Measuring the impact of communication policies can include:

Audience perception measurements including factors such as:

• percentages and types of messages received and communications remembered.
• Were messages seen as relevant, consistent and credible?
• Were the messages understood?
• How well do employees feel they are being supported?
• Do employees understand exactly what needs to happen as a result of the communication(s)?

Change in behavior, The objective of most internal communication is to change the attitudes and behaviors of employees. Therefore, it is valuable to identify and measure factors such as:

• What changed?
• Was there more or less of a behavior?
• What is now different?

Impact on business goals / outcomes

Communication measurement should enable Internal Communicators to quantify the impact of communications on business objectives. For example:

• The number of employees who signed up for share scheme (following its promotion)
• The shift in attitudes regarding customer service and the projected impact of increased customer retention
• The number of usable suggestions submitted via an employee suggestion initiative (and the financial value of those suggestions)

http://www.snapcomms.com/solutions/measuring-internal-communications-effectiveness.aspx

Dear Behrouz, Thanks a ton for your very insightful post and the enumeration of indicators for effectiveness of communication policies. Your identification of audience's perception, behaviour and outcomes are very useful themes under which you have listed the different indicators of strategic HR  intervention. I also agree with views expressed by dear Alexandre about communication effectiveness.

Building a system of internal communication is an important aspect for an organization, even for the smallest: you cannot confine itself to the coffee break communication within the institution. An internal circuit of this type can respond to satisfaction of the various types of needs.

First of all, share the most information and data allows the institution to achieve levels of efficiency and effectiveness very high, with the positive effect of achieving the objectives in a less wasteful. Indirectly, be aware of the activities undertaken by the body, even if only on a superficial level, increases the sense of belonging to the company, with a positive effect on the indoor climate and organizational well-being. This reflection of internal communication occurs regardless of the nature of the messages disseminated: an organization that communicates with its employees conveys a sense of importance and attention towards human capital. Thanks to an internal communication system you can get to strengthen the sense of belonging and participation in the entity by using it in the dissemination and promotion of those issues that directly affect the vision of the institution.

The circuit of internal communication therefore lends itself to different uses, which take the form of a beneficial effect on the results and on the internal environment of the institution if handled.

Measuring communication effectiveness within an organization and How to Measure Internal Communications are very good reading. I do suggest Your previous link as very interesting one dear @Debi!

http://idahobusinessreview.com/2011/07/29/measuring-communication-effectiveness-within-an-organization/

http://www.snapcomms.com/solutions/measuring-internal-communications-effectiveness.aspx

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Indicators_for_measuring_Communication_effectiveness_in_an_organization/2

Anyone needs to have good communication skills and be a positive and rational thinker, if s/he wants to succeed. Among the core ideas behind successful communication, as examples, are how we can plan an impressive communication and communicate successfully in the different situations that we encounter in the workplace.

Indicators which help in measuring the effectiveness of internal communication policies in an organization

• Stewardship and Management - continue to improve the capacity of Organization to manage and deliver

• Relevance, Responsivenes adn Appropriateness :

How well is the department anticipating and responding to change?

• Organizational Capacity:

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/sd-dd.nsf/eng/sd00042.html

Measuring the effectiveness of internal communication policies in all types of organization is not difficult.

".. the cause and effect of a particular publication can be difficult to single out if several other efforts are happening at the same time. But measurement is possible with some discipline before a project begins and after it is completed.

Award-winning business communicator Ann Wylie says an alternative to proving cause and effect is to demonstrate a correlation between our efforts and the company’s success by establishing that communication was received, believed and acted upon".

For more information you may look at the link here-under:

http://idahobusinessreview.com/2013/08/23/measuring-communication-effectiveness/

Dear Debi

What can I add after all excellent previous post especially that of Behrouz. 

Some key indicators could include:

How well-informed employees are and how equitably the information reaches everyone?

How well understood/comprehended was the disseminated information?

The usage of information: When knowledge is shared as part of best practices rather than used a way to gain power over others

The questions and concerns that are raised before problems turn into full-blown crises. 

How proactively departments coordinate and collaborate with each other; and perhaps that applies even on an intradepartmental level.

Communications measurement helps organizations to quantify the value of effective internal communication (which is typically significant but often overlooked). It also helps internal communicators justify and gain adequate resource.

Types of Measurement

Determining which aspects of internal communication to measure will depend on the organization's specific business and communication objectives. A few examples of useful communications measurements include:

• Baseline communication measurement. Prior to communication, measure; existing knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of employees, as well as determining the existing information available, how easy it is to find, the current communications channels available and to identify other factors influencing attitudes and behaviors.

• Functional communication measurement. Following a communication or campaign, functional aspects of communication should be measured. Comparisons to the baselines measurements are useful. Additional measures can include; the number and types of messages sent, timing of messages, message cut-through / reach, channel effectiveness and appeal, audience satisfaction with content (types, volume etc).

What to Measure – Measuring Impact. Measuring the impact of communication is a critical step and measures can include:

• Audience perception measurements including factors such as: % and types of messages received and communications remembered. Were messages seen as relevant, consistent and credible? Were the messages understood? How well do employees feel they are being supported? Do employees understand exactly what needs to happen as a result of the communication(s)?

• Change in Behavior. The objective of most internal communication is to change the attitudes and behaviors of employees. Therefore, it is valuable to identify and measure factors such as: What changed? Was there more or less of a behavior? What is now different?

• Impact on business goals / outcomes. Communication measurement should enable Internal Communicators to quantify the impact of communications on business objectives. For example: The number of employees who signed up for share scheme (following its promotion); The shift in attitudes regarding customer service and the projected impact of increased customer retention; The number of usable suggestions submitted via an employee suggestion initiative (and the financial value of those suggestions)

• Isolating the impact of internal communication. Communication does not happen in a vacuum and it can sometimes be difficult to isolate the impact of communication versus other factors (incentive schemes, new product launches, factors external to the organization and so on). Possible solutions include: Communications control groups (isolating a group, such as a single remote location, and not communicating them about a specific initiative or goal, then looking at how their actions differ from groups you have communicated with); Assessing the change in behavior with regard to a business goal which was communicated well, versus a business goal with little or no communication; Estimate the % influence of communications versus other influencing factors.

• Calculating the financial value of internal communication. Calculations of the financial value of communication will, at best, be estimates. However, it is still an important part of communication measurement as it starts a conversation with senior managers as well and can demonstrate the enormous value of effective internal communication. Consider the impact of an effective internal crisis communication response. A comparison can be made against a situation (internally or within a similar organization) which wasn't handled as well, and quantifiable value attributed to factors such as: Volume of customers retained; Retention of good staff who might otherwise have left.

• Dear all, I agree with dear Mahfuz that the ultimate measure of communication effectiveness is organizational effectiveness. His attachment is very important and useful. Of course, the real question is how do we separate the impact of other variables and bring out the impact of communication and and that of other interventions. That necessitates the need for appropriate indicators. Similarly, Dear Kamal is right we need to implement all that we profess in our communication. And, only by identifying measures, we can know the precise impact.

Dear Jorge, thanks a ton for your extremely useful and comprehensive thread; it would be of immense help for developing some articulate and precise measures for communication effectiveness.  Especially, your last sentence is the crux. Ultimately, the impact of communication is to be seen how  it has impacted the behaviour of our employees in dealing with customers. Their responsible behaviour results in customer retention, volume of customers, and retention of employees; no doubt, they  are great indicators. 

The Foundation Tier:

The starting point for effective communication is a solid foundation of four communication practices:

— A formal communication process

— Employee input

— Links between desired behavior and employee compensation

— Effective use of technology

The Strategic Tier:

Efforts at the strategic level align internal communication with business objectives and employ communication tools to

— Facilitate organizational change

— Focus on continuous improvement

— Connect employees to the business strategy

The Behavioral Tier:

The behavioral tier uses communication to increase employee

commitment by focusing on the relationship between employees and their leaders,

with communication practices designed to Drive changes in the behavior of managers and supervisors that enable them to support senior management’s vision through their actions

Thanks dear Krishnan, all your three threads are extremely useful and reflect very thoughtful identification of indicators for measuring communication effectiveness. I especially appreciate your identification of communication issues in furtherance of  alignment of HR interventions with business vision and strategic change.

Dear Monica, I highly appreciate your very thoughtful thread in response to this question. Though I could not understand what you meant by equitable receipt of information by employees, I fully agree that comprehensibility of information, its usage, and the departments propensity to collaborate with each as a consequence of a message/communications are very useful indicators that can help measure their  effectiveness.  

Dear Ljubomir, Thanks so much for  very useful attachments, and more so for reminding me a goof up, as I asked a repeat question by oversight. But asking the same one a second time has helped me in getting some of the finest answers over and above what I got to know in the earlier attempt.

I am pleased to know that my comment on this important issue helps you in clarifying your own opinion on it.

Level of loyalty/disloyalty, Level of motivation/ de-motivation, rate of response to institutional instructions,