Measure communication by the change it supports

A practical measurement approach for internal communications teams, channel owners, analysts, and reporting stakeholders.

Northstar Services is the fictional sample organization used throughout this site. Start with the communication objective, then use channel evidence to understand who was reached, how people responded, and what outcome evidence is available.

Colleagues around a whiteboard covered in sticky notes
Read the sample scorecard

Three questions, three kinds of evidence

Reach: Did the intended audience have an opportunity to receive the communication? Use a clear population and channel-specific delivery evidence.

Engagement: Did people respond or interact? Examples include a reply, attendance, a click, or a question, when the channel can reliably report it.

Outcome: Is there evidence of a change related to the communication objective? Interpret this carefully: an observed change may have several contributing causes and is not proof that communication alone caused it.

Follow evidence from objective to review

Each stage has an owner and a decision to make; not every communication needs every possible metric.

  1. Set the objective
    State the audience and the specific understanding, action, or decision the communication is meant to support.
    Communications lead · Completed
  2. Select channels and evidence
    Choose evidence that matches the objective and can be interpreted for the intended audience.
    Channel owner · Completed
  3. Check and interpret
    Confirm definitions, period, denominator, and limitations before drawing conclusions.
    Analyst with channel owner · Completed
  4. Share a decision-ready summary
    Explain what the evidence supports, what remains uncertain, and the next useful action.
    Report reviewer · Completed