How Much is Too Much?

Check the Status of Your Communication Efforts

Effective communication is an obstacle all organizations face. To be successful, leaders of organizations have to communicate clearly and often with their employees, customers, and the surrounding community. How can an organization know how much communication it is sending and if that communication is being understood the way it’s intended to? How does the organization know if it is utilizing the most effective communication methods and tools?

To accelerate your communication, it’s a good idea to audit your organization’s communication on a regular cadence, such as once or twice per year. If longer than a year has passed, it’s likely new advances in technology have been made.

Complete this communication audit and use your answers to create a plan that will improve communication throughout your organization.

Communication Audit

1. How many channels does the organization use to communicate with its employees, the community, or other stakeholders? Consider telephone, email, texting, social media, etc.

2. What tools does the organization currently use to communicate with its audiences?

3. Are there communication expectations and standards in place?

4. How many emails do you send per day? How many do you receive in a day?

5. Who is responsible for communicating internally?

6. Who is responsible for the organization’s external communication?

7. How much time is spent listening to employees and customers?

8. What internal or external communication problems or challenges have occurred since the last audit?

9. What communication methods do employees, the community, and other audiences prefer to use?

10. Have you received any complaints regarding communication from customers or employees? Describe them.

11. What internal or external communication improvements do you suggest?

12. What tools would best facilitate the organization’s communication efforts?

13. Are there any tools or processes that the organization should stop using?

14. Are there any ways the organization can take advantage of automated communication tools?