How to make your communication objectives measurable

Originally published at www.davisandco.com.

Looking to gain approval for your internal communication plan? Learn how to make communication objectives measurable so you can demonstrate your success.

I originally posted this article on my website www.davisandco.com, but I thought the Medium members could benefit from this information.

If you think of your employee communication plan as a road map, objectives mark key destinations on your journey. They help you figure out where you’re going — and when you’ve arrived.

That’s why it’s so important to create objectives that can be measured using research tools like surveys and web analytics. By creating specific, measurable objectives, you’ll be able to answer the question “Are we there yet?” with a precise response: “Yes!”

Here are three ways to transform your objectives from vague to measurable:

Vague
Create excitement about the new strategy so that it’s visible to employees.

Measurable
How will we know if a strategy is “visible” to employees? Let’s try something more precise:

• 75% of employees will understand the new strategy.
• 80% of employees will believe our company is headed in the right direction.

Vague
Build commitment around HR’s role in communicating and championing the new salary structure.

Measurable
This objective is too complex. Try breaking it into specific pieces that can be measured using a survey:

• 90% of HR representatives will believe the new salary structure is a positive change for the company.
• 85% of HR representatives will know how to communicate with employees about the new salary structure.

Vague
Employees will use the intranet more often.

Measurable
To know whether employees are using the intranet, you need to measure their behavior by reviewing web analytics.

By the end of the year:

• The number of daily unique visitors will increase by 10%.
• The number of daily page views will increase by 15%