3 Steps To Conduct An Effective Communication Channel Audit Aniisu K Verghese in.linkedin.com/in/aniisu www.intraskope.com www.intraskope.wordpress.com http://www.twitter.com/aniisu

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Context • Be it an internal or external organizational communication

channel that you manage, running an audit periodically can help uncover gaps, improve value and enhance effectiveness.

Need for an audit • Your business may have changed and the market

landscape expects the firm to adopt a different approach. • Or, the channel has changed ownership and the current

method of engagement invites a revisit. • It can also be that your channel’s users have matured and

now demand more attention. • It is possible that the channel’s technology has evolved and

you need to stay more close to how audiences interact with the vehicle.

• It can be that there is limited participation on the channel which is a a cause for concern.

• Lastly, analytics may indicate that your channel needs an overhaul or the communication on the channel isn’t effective enough.

Overall, it is good practice to take stock of how your channels fare and continually improve their impact.

Review the current ‘as-is’ state: Get a sense of what works and what needs addressing. Conduct studies to gauge the current perceptions and what can be better. Think about - • what is the channel meant to do and how is it

currently used? • is it consistent, timely and updated regularly? • do users have any views about the channel? • does it needs improvement or changes? • What measures are adopted to gauge impact and

value? • are there opportunities to cross-link/promote

with other channels?

Analyze the issues: Through a review of the process or format, a content analysis or a benchmarking exercise you can discover gaps that need addressing Think about – • how is a similar channel used in other

organizations? • what best practices exist? • what does research tell you about such channels

and effectiveness? • what can you consider at the workplace? • •

Act to improve: Take insights and recommendations to stakeholders, pilot interventions and tweak your model Think about - • what do you propose to change about experience

with the channel? • what can you do to involve employees or other

audiences? • over the next 6 months what are the possible

actions/milestones you can aim to achieve? • how will it improve the user experience or brand

recall?

Is that enough? Report what you find Share progress Communicate your actions No audit is good enough unless you can do something meaningful with it.