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January 28, 2008

“It seems to be well-received.”

About a week ago, we had a meeting with a new client who was showing us the company’s employee communication vehicles, including a home page, an e-newsletter and a print publication.

“Nice work,” I said, looking at the samples. “What do employees think? Are these vehicles meeting employees’ needs?”

The communicator had a ready answer. “I get lots of good feedback. All of our vehicles seem to be very well-received.”

I bit my tongue; we weren’t being retained by the company to critique the communication vehicles, but to help with another project, so I didn’t think it was the time or place for me to challenge this smart, hard-working professional.

But what I thought was this: Unless you have tangible measurement from employees about how relevant and useful communication is to them, all of your efforts may be in vain.

Seems obvious, doesn’t it? But far too many professionals who communicate to employees—whether it’s about the company, benefits, compensation or other HR issues, change initiatives or any other topic—think that their job is done when they hit the “send” button. They’re satisfied with positive comments from a few colleagues or their boss, and assume that communication was effective because there was no negative feedback.

This particular company is spending a considerable amount of time and money creating communication that might go right into the trash can (electronic or actual). Or, more likely, employees love some of it, are neutral about other stuff, and think some is useless. But, since there’s no measurement, nobody knows what’s a hit and what’s a flop.

If we were marketing a product, not providing information, we’d be out of business. As it is, communicators who don’t measure put themselves in a weak position: Since they don’t know what their customers (employees) want, need and use, they have no ammunition against a client (someone more senior or powerful) who wants to communicate a certain way.

Don’t be an order-taker; start measuring.

Posted by Alison Davis at January 28, 2008 08:43 AM