Archive for February, 2010

We recently uploaded case studies featuring internal communication reviews we undertook for two very different organisations. One was for British Airways and was based around an extensive survey questionnaire with a strong channel focus. The other was for a UN agency called UNRWA and was based around a series of focus groups and interviews, undertaken during two fascinating weeks in the Middle East. Two projects with a very similar purpose but with quite different approaches.

The output was also quite different. In the case of BA, our main focus was an extensive analysis of the answers we received from the survey which led to a series of conclusions and recommendations. With UNRWA, our output was focused less on what we’d learnt and more on the channels and supporting infrastructure needed if communication was to improve. A quite different challenge altogether.

But the two projects were similar in one very important way. Both were one-off exercises that need only happen every 2-3 years and both were undertaken on behalf of those directly responsible for communication. And both also included the recommendation to introduce an ongoing measurement programme which brings me to my main point.

Communication reviews and audits are great as diagnostic tools for understanding how communication is currently viewed and where improvement can be made. But they are essentially inward looking and designed to inform future planning. More a means to an end. A measurement programme is an ongoing assessment of performance against pre-agreed criteria. Its purpose is to summarise the impact of communication activity and provide the organisation with evidence that the investment is worthwhile. An end therefore in itself.

In my view, both are equally necessary and valid exercises. But the crucial point is not to confuse the two. Put very simply, review once and measure often!