Remember when you were a new employee? You experienced every aspect of the job—including internal communication—with a fresh perspective. Since you had no preconceived notions about the way things are supposed to work, you were very aware of what was effective and what missed the mark.
The good news is that communicators can use this awareness to gain valuable feedback. Simply conduct periodic focus groups with new hires who have been on the job fewer than six months. This is your opportunity to inquire about current communication and ask for suggestions on how the program could be improved.
Here is a list of sample questions to get you started:
| Channel |
Questions to ask |
|
Introduction
|
- What is your perspective on how we communicate? What do you notice?
- What’s working well? What aspects of the program would you change?
|
|
Communication system
|
- Where do you turn first for information? Which channels do you use most often? What’s your sense of the role of each channel?
|
|
Email
|
- What type of information do you expect to find in an email? (important announcements, org. changes, etc.)
- What helps you determine how relevant the email is to you? (subject line, sender, etc.)
- How would you describe the effectiveness of email? Sufficient? Lacking? Overload?
|
| Intranet |
- What type of information do you search for on the intranet?
- How timely/accessible is the information?
- How could the intranet be improved?
|
| Print publications |
- What topics would you like to hear about through this channel?
- How do you interact with the publication: skim, scan or read from cover to cover?
- What do you do with the information you receive?
|
