphemisms) and one thing to avoid (speculation about headcount beyond what's approved, for example)
3. Save the instructions

What you should see: Your custom instructions saved and visible whenever you open a new chat inside this project.

Click into the Files or Knowledge panel and upload a single document with the finalized facts of the change: what's changing, effective dates, and any language that's already been legally reviewed.

1. Open the Files/Knowledge panel inside the project
2. Upload a plain text, Markdown, or PDF document with the approved facts
3. Keep employee names and specific severance figures out of this document. Use role labels ("the regional sales manager role") and ranges rather than named individuals or exact dollar amounts

What you should see: The uploaded file listed in the project's knowledge panel, available to every chat you start inside the project from now on.

Start a new chat from inside the project (not from the general Claude homepage) so it inherits your instructions and uploaded facts.

1. Click New chat from inside the project
2. Ask for the specific piece you need first (usually manager talking points, since managers need to be ready before the broader announcement)
3. Review the draft against the approved facts document yourself before it goes anywhere

What you should see: A draft that already reflects your stated tone and the facts you uploaded, without you having to repeat any of that context in the prompt.

As the rollout continues, return to the same project for the all-hands script, the FAQ, and any follow-up emails, instead of starting fresh chats elsewhere.

1. Open the same project each time
2. Reference the previous draft by name if you want the new piece to match its language ("use the same tone as the manager talking points from last week")
3. Save particularly strong drafts back into the project's knowledge panel so later pieces can reference them too

What you should see: Later drafts that consistently echo earlier ones in phrasing and tone, since Claude can see both the original facts and the prior drafts in the same project.

If any communication references notice periods, severance, or benefits continuation, treat those as claims to verify, not facts to trust from the draft alone.

1. Check any stated notice period against the federal WARN Act's 60-day threshold and your state's mini-WARN law, since state requirements can be stricter and vary by state
2. Confirm the exact language with your legal or compliance team, using the U.S. Department of Labor's WARN Act guidance page as a starting reference point
3. Only finalize dates and figures after that check, not before

What you should see: A final communication where every legally sensitive detail has been confirmed by someone with authority to confirm it, not just generated by Claude.