ASSESSING ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION QUALITY

What I can say about this topic is the extent to which any organization is meeting its communication-related responsibilities. The word audit has a similar meaning in organizational communication study. In the same way, a financial audit tests the financial conditions of an organization, a communication audit is an examination of the quality of communication within an organization. If communication is important, then testing communication becomes a priority. Any method of auditing must examine organizational communication comprehensively. Several auditing methods are available. Consultants and techniques have proliferated over the last decade. There are several values of conducting communication audits. Communication audit can portray the overall nature of communication in a particular organization; describe the value and relevance of specific communication tools, assess whether employees have received key messages, help organizations develop a strategic plan for measuring effectiveness of communication in an organization. A manager can pick and choose from the available methods to suit the needs of the organization. Audit findings should include a detailed explanation of findings, a set of recommendations for solution, and a sequence for implementation. Audit results may vary from client expectations. Auditors, therefore, must be diplomatic when relaying information that may be inconsistent with client expectations.