At Harley House Consultants Inc., we have developed a series of checklists to help managers maximize the effectiveness of their communication and relationship efforts. By making use of these checklists, you may self-diagnose and find that you never have to make use of our services. On the other hand, you may find that the checklists help focus you on where you should concentrate your efforts.

Communications Management Checklists

Effective communications can be achieved and maintained by following five simple steps, in an ongoing cycle of research, public environmental analysis, communications planning, development, delivery and evaluation. What is it?

Over the past twenty-five years, there have been many attempts to define communications, let alone effective communications. One of the more popular definitions of communications is that it is:

"... the one management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance."

This definition shows that, to be effective, communications activities must integrate information about public attitudes and opinions with organizational policy and objectives into an ongoing two-way flow of communications.

Why is it needed?

But who are these publics and why is effective communications necessary for each of them? Every federal government department and agency, no matter how small or large, has many publics including:

  • The Minister's Office
  • Senior management
  • Clients
  • Taxpayers
  • Employees and their unions
  • Central and Regulatory agencies
  • Professional associations
  • The media
  • Special interest groups
Each of these audiences have the right to accurate and timely information on an organization's policies, programs and services. As well, each audience expects the organization to listen and be receptive to its views concerning those policies, programs and services. Clearly then, for an organization to communicate effectively, the attitudes and views of each audience must be sought out and accurately interpreted on an ongoing basis. These interpretations must then be compared with the organization's policies, programs and services and appropriate responses or actions planned and delivered. Throughout each of these steps, a process of ongoing evaluation and assessment can help to ensure that the needed changes or modifications can be introduced without hampering the effectiveness of communications activities already in place.

Of course, unforeseen crises and misunderstandings will continue to happen. But, with an effective communications management program in place, crises can be overcome with minimal or only short-term harm to the organization's reputation. The more effective the ongoing communications of an organization are, the more quickly and effectively crises and difficulties can be overcome.

How is it achieved?

Effective communications can be achieved and maintained by following five simple steps, in an ongoing cycle of research, public environmental analysis, communications planning, development, delivery and evaluation:

Step 1.
Undertake a Public Environmental Analysis so as to define the issues and opportunities that exist within the various internal and external audiences and benchmark the current situation.

Step 2.
Interpret these issues and opportunities to senior management and formulate a communications plan/strategy that includes SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) communications objectives.

Step 3.
Develop a strategic public relations/communications program that integrates policy, objectives, messages and communications techniques, and pretest its components so as to ensure maximum impact.

Step 4.
Implement the strategy or plan and assess its impact and effects on target audiences so as to identify components that require course correction.

Step 5.
Carry out a post-program evaluation of the effectiveness of the communications strategy to demonstrate the contribution to the organizations objectives and to document lessons learned.

Below are some of the key questions that managers should ask and answer at each step in the process. Managers who adopt this process will better manage their public relations and communications programs. The outcome of improved communications management is Effective Communications.
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Public Environmental Analysis

Step 1.
Undertake a Public Environmental Analysis so as to define the issues and opportunities that exist within the various internal and external audiences and benchmark the current situation.

Public Environmental Analysis CRITERIA YES NO
1. Is a sufficient body of research available to permit an adequate analysis of:
  • all internal stakeholders (Minister´s office, employees, managers, partners, unions)?
  • all external stakeholders (taxpayers, clients, special interest groups, media)?
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2. Are the available research data current enough to permit an accurate analysis of the communications environment? _ _
3. Is the available research data reliable in terms of data collection methods used (e.g. if published, would the data withstand public scrutiny)? _ _
4. Will the available research data permit an adequate examination of stakeholder awareness, attitudes, interests, and opinions, in relation to major issues? _ _
5. Can stakeholder values be reliably determined from the available data? _ _
6. Will the environmental analysis produced from the available data contribute a sufficient level of information to carry out strategic communications planning? _ _
7. Are sufficient resources being allocated to permit the collection of reliable data to carry out the environmental analysis? _ _
8. Does current research exist within a central agency another department or agency that could be used to meet the environmental analysis needs? _ _
9. Is new primary research required to meet the environmental analysis needs? _ _
10. Could this new primary research be shared with another department or agency? _ _
11. Have all the necessary research approvals been approved? _ _
12. Is there sufficient time to carry out the research? _ _
13. Is the Public Environmental Analysis report prepared in a fashion that is useful and easy to interpret? _ _
14. If this Public Environmental Analysis was performed for a specific purpose can it be integrated into the overall Agency Public Environmental Analysis process? _ _

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Planning

Step 2.
Interpret these issues and opportunities to senior management and formulate a communications plan/strategy that includes SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely) communications objectives.

Planning CRITERIA YES NO
1. Do we know how the identified issues and opportunities impact on the organization's goals, objectives and programs? _ _
2. Are we aware of the ways by which various publics have reacted before? _ _
3. Are there potential internal +/or external threats and opportunities that exist that may impact on the organization proceeding at this time? _ _
4. Do we know how the public will respond to changes to the organization's goals, objectives, programs, etc.? _ _
5. Has the objective been defined in the appropriate level of measurement?
  • Disseminate information (Output Measurement)
  • Improve understanding and or acceptance (Out-take Measurement)
  • Change specific attitudes and/or behaviour (Outcome Measurement)
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6. Have Specific communications goals and objectives been defined? (e.g. audiences, messages, desired response, timetable) _ _
7. Have these goals and objectives been defined in Measurable terms? (e.g. awareness, understanding, support, action) _ _
8. Are these goals and objectives Achievable given the public environment, timing and available resources? _ _
9. Are these communications goals and objectives Relevant to the organization? _ _
10. Can these communications goals and objectives be achieved in a Timely fashion so as to contribute the overall objectives of the organization? _ _
11. Have the target audience been defined in relevant terms? _ _
12. Are the proposed themes and messages appropriate given:
  • The mandate of the organization
  • The communications objectives
  • The target audience
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13. Are the proposed communications activities appropriate given:
  • The mandate of the organization
  • The communications objectives
  • The target audience
  • The complexity of the issues
  • The proposed timing
  • The allotted budget
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14. Has a dissemination strategy been prepared? _ _
15. Has a detailed production and distribution timetable been prepared? _ _

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Development

Step 3.
Develop a strategic public relations/communications program that integrates policy, objectives, messages and communications techniques, and pretest its components so as to ensure maximum impact.

Development CRITERIA YES NO
1. Have the intended audiences been identified? _ _
2. Has the best message to reach each audience been defined? _ _
3. Has the best medium to communicate the intended messages been identified? _ _
4. Can this medium be effectively tied in with another medium? _ _
5. Should this message be tied in with another message? _ _
6. Has the timing been identified? _ _
7. Is the audience large enough or significant enough to warrant the action? _ _
8. Will the strategy or plan of action meet the requirements of the audience? _ _
9. Does the strategy or plan of action support the overall objectives of the CIO? _ _
10. Given the audience, is the proposed content and format appropriate? _ _
11. Will this medium reach the audience? _ _
12. Has the overall strategy and its individual components been pre-tested using:
  • Focus groups
  • Peer review
  • Reviews by originator/management
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13. Did the pre-test reveal:
  • The activity meets the objectives of the CIO
  • Creative components are effective
  • The target audience understands and believes the messages
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Delivery

Step 4.
Implement the strategy or plan and assess its impact and effects on target audiences so as to identify components that require course correction.

Delivery CRITERIA YES NO
1. Is the strategy on budget and on schedule? _ _
2. Did the strategy receive all of the appropriate approvals? _ _
3. Did the strategy or plan produce the communications outputs that were intended? _ _
4. Is the message reaching all of the intended target audiences? _ _
5. Did the strategy or plan communicate the objectives it was intended to address? _ _
6. Is the strategy achieving the desired audience impact? _ _
7. Does the target audience believe the message? _ _
8. Are there components of the strategy that are more or less effective? _ _
9. Are there new tactics that should be added to the strategy? _ _
10. Should more or fewer resources be directed at a particular target audience or geographic area? _ _
11. Has the public environment evolved/changed in such a fashion that would require an adjustment to the strategy? _ _

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Evaluation

Step 5.
Carry out a post-program evaluation of the effectiveness of the communications strategy to demonstrate the contribution to the organizations objectives and to document lessons learned.

Evaluation Criteria YES NO
Part I - Communications Effectiveness
1. Did the strategy/output reach the intended audience? _ _
2. Did the strategy/output communicate the objectives it was intended to address? _ _
3. Were there "lessons learned" that could be applied to future strategies/outputs? _ _
4. Was it determined how the strategy/output could have been improved? _ _
5. Does the information in the strategy/output need to be revised and updated? _ _
6. Were the results of the evaluation made available in time for them to be useful? _ _
Part II - User Satisfaction
7. Did the target audience find the strategy/output informative and interesting? _ _
8. Did the strategy/output address the requirements of the organization? _ _
Part III - Cost Effectiveness
9. What is the cost per thousand reach? $
10. Was the strategy/output produced within budget _ _
11. Did the results of the strategy/output justify the cost? _ _

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