How We Measure Communications
How we set objectives, read channel results and act on what they show.
Connect the communication objective to evidence
A practical guide for Northstar colleagues who plan, publish, support, or evaluate internal communications.
Northstar Services is a fictional example. Measurement helps the communications team understand whether its work reached the intended audience, prompted a response, or related to the change the communication aimed to support. This guide explains the practice; it is not a results dashboard.
Open Communications Hub analytics to review current channel evidence and do the actual analysis. Start with what a communication is meant to help its audience understand, do, or decide, then consider evidence that fits the objective and channel. Evidence can inform better choices, but it does not automatically prove what caused an observed change.
A practical path from objective to learning
Use evidence that can help answer the question, rather than every measure a channel happens to offer.
State the intended change and who the communication is for before choosing what to review.
- Name the understanding, action, or decision the communication supports.
- Describe the intended audience clearly enough to interpret the evidence.
Open Communications Hub analytics to see the evidence available for the relevant communication and channel.
- Use channel-relevant evidence; channels do not all report the same things.
- Check that the evidence matches the audience and objective being discussed.
Consider context and evidence limits before deciding what to keep or change.
- Consider reach, engagement, or outcome evidence only where it helps answer the objective.
- Use findings to inform the next communication, not as a stand-alone verdict.
Continue with the guidance
Read the measure definitions or see how the team uses evidence.