The metrics that tell you something are the ones tied to a clear objective: did employees receive and understand the message, did their knowledge or intent change, did they act, and did that action contribute to a relevant organizational result? Reach, opens, views, attendance, and reactions can show whether distribution is working, but none alone proves that communication was effective.
Use a measurement ladder, not a pile of channel statistics
AMEC’s Integrated Evaluation Framework starts with organizational and communication objectives, then recommends setting benchmarks and targets before measurement. Its stages help distinguish what was sent from what employees took from it and what changed. Not every communication needs a measure at every stage; choose those relevant to its objective and the time available to evaluate it.
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| Stage | What to measure | What it can tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Outputs and distribution | Delivery, intended-audience reach, channel use, page views, attendance, and content volume | Whether material was distributed or reached people. It does not establish understanding or action. |
| Immediate audience response | Attention, recall, understanding, usefulness, and engagement | Whether employees noticed the message, understood it, and could identify a next step. |
| Outcomes | Learning, knowledge, attitudes, trust, preference, intention, and advocacy | Whether the message was associated with a relevant change in what employees know, believe, or intend to do. |
| Behavior and organizational impact | Adoption of a practice, completion of a process, and a relevant organizational result | Whether an intended action occurred and whether a related organizational measure changed. A change alone does not prove communication caused it. |
AMEC’s measurement taxonomy treats reach and exposure as outputs, and recall and understanding as audience responses. Treat these categories as a way to choose evidence, not a mandatory checklist for every announcement.
Choose measures that match the communication objective
Strategy, change, and policy: test understanding and alignment
For a strategy, change, or policy message, test whether employees can explain its main point, say what it means for their work, and identify what they should do next. A brief pulse or knowledge check asks more directly than an open or page view whether the intended message landed. Write questions around the objective, avoid combining multiple questions in one, and check whether employees can answer without guessing what the organization wants to hear.
#1 Best Overall
A 2015 CIPR Inside article attributes a historical AVID-framework benchmark to Kevin Ruck: 55–65% of employees usually say they understand their organisation’s strategy. This is a context-dependent historical figure, not a current universal estimate or a target to apply without checking fit.
Listening and voice: measure opportunity, response, and follow-through
Listening measures should cover more than whether employees submitted feedback. Look at whether people had a meaningful opportunity to respond, whether they believe the organization listens, and whether feedback leads to visible action or explanation. Repeated pulse questions can show direction; interviews, focus groups, open comments, and manager feedback can help explain what a trend means. The Institute of Internal Communication’s 2023 strategy guide recommends combining formal measurement with less formal listening and gathering input from broad, representative groups to help reduce bias.
The same 2015 CIPR Inside article attributes another historical figure to Kevin Ruck: 45–55% satisfaction with being able to have a say. Treat it as a historical benchmark, not a universal standard.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsBehavior: define the action before selecting the metric
Decide what employees should do before choosing a measure. Depending on the objective, the action might be using a new process, completing a task, adopting a safety practice, or finding information through a specified route. Compare a baseline with follow-up data, and look for other factors that could explain a change, such as manager actions, workflow changes, incentives, or external events.
Rank #3
The IoIC guide recommends asking both whether the intended behavior changed and whether communication was responsible. If multiple factors could have produced the same result, report a contribution or an observed change rather than claiming communication caused it.
Organizational impact: select a result that fits the objective
Use a business or workforce measure only when it corresponds to the communication objective—for example, a relevant process result, productivity measure, retention, absence, or service outcome. A measure can show that an organizational result changed; connecting that change to communication requires evidence that accounts for other influences.
Rank #4
A 2025 CIPR report on organizations with fewer than 500 employees found that 80% of respondents who had internal communication resources said they saw an impact of internal communication on their organisation’s financial success. The figure reflects respondents’ perceptions, not a causal estimate or a rate that applies to all organizations. The report also identifies proving impact as a challenge.
How to choose and compare measures
- State the organizational objective. Turn it into a measurable communication objective with a defined audience and timeframe. AMEC’s framework places objectives at the start of evaluation.
- Set a baseline and target before launch. Decide what success means before seeing results; include the intended behavior or outcome where relevant.
- Pick a few measures across relevant stages. Consider distribution, understanding or response, behavior, and an organizational result when evidence and timing permit. There is no requirement to measure every stage for every activity.
- Compare channels against the objective. Consider whether each reaches the intended groups, supports accessible understanding, allows people to respond, and leads toward the desired action. A high channel-use figure matters only in context: CIPR Inside recommends asking what information employees want and whether they are satisfied with what they receive, rather than asking only whether they like the channel.
- Combine trends with explanation. Repeated smaller pulses can show direction over time; interviews and open comments can help explain why a measure moved. Collect only demographic details that are necessary, and consider whether respondents represent the workforce.
- Report the strength of the evidence accurately. Separate exposure, understanding, behavior change, contribution, and causation. If managers, systems, incentives, or events may also explain a result, say so.
When comparing two or more channels or approaches, use consistent criteria: intended-audience reach, accessibility, understanding, opportunity for voice, behavior tied to the objective, and the time or resources needed to measure them. The objective determines which criteria matter most.
What common metrics can—and cannot—support
- Opens, views, reach, and attendance: useful for diagnosing distribution and comparing trends; not evidence by themselves that employees understood or acted.
- Likes and reactions: a limited engagement signal, not proof of comprehension, trust, or changed behavior.
- Survey answers: evidence about the people who responded, shaped by question wording and how well the respondents represent the workforce. Avoid unnecessary demographic questions and double-barrelled questions.
- Business outcomes: relevant when linked to the objective, but a correlation or coincident change does not establish that communication caused it.
Richard Bagnall, Co-Founder of CommsClarity Consulting and AMEC Board Director and Integrated Evaluation Framework Team Lead, describes the purpose of evaluation this way: “Measurement and evaluation should reveal a story, based on evidence, it should explain what has happened, what has worked, what hasn’t, and it should lead to actionable insights.” AMEC’s expert opinion page publishes the quotation.
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