How internal communicators can develop a ‘value portfolio’
The time and money you require to reach and engage employees must deliver ROI in the eyes of the higher-ups. Try these approaches.
One big challenge facing internal communicators involves demonstrating the value that we create through our activities and expenditures.
This isn’t merely a problem when it comes to justifying budgets; it also makes prioritizing and resourcing activities challenging-both operationally and politically.
Compounding the problem is the diversity of tasks that stakeholders ask of an internal communication team, ranging from the management of technical platforms and communication channels to event planning to the preparation and delivery of written and video content. Then there are the analyses of surveys and other metrics.
An additional complication is the lack of consistent methodologies or measures that allow for an apples-to-apples demonstration of how a dollar, euro or Bitcoin spent on one activity delivers more punch than the same dollar or Bitcoin spent on something else.
Even though like-for-like comparisons of added value are difficult, I am proposing an initial step—a classification of communication activity against the most popular desired outcomes I’ve seen in my 15+ years as an internal communication pro:
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