You spent hours perfecting a dashboard or engagement report that looks fantastic but says…absolutely nothing.
In internal communications, this struggle is familiar. We’re expected to support engagement, trust, change, and performance, yet we often report on metrics that show activity rather than impact. Traditional metrics, such as opens, clicks and views, are helpful to a point. But they don’t provide a clear answer when leadership asks the big question: “Is it working?”
According to Gallagher’s State of the Sector 2023/2024, 70% of communicators use measurement data to evidence ROI to the business. And while 84% say they want to measure more, over half feel they lack the time or resources to do so. Meanwhile, IoIC IC Index 2024 shows that where employees rate internal communication as “good” or “excellent,” trust in leaders is significantly higher.
The message is clear: measurement matters, but it needs a rethink if internal communications is to be seen as a strategic business function. Whether rolling out a new policy, communicating a change initiative or helping managers have meaningful conversations, comms teams need measurement that actually reflects impact.
Frameworks for Measuring Impact
Fortunately, we don’t need to start from scratch. There are proven frameworks that help comms teams understand and demonstrate their value, each offering a different perspective on communication.
What matters isn’t choosing the perfect framework, but choosing one that helps you move from activity (“we sent something”) to impact (“it changed something”).
The Value Ladder
The Value Ladder, introduced by Ruck & Field in "Valuing Internal Communication," explains how communication evolves from basic information sharing into dialogue, trust and impact.
The ladder looks like this.
- Inputs: the groundwork: research, objectives, KPIs
- Outputs: information sharing: channels, messages, updates
- Listening and responding: the feedback loop: surveys, Q&As, pulse checks
- Outcomes—culture of dialogue: people feel heard, informed, and able to speak up
- Internal impact: improved performance, smoother change, lower turnover
- External impact: stronger employer brand and customer experience
- Measurement and evaluation: learning that fuels the next cycle
The Value Ladder pushes us to move beyond activity and focus on the organizational conditions we help shape.
Key takeaways:
- Value grows as communication becomes more dialogue-based and trust-centered.
- Outputs are the starting point, not the proof of value.
- Two-way communication drives alignment, advocacy and a stronger culture.
- Strong internal communication ultimately strengthens external reputation.
Planning for Success
Fitzpatrick and Valskov’s "Internal Communications: A Framework for Practitioners" offers one of the clearest blueprints for turning intent into impact. This one emphasizes disciplined planning. Starting with business results, defining behavioral outcomes, understanding audiences and (only then) selecting channels.
It works because it hard‑wires measurement into the process by making outcomes the starting point.
Key takeaways:
- Begin with the business problem or opportunity, not the channel.
- Define what people must do, feel and know for success.
- Use messages that connect relevance and rationale.
- Choose tactics that directly support DO‑FEEL‑KNOW outcomes.
What to Measure Based on Your Strategic Objective
At Poppulo, we send automated emails to new employees four weeks after they join, encouraging them to leave a review on Glassdoor. Instead of open rates, we’re concerned with seeing more authentic reviews from recent hires.
Here are a few common business objectives and practical ways to measure the impact of comms.
Business goal: Improve customer satisfaction (CSAT/NPS).
- Track whether teams reference customer feedback during planning sessions.
- Look for increased mentions of customers in town halls or manager updates.
- Compare CSAT scores or call-handling times before and after the campaign.
Business goal: Reduce lost-time incidents or policy breaches.
- Audit whether safety reports are being filed correctly.
- Track completion of mandatory training modules.
- Check if incidents or compliance exceptions decline after the campaign.
Business goal: Navigate change or transformation.
- Monitor “what does this mean for me?” queries
- Assess manager confidence in explaining the change.
- Listen to whether employees can accurately describe the impact on their role.
Putting it into Practice: The Tomorrow Toolkit
Even if you don’t consider yourself a data science whiz, you can still move toward an impact-measurement approach with some focus and alignment.
Measure outcomes, not just outputs. Instead of counting clicks or attendance, look for evidence that communication changed something. It could be a behavior, a decision, a level of understanding or a sense of trust.
Use before-and-after measures. Quick pulse surveys before and after a campaign reveal shifts in understanding. For example, before launching an AI policy campaign, ask, “Do you know what’s expected when using AI at work?” Then measure again and compare.
Borrow from existing data. If survey fatigue is real (and it often is), use data you already have. Safety incidents, compliance rates or engagement scores can all serve as outcome proxies.
To make this shift practical, I want to leave you with what I call the Tomorrow Toolkit. Here are three simple changes that make your measurement more meaningful right away.
1. Reframe what you measure.
Stop reporting opens, clicks and attendance without context. Identify the real-world action each message is meant to drive. Add one outcome metric alongside every output metric.
Try this: Pick one live campaign and define the outcome you wish you’d measured. Then check whether existing data tells part of the story.
2. Map comms to business goals.
Link every campaign to a business priority like safety, service, retention or performance. Ask: “If this succeeds, what business metric should move?”
Try this: For your next report, add a single line under the title: “This supports…” followed by the business goal.
3. Measure movement, not moments.
One pulse question won’t prove impact, but trends will. Track changes in understanding, trust or behavior over time.
Try this: Add a simple before/after question to your next campaign. Even a quick “I understand what’s expected of me” scale can reveal a lot.
The Bigger Picture
Proving impact isn’t rocket science. But as data-driven comms teams, we must get in the habit of asking “So what?” before hitting send.
Great measurement starts with great planning. When you define outcomes clearly, measurement becomes easier than you might think.
Vanity metrics show activity. Demonstrating real impact is how we earn our seat as a strategic partner.
Andrew Hubbard is Senior Director of Communications at Poppulo.