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A vital part of any communication system or campaign is the quality of the feedback, measurement and evaluation that takes place. Without this closing of the loop, communication will take place in a vacuum.
Measurement of communication is often misunderstood and what is measured are the communication inputs and outputs such as the number of newsletters produced or the number of hits on a particular page of the corporate intranet.
However, internal communication, if properly executed, is about helping the organization to achieve its objectives and, as such, each communication event or campaign should have these clearly identified. It is the achievement or otherwise of the objectives that should be measured.
It is also important to understand the effectiveness of:
- the different communication channels
- communication skills of managers and team leaders
Also worth gathering feedback on are the key issues that exist for target audiences both now and potentially in the future, e.g. a concern about job security. Understanding the key issues and responding to them shows the organization is listening. The more employees feel that they are being listened to, the more likely they are to listen and respond positively to an organization’s messages.
Given the above, an ideal measurement and feedback report might therefore:
- contain information on the understanding and retention of key communication objectives by employees
- identify and anticipate key issues within the target audiences
- provide information on the effectiveness of the different internal communication media and channels
- provide information on the communication skills and behaviors of management and staff
It is possible to gain this information through a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. However, there is little point in undertaking such research if there is not a commitment to act on the findings. In fact, if employees take the time to assist with this type of feedback, they expect to see a response not just in the form of a report, but also in a positive reaction to their feedback.
Failure to provide such a response will lessen future response rates and make employees feel less listened too than before the survey.
Time and resources are required to undertake surveys and care has to be taken to ensure that they do not impose too much on the everyday work of the business. However, it is not necessary to survey the whole organization at any one time. It is far better to take sample readings on a regular basis and build a more complete picture over time. The regular feedback also provides the communication team and top management with ongoing feedback on issues. The time to review the whole organization is usually at the time of a full communication audit.
Communication Audits
A full communication audit within an organization is a useful exercise to undertake on an annual or biannual basis, or if someone is taking over responsibility for the role and no previous audit has been completed.
As well as measuring the information set out in the survey, an audit will usually take place on a larger scale and map the communication channels and functions to establish any gaps that might exist.
From the audit it should be possible to establish a clear set of prioritized goals for the communication team to work on in partnership with line managers.
Staff Attitude Surveys
Many organizations today carry out staff attitude surveys and a good survey will often provide a lot of the information detailed above. For the communications professional it is important to understand the feedback that will be delivered through this source and how it relates to the other measurement and feedback tools they will be using.
360 Degree Feedback
Many organizations, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, [1] are now using online methods of 360º feedback. Feedback forms available online are secure, safe, easy to use and allow anonymity. They also enable the communications manager to easily monitor the responses, prompt progress and generate results automatically. This removes the need to chase paper-based forms, transcribe and wait for analysis.
References [1] (2003). Internal Communications, 90 15-16.
