How to Conduct a Communications Audit for Your Organization

Are you not getting the media hits you expect?

Is your social media failing to get engagement?

Does it feeling like your communications team is busy but you're not seeing results?

You need a communications audit. 

Communications audits help organizations understand the strengths and weaknesses of their operations - from structure to content.

How are the done and how can they help?

Review Communications Organization and Personnel

One of the first tasks is to understand the organization's structure and personnel. How are decisions made? How do materials get approved? Are people and roles matched to their strengths, or can an organization optimize its talent? We'll interview personnel and stakeholders to learn more and ensure the organization charts make sense and that your staff is in the right place, doing the right job. We'll also review the processes and procedures in place, as well as any project management tools, to ensure you are optimizing your team's time and work.

Analyze the Communications Plan

We will review your organization's communications plan (if you have one) and examine its goals, target audiences, key messages, and strategic tactics. We will take a close look at three key aspects to ensure your efforts are meeting your goals. We will review the communication tools and channels your company uses. 

1. Communication Channels: We will examine how the organization communicates with its employees, customers, partners, and other stakeholders and evaluate the effectiveness of these channels.

2. Content and Messaging: We will evaluate the clarity, relevance, and accuracy of the information communicated to different audiences.

3. Timing and Frequency: We will assess whether the organization effectively communicates with its stakeholders at the appropriate times and in an effective manner.

4. Internal Communications: We will review how the organization shares information internally and assess the level of employee engagement and activation within your organization. 

Gather and Review Stakeholder Feedback

We will also talk with key stakeholders. We will conduct surveys of employees, customers, and other stakeholders to gather their thoughts on the organization's communication practices and identify areas for improvement. We gather this feedback in one-on-one interviews, group interviews, focus groups, and surveys. We summarize and analyze the information to determine what is working well and what needs improvement. 

Assess Communications Measurements and Outputs

We will ensure you have the right measurements to evaluate progress against your goals based on your communications plans. We'll suggest more effective measurements and help refine your goals to be specific, measurable, actionable, and time-bound.

Findings and Recommendations 

After we gather information, we will write a comprehensive report with distinct findings and recommendations, as well as additional tools such as a SWOT analysis and a quantitative review of the organization's communications channels.

We will provide feedback on the internal and the external communications strategy. Most importantly, we will provide recommendations for how to improve efforts, whether it is better protocols and approvals, new technology, or messaging changes. We will provide recommendations on updates to your current communications plan to make sure it aligns with your organization's goals. 

Conclusion 

Fitler Square Strategies can help your organization improve its communication efforts - from structure to technology to content.

Contact us today and learn more about how we can help make your organization's communications efforts more efficient and effective.