In this edition of For Immediate Release podcast interviews, Shel enjoyed a 49-minute conversation with Angela Sinickas, ABC and Tudor Williams, ABC, two of the leading internal communications measurement authorities in the business.
About our conversation partners:
A pioneer in the field of organizational communication measurement, Angela Sinickas has been measuring the effectiveness of communications since 1981. Her prolific publications and speaking engagements on the topic since then have made her name synonymous with measurement of organizational communication. Angela and her measurement work have been cited in Harvard Business Review, Investors Business Daily, HR Magazine, Executive Solutions, PR News, Journal of Communication Management, Ragan Report and Communication World, among many other publications. Angela is the president of Sinickas Communications, Inc., an international communication consultancy helping corporations achieve business results through targeted diagnostics and practical solutions.
Management consultant, Tudor Williams, ABC, is recognized internationally for his knowledge management research, change management strategies and strategic communication planning. With over 25 years of professional wisdom in communication management, he leads Tudor Williams Inc. In recent years he has helped twisurveys earn a market niche with innovative best practices research. His communication management career began with eight years in corporate public affairs management. Since then he has led the communication practices for two international consulting firms, Towers Perrin and The Alexander Consulting Group (now AON). In 1994 he established his own consultancy and is a Principal with twisurveys Inc.
Interview Segment Time Points:
- 00:00 – Introduction
- 01:54 – Can you measure internal communication? What should you measure?
- 03:25 – The desire to measure results vs. needs; evaluating what’s already been done
- 04:09 – Australian research done for the Institute of Public Relations (reveals that communicators don’t understand research or communication theory)
- 05:14 – Research process – steps for a research engagement
- 08:50 – Different types of measurement
- 12:06 – Surveys and other tactics, and the need to customize surveys
- 14:51 – The “preferred vs. actual communication source” trap
- 17:52 – Other survey mistakes
- 18:40 – Measuring change
- 21:03 – Measuring individual communication activities
- 24:36 – Behaviors as a criterion for measurement
- 26:12 – Channels and tactics
- 28:40 – Measuring electronic channels, including blogs, wikis, and podcasts
- 37:22 – Cost-avoidance as a measure
- 41:27 – Where can someone with no budget start?
- 46.05 – On Angela’s website…
- 46:46 – On Tudor’s website…
- 47:20 – Angela’s and Tudor’s coordinates
- 48:10 – Angela and Tudor at the IABC conference next week
- 49.10 – About “For Immediate Release”