We would recommend in the final audit report that you create a group of cross-company executives or Advisory Council, led by the senior-most executive available, to implement the recommendations based on a detailed calendar or schedule. Commitment by the managers creates goodwill for the communication function and builds a core team of supporters for future efforts.
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The Comprehensive Communications Audit
What it does, how to do it, what it costs, and why it should be an essential part of your internal and external communication plans and programs.
Experience demonstrates that the most successful managements create internal and external climates that encourage the support of goals and enlist the cooperation of constituencies in problem solving.
Successful climates are the result of a planned communication strategy based on periodic audits conducted by professionals. Whether the auditors are from inside or outside the organization depends on particular staff skills, responsibilities and budget.
Often I am asked by communicators whether communication audits must be conducted by outside consultants. I usually say that they need not be, but that there are merits to using outside experts. These include time availability and undivided attention to the task, an assortment of similar experiences for comparison, a degree of objectivity, and the credibility factor that often comes with outside credentials.
Here are other questions repeatedly asked about audits.
1. What is a communication audit?
It is a complete analysis of an organization's communications -internal and/or external - designed to "take a picture" of communication needs, policies, practices. and capabilities, and to uncover necessary data to allow top management to make informed, economical decisions about future objectives of the organization's communication. An audit should also lead to a series of recommendations.
2. What is the scope of an audit?
The scope of an audit may be as broad and as deep as the size and complexity of the organization's demands. The audit can measure the effectiveness of communication programs throughout an entire organization, in a single division or department, or within a specific employee group. It can examine communications on a particular subject or communications via individual media, it can uncover misunderstandings, information barriers and bottlenecks, as well as opportunities. It can help measure cost effectiveness, evaluate ongoing programs, confirm hunches, clarify questions, and, in some instances, reorient concepts among senior management.
3. What does the communication audit provide?
It provides meaningful information to members of management concerned with efficiency, credibility, and economy of their communications policies, practices, and programs. It also provides valuable data for developing or restructuring communications functions, guidelines, and budgets, as well as recommendations for action tailored to an organization's particular situation as uncovered by an analysis of the collected data.
Outside consultants may bring additional features to the process, such as an objective evaluation from one or more communication specialists who have a broad frame of reference gained from education and experience working with many, varied types of organizations on diverse communication assignments. and comparison of the audit findings against data from other clients to see how the organization compares in its needs and capabilities.
4. When should an audit be conducted?
Generally, an extensive audit should be conducted every five to seven years. In the interim, reliable feedback techniques should be obtained periodically through the organization's routine communication function. This ongoing process can be used to: monitor existing communication activities and to provide background information needed to develop or modify specific communication programs.
Audits are helpful also after mergers and acquisitions, whenever new or revised corporate policies and structures are being implemented, during periods of labor or management unrest, and following a crisis.
5. What subjects are covered?
Typically an audit will cover such areas as:
Communication philosophy - formal written policies (if any), the position of communication among management priorities, management support of communication in a practical (e.g., financial) way, the relations of communication to other staff functions and to operations, and centralized vs. decentralized communication.
Objectives and goals - long-range objectives, short-range goals.
Organization, staffing, and compensation - organizational structure, position duties and responsibilities, salary levels, production support.
Existing communication programs- formal methods and media for communicating downward, upward, and laterally through the organizational pyramid. Techniques used to communicate with external audiences, such as printed materials (annual reports, fact books, histories, news releases, backgrounders, and brochures), video tapes, films and other audiovisuals, and special events (annual meetings, open houses).
Existing vehicles and their uses - internet, intranet, email, voice-mail, printed and electronic publications, manuals, bulletin boards, videotapes, powerpoint, teleconferencing, telephones generally and message systems, memos, reports and correspondence.
Personal communications - quantity, quality, and reliability of information, and effectiveness of the one-on-one, interpersonal exchange. Both internally among supervisors and employees, as well as with outside publics such as media, legislators and financial analysts.
Meetings - frequency, content, format, effectiveness, and duration of departmental and other group get-togethers for business purposes inside the organization.
Attitudes toward existing communications - internally toward formal, organization- sponsored programs, informal message transmission (the grapevine), and externally in the attitudes of various constituencies on subjects of particular interest, including the intensity of their views.
Needs and expectations - departmental needs, including geographical, age, sex and educational differences, and specific areas of concern.
Feedback devices, surveys (e-surveys) and hard-copy - anything designed to close the loop and determine the effectiveness of ongoing communications.
Methodology: How to do it
There is very little mystery to the actual implementation of an audit. Most consultants use the following approach, with slight variations. As the internal and external audit segments diverge, we'll show the differences in the process.
1. Hold a planning meeting.
Whether or not an outside consultant is used, it's important to determine the audit's objectives, identify question areas, plan an approach, and develop a schedule. Research, in its various forms, is a precious commodity which, unlike wine, loses its quality with age. Determine precisely when each element will be done. Stick to the schedule. Internal staff has the most difficulty with schedules because other responsibilities have to be handled. Allow for this common problem if staff is used.
2. Conduct top management interviews.
The purpose of these interviews is to determine management's attitudes and beliefs about communication, as well as to pinpoint communication problems in the particular management area.
Interviews usually include the chief executive officer and heads of operations, communication, personnel. marketing, finance, and representatives from other key management levels and major functional areas.
This step is crucial because it not only pinpoints areas for additional research, it provides insight into individual managers' style of communication. For external audits, top executives should be asked to help develop lists of external publics. Use prepared questionnaires that unobtrusively guide the interview. Recording the senior management interviews for transcription is often done - if the executives in question aren't put off or intimidated by a tape recorder. Transcripts are invaluable for the next step, questionnaire development. Anonymity should be guaranteed, of course.
3. Collect, inventory and analyze communication material.
While all of this has been going on, the auditors collect, inventory, and analyze for effectiveness representative samples of all existing communication vehicles and programs, e.g., such internal materials as orientation packets, publications, audiovisuals, benefit summary plan descriptions, and representative memos, and large of external materials, including hundreds of printed pieces, news releases, and audiovisuals. These should be reviewed in light of the needs identified in the interviews and questionnaires. Through this process, the true strengths and weaknesses of the organization's current communications can be ascertained.
At this point. the audit splits into two parts. First we will deal with internal audiences or employees, and then the external publics.
The Internal Audit
4(I). Conduct employee interviews.
Interviews are held with focus groups of employees who discuss the organization's communications under the guidance of a consultant trained as a group facilitator.
The members of each focus group should be from the same functional area to reduce reticence and anxiety. However, each focus group will be from a different functional area to enable the analysts to get a representative sampling of opinions across organizational lines. The objective of the focus groups is the broad identification of issue areas for further investigation.
Next, face-to-face interviews are conducted with a carefully selected cross section of employees. The employees interviewed are chosen through a random, stratified technique. The purpose is to obtain opinions across demographic lines (e.g., male, female, younger, and senior workers, etc.) as well as to solicit ideas free from the influence of others. In this regard, it is advisable to keep supervisors out of groups with their own employees, and vice-versa. Otherwise, conversations may become stilted, self-serving, and defensive. Videotaping focus groups is quite common in marketing research. However, we do not recommend videotaping audit focus groups. Tape recording and transcription may be permissible if the identities of individual employees are concealed. Even then the presence of a microphone inhibits some employees. Note taking is the best method to record responses.
Focus groups are used first because they often lead to the identification of nuances of feelings and opinions that might otherwise go undetected. The individual interviews can be used to probe for more specific information and reasons.
5(I). Prepare the questionnaire.
Consultants draft a questionnaire composed of specific questions related to communication areas identified during the planning meeting, management interviews, focus groups and individual employee interviews. If you do this yourself, be sure to use an expert to prepare the questionnaire. Nothing is worse than a poorly drawn instrument. Test the questionnaire on control groups before administering it. Flaws often surface at this point.
6(I). Administer the questionnaire.
Administer the questionnaire on site(s). In the case of large, far-flung organizations, it is sometimes logistically more practical to mail questionnaires to employees. We prefer to administer the questionnaire in person whenever feasible. If mailing is necessary, however, always mail to the office, not to the home. Response rates drop in residential mailings and less control is possible over who is providing data.
7(I). Tabulate and summarize responses.
Gather and summarize the responses. This may be another place to flash warning lights. Be sure you have some way to professionally and expeditiously handle this volume of material. And be sure if you use your internal data processing personnel that they understand, and agree to, the high priority this information should have. Be sure you can also guarantee privacy of data. This is critical.
8(I). Communicate results to employees.
Whenever you research an internal audience, expectations are raised concerning some change in the status quo. Be prepared to communicate the results candidly and quickly.
The External Audit
Now for a look at how the external procedure is similar and different.
Return to step 3, where the auditor collects, inventories, and analyzes communication materials. For the external audit, the auditor goes one step further and conducts a secondary research study-usually content analysis of recent literature, using news clips, computer search, and similar systems. Don't forget to cover electronic media through television and radio, video, and audio tapes.
This information is key to the preparation of questionnaires for interviews.
4(E). Identify audiences for research.
Audience identification is a most critical step in an external audit. Top management interviews and a review of existing materials and programs will provide various lists. Finance will enumerate shareholders and analysts, marketing contributes consumer warranty lists, advertising research group, and opinion results, and public relations provides media contacts who regularly cover the organization.
5(E). Conduct focus groups/interviews.
In the case of large, amorphous publics, it's important to sort out areas for special attention. These "hot spots" may be completely unknown to management. How interviewees respond in focus groups is often at least as important as what they actually say. Visual features, gesture's and similar nuances are informative to a trained auditor.
6(E). Prepare and test questionnaires.
External audit questionnaires consist of two general types: those used in personal interviews to guide the interview; and opinion research questionnaires for larger audiences where cost or time makes personal interviewing impossible. Testing the questionnaire for telephone or mail surveys usually is wise since wording, length, and format can affect results significantly.
7(E). Conduct interviews and opinion research.
Go to the publics in question, whenever feasible, and interview them. If this is not possible, send out the research forms or survey by phone. Consultants can be helpful in designing the research tool(s) so that the organization obtains optimum response rates. Telephone follow-ups often are used when mail surveys provide inadequate results.
8(E). Tabulate and summarize results.
Interviews should be written up and summarized. Questionnaires are tabulated and run for analysis.
9(E). Analyze and interpret audit data.
Data are analyzed and, together with the analysis of the communication materials, developed into an interpretation of the audit data.
10(E). Prepare and present audit report.
An oral and written summary of the results is presented to management. Suggestions for appropriate attention and action are outlined. Particular emphasis is given to sources of management and employee concern with the idea of maximizing the effectiveness of the organization's communications.
How much will it cost?
Perhaps the final and most crucial question any communicator asks is: "How much is all of this going to cost?" The internal staff often will say that money will be saved and used for staffing events and other needs if the audit is done in house. This may be partially true.
The actual charges for a communication audit by outside consultants depend on the range and depth of the study, the time spent by the consultants to conduct the assignment, and the costs of printing, tabulating, and analyzing the questionnaires.
Ask yourself if you have enough time available to conduct an audit given current staff accountabilities, and whether you have in-house expertise to handle the data and materials.
Effective and credible communication is essential to build and maintain a knowledgeable, supportive, and productive work force and to keep lines open with external audiences. And don't forget, the promotion of a favorable image to external publics involves well informed internal publics. After all, if your own people don't believe in the organization's mission, why should anyone else?