Internal Communication Audit

Internal Communication Audit is a quantitative and qualitative technique used in the analysis of internal communication systems in an organization: channels, supports, formal and informal spaces, as well as actual and virtual spaces, to evaluate their effectiveness within the business or in other specific areas.

Internal Communication Audit requires a systemic approach that will enable organizations to differentiate what they are really communicating from what they think they are communicating.

The audit will analyze people who send and receive messages; the existing communication vehicles - telephone, meetings, emails – as well as the organizational identification systems: uniforms, working areas, furniture, common areas for workers, graphics, identity pieces, signs, hygiene and security, etc in order to have a complete idea of the internal communication processes of the organization.

Some of the more frequently asked questions, when carrying out an internal communication survey, are:

How to optimize the integration of our internal communication channels and supports with the strategic objectives of the organization?

Which orientation, sections and contents should be developed by the communication channels and supports to be more competitive?

How to work in the internal communication processes to improve customer services?

How to measure the effectiveness of our internal communication channels and support?

How to prove to the board of directors that the actual methods of internal communication create value for the business?

The basic objectives when doing a survey of this sort are:

Determine the effectiveness of the different internal communication processes, channels and supports.

Measure constantly if the different internal publics have received the key messages.

Determine unsatisfied internal communication demands from members of the organization.

Detect important members in the different levels and areas of the organization which can be integrated in an Internal Facilitators´ Network.

Establish the most effective relationship between internal communication contents, channels and supports.

Develop a reliable system to measure the effectiveness of the internal communications.

Develop a strategic Internal Communication Plan.

The outcome of the audit will depend on the type of organization, its needs and specific problems. Despite of its solid quantitative support from a methodological point of view, this tool cannot be used without adapting it to the size and the culture of the given organization.

Finally, we should not forget that an internal communication audit needs to identify the key messages required to keep a good level of internal climate and to be aligned with the business strategy of the company.

The quality of existing channels and media should also be evaluated. Its focus is on the internal communications of the organization; however it will be extremely useful to pay attention to the messages received from its different internal publics.