This is Your Chance!

Establishing the right goals and objectives is YOUR CHANCE to prove how internal communication contributes to business success. Don’t miss this opportunity to prove the value of great employee communications.

 

Your communication audit helped you understand where you are. Your next step – setting goals and objectives — sets the direction for where you want to be.

 

Before your goal setting exercise begins, you need to understand the bigger picture in your organization – specifically business strategy and direction. Is attracting top talent critical? Do you need to foster innovation? Is productivity vital to performance? By understanding key drivers to business success, you can not only make sure your communications efforts support success but also prove positive and measurable results.

 

Definitions

Goals are broad and should be SMART: Stretching, motivational, achievable, relevant and time-based. When setting goals, I ask my clients what success looks like in their wildest dreams!

Objectives are measurable steps that can help you reach your goal.

 

A Practical Example

Let’s take this hypothetical goal and objective setting to a practical level with an example.

A mid-sized technology company (375 people) aims to be top-three in the marketplace for its product. It is working on launching the next generation of a key product. What goals and objectives can the internal communication team so efforts are focused on supporting company goals?

Goal

Employees understand the vision and direction of the company and are committed to making a difference.

Objectives

92% of employees understand the corporate mission and vision

87% of employees can explain the corporate strategy

91% of employees understand how they contribute to success

 

Now your goals and objectives will drive your strategy including specific communication activities. You can then measure the impact of your communication efforts to demonstrate achievements in a tangible way.

 

Too many communicators don’t take the time to set the right internal communication goals and objectives. Next time you are tempted to skip this step, remember that goals will not only help you gain clarity by articulating exactly what you are trying to achieve, they will also help you measure your performance and prove the value of employee communications.