intelligent measurement

Evaluating communication – 1 of 4 key lessons

October 12, 2015 at 4:51 pm 3 comments

last week I had the opportunity to present to a group of communicators from human rights NGOs at a True Heroes Films workshop in Geneva.

One of the main themes I spoke about was on lessons for evaluating communication campaigns and programmes based on my own experiences of having being involved in some 100  evaluations in this field.

I identified four lessons that I believe apply for all communicators, non-profit or for-profit, particularly taking into account the challenges faced of limited resources.

My first lesson was “Planning is key“.

For communicators, planning is often seen as a necessary burden before they get on to the exciting stuff – actually doing things! Communicators often jump straight into doing activities, i.e. setting up a website, organising an event, issuing a press release, etc. without actually fully thinking through the purpose of the activity – why are we doing this?

So to have a clear strategy and plan is key – before starting:
-Does the situation merit to communicate (analysis)?
-What do you want to achieve (objectives)?
-With whom (publics)?
-What?(messages)
-How (activities/tactics)

Thinking about this before you communicate will make evaluation so much easier – and possible!

That was lesson no. 1. And lessons 2-4? Wait for my next posts!

Entry filed under: Communication evaluation, PR evaluation. Tags: communication evaluation, communication strategy, pr measurement.