How do you evaluate and learn from your communication plan and outcomes?

Don't wait till the campaign is over to assess outcomes. Measurement is an evergreen tactic; continually assess every aspect of a program, not just results. Evaluate efficiency and cost-effectiveness, as well as ease of implementation. Gauge message penetration and retention at every turn. Assess how shareable content is, and what its reach could be. Most importantly, evolve on the fly; it's never too late to tweak something that might result in better ROI.

I suggest practitioners start by asking themselves 2 important questions. What is the impact they want to achieve from their communication or content? Is there a connection, what I call the 'golden thread' between the impact you want to achieve back to the organisations purpose, strategy, and objectives?

When analyzing outcomes for internal communications, it can be extremely helpful to talk with your stakeholder groups about what measures they track. For example, Human Resources typically tracks a range of outcomes, from open enrollment numbers to completions of mandatory training to visits to their intranet pages. If you can move the needle on those measurements, you'll find out what strategies and tactics work best while also building a stronger relationship with your HR colleagues, who will see that you have a genuine interest in their success.

Setting clear evaluation criteria is the foundation of assessing your communication plan's effectiveness. These criteria should align with your objectives and can include metrics like engagement rates, message clarity, or audience reach. By defining what success looks like from the outset, you create a benchmark against which to measure performance. For instance, if your goal is to increase stakeholder engagement, your criteria might include response rates to communications or participation in events.

Learning begins with the right mindset. With a growth-oriented approach, the opportunities to learn are boundless. However, in my 20+ years of experience, the most effective learning happens when it's embedded in your communication plan. Here’s why: 1- You learn continuously, enabling you to adjust your plan and optimize results in real time. 2- The iterative process means more frequent learning opportunities, and faster growth and improvement. 3- By using various methods and tools to gather feedback and assess impact at different project stages, you gain insights from multiple perspectives. 4- Stakeholder engagement improves significantly, as some of the most valuable lessons come from asking the right questions of those involved.

A good mix of both qualitative and quantitative methods is essential to measure the 'why'. Why is an employee not opening an email, taking action, behaving differently, or completely ignoring the communication? Most email and intranet platforms come with in-built metrics - quantitative data. They give you data from the number of clicks to open rates. These are useful foundations to investigate the 'why' an employee has opened an email but not read the content. Use can then use qualitative methods such as a focus group to collect data about what is stopping them from reading, opening, behaving differently.

Selecting the right methods for evaluation is crucial for gathering accurate data on your communication plan’s effectiveness. Methods can range from quantitative approaches like surveys and analytics to qualitative methods such as focus groups or one-on-one interviews. The choice of method should depend on the nature of your communication plan and the specific metrics you're evaluating. For example, using a combination of web analytics and stakeholder feedback surveys can provide a comprehensive view of how well your communication efforts are resonating.

In my experience, when implementing the measurement plan the best way to ensure confidentiality is to anonymise all data and participant details. This precursor is shared in positioning communication and all future requests to participants.

Lors de la communication sur les résultats, il est important de bien sûr mettre en avant les points positifs et les points négatifs, d'un point de vue quantitatif mais aussi qualitatif. Le bilan n'a d'intérêt que si on se pose la question du "pourquoi" on a tel résultat, qu'il soit positif ou négatif et quelles actions on met en place dans le futur pour l'améliorer. Pour ma part, j'ai pour habitude d'en tirer des enseignements clés et de les transformer en recommandations pour les fois prochaines. Concrètement et pour en faire quelque chose de facile à retenir, n'hésitez pas à utiliser des formats pédagogiques comme les "do / don't" avec 2 ou 3 points clés essentiels.

When I report back I start with my key findings, insights, and improvements to help the organisation continue to share effective communication to create a meaningful employee experience. I use visuals such as graphics. Quite often there are limitations, but these can also be future areas of research.

Aproveite os insights da avaliação feita no processo anterior para aprender e melhorar seus planos de comunicação ao longo do tempo. As perguntas que foram feitas durante sua apresentação podem indicar informações que você pode colocar no seu plano previamente da próxima vez; as informações que não causaram impacto podem ser resumidas ou omitidas da próxima vez. O foco não deve estar no que poderia ter sido: ele pode ser no que você aprendeu que pode ser melhor para a próxima vez.

Firstly, to make measurement and evaluation part of the DNA of communication planning. Secondly, to continuously review communication and content, to help create a KPI measurement framework to help you deliver effective employee experiences.

When evaluating your communication plan, consider the importance of flexibility and the ability to adapt based on your findings. The business environment and audience preferences can change rapidly, so your plan should be dynamic and responsive. Additionally, involving stakeholders in the evaluation process can provide valuable perspectives and foster a sense of ownership. Leveraging AI tools for data analysis can also enhance the accuracy and efficiency of your evaluation, providing deeper insights into your communication efforts.