I recently had the opportunity to facilitate and led a VMA Enhance training workshop around measurement for a leading global healthcare company. Here are some of my thoughts and observations that you might find relative to your day to day business communications.

Speaking to many global organisations, one realises that strategic communication is increasingly higher on the business agenda. Much higher than it used to be. In fact, business executives are putting more and more pressure on communication to report in financial terms of the benefits they are able to bring to the organisation. Many still say quantifying communication outcomes is difficult, but many organisations are seeking to translate their output to outcomes, and further to financial returns.

Is it easy? Of course not! And it requires more rigorous research and correlation to other business objectives that are not only communication key performance indicators. The word research is key – without it, we have no empirical evidence as to the quality of communication outcomes.

The measurement challenge is a global one. It is faced by communicators everywhere. In a recent workshop in Thailand, working with a global healthcare company, the question of linking financial metrics to communication took centre stage. In reality, the only way to ensure communication reports in business metrics is to (a) think like a business person and what they want to see, and (b) know the business well enough to know where communication can derive a business outcome.

In principle, it’s not as challenging as the daunting tasks that it sounds like. But it does require taking a fresh look at the way communication integrates into other business functions. Metrics like the number of press clippings, how many people open a newsletter, etc, are no longer enough for communication to demonstrate value. The question is, ‘what did that do’. Put different, what did the outcome achieve for the organisation?

Firstly, communication needs to stop being seen (and thinking of itself) as an order taker, and shift to the perception of being a strategic advisor. That won’t happen until communication shows the outcome to executives. This requires a thorough analysis of the competency framework within which communication operates, including a detailed skills audit and a review of how internal clients see the function. Then, communication need to take credit, scientifically, for the improvement in business metrics as a direct impact of communication.

Some of the business metrics communication can be linked it are the impact on strategic and/or financial targets (Value Chain); impact on tangible and/or intangible assets (Capital Accumulation); and factors such as sales, cost reduction and optimisation, reputation capital, bra