The Pulse

Measurement comes bottom of effectiveness list

The survey, conducted in July 2006, found that 38% of respondents had seen an increase or a dramatic increase in their internal communication budget over the past 12 months. However, when asked to rate their effectiveness at key elements of their role, 44% of respondents ranked themselves as ineffective or very ineffective at measuring the impact of their internal communication. Only 28% said they were effective at measurement. It seems that although communicators have more money to spend, many still don't know how to judge whether their investments are paying off.

Development is a key challenge for a profession on the rise

Although internal communication is a growing profession - 31% of survey respondents had seen an increase or a dramatic increase in internal communication headcount in the past year - professional development remains a key challenge. Only one-third (33%) of respondents felt they were effective at developing internal communication staff.

Sue Dewhurst, an independent communication consultant who contributed expert commentary to The Pulse report, points out that, beyond formal training and qualifications, there are resources available for internal communicators wishing to invest in their own - and their team's - professional development. "Consider coaching or mentoring, either from within your organization or from an external provider," she suggests. "And try to build good networks both inside and outside your organization. There will always be someone that's faced the same issue you're struggling with, and a quick phone call or a chat over coffee can make all the difference."

Powerful strengths

Internal communicators responding to the survey rated themselves highly at the disciplines toward the "front end" of communication such as planning and linking messages to the overall company vision. "These are powerful strengths," notes Dewhurst, adding that internal communication is "one of the few functions that tends to have an overarching view of the entire company and is able to view the company and its strategy from a number of different perspectives."

 

Fig 1. In what areas do communicators rate themselves as most effective?

This table shows the percentage of respondents rating themselves "very effective" or "effective" at each competency

1. Planning internal communication	76%
2. Linking corporate messages to corporate vision	73%
3. CEO communication	63%
4. Change communication	60%
5. Communicating to diverse audiences	60%
6. Using the intranet as a communication tool	54%
7. Defending your department in internal political battles	43%
8. Line manager communication	42%
9. Professional development of internal communication staff	33%
10. Helping employees cope with information overload	32%
11. Securing the appropriate level of budget for internal communication	30%
12. Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication	28%

 

Notes for Editors
The findings of The Pulse report are based on an online survey conducted by Melcrum in July 2006. The survey received 1,149 complete responses, 22% of whom were based in the UK. The Pulse contains over 50 graphs and data tables including data on internal communication budgets, salaries and structures analyzed by geographic region and industry sector. The full chapter list is:

1. Research overview - demographics of survey respondents
2. The communication function - structure, headcount, planned changes
3. Budgets - budgets by region, industry, spend-per-head, future budget allocation
4. Salaries - average salary by industry, region, years of experience
5. Communicators' effectiveness and priorities - perceptions of effectiveness and attitudes
6. Technology - current and future use of technology in internal communication
7. The internal communication consulting industry - number of employees, annual fee income, perception of industry

For further information contact:

Daniel Gregory, Melcrum Publishing
Tel: 020 8600 4670 e-mail: daniel.gregory@melcrum.com