What are the key steps for auditing your internal communications?

1 Define your objectives

Before you start your audit, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. What are the main communication challenges or gaps that you want to address? What are the expected outcomes and benefits of the audit? How will you align your communication objectives with your organizational vision and values? You can use the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to set your objectives and indicators.

2 Gather data and feedback

The next step is to collect relevant and reliable data and feedback from various sources and methods. You can use quantitative methods, such as surveys, analytics, and metrics, to measure the reach, frequency, and effectiveness of your communication channels and tools. You can also use qualitative methods, such as interviews, focus groups, and observations, to gain deeper insights into the perceptions, preferences, and needs of your internal audiences. You should aim to gather data and feedback from a representative sample of your employees and stakeholders, covering different levels, roles, locations, and demographics.

3 Analyze and interpret the results

Once you have gathered enough data and feedback, you need to analyze and interpret the results to identify the key findings and themes. You can use various tools and techniques, such as SWOT analysis, gap analysis, and benchmarking, to compare your current communication performance with your objectives and best practices. You should also look for patterns, trends, and anomalies in the data and feedback, and explore the underlying causes and effects. You should summarize and visualize the results in a clear and concise way, using charts, graphs, and tables.

4 Make recommendations and action plan

Based on the results of your analysis and interpretation, you need to make recommendations and action plan for improving your internal communication. You should prioritize the most urgent and impactful communication issues and opportunities, and propose realistic and feasible solutions. You should also outline the specific actions, responsibilities, timelines, and resources required to implement the solutions. You should align your recommendations and action plan with your communication objectives and indicators, and communicate them to your stakeholders.

5 Monitor and evaluate the progress

The final step is to monitor and evaluate the progress of your internal communication audit and improvement. You should track and measure the implementation and impact of your actions and solutions, using the same or similar methods and indicators that you used in the data collection step. You should also collect and review feedback from your internal audiences on the changes and outcomes of your communication improvement. You should report and celebrate the successes and achievements, as well as identify and address the challenges and barriers.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?