Communicators often prepare executives to represent the organisation across key moments, channels, and audiences. A strong communication agenda may set the foundation, but the more difficult task is measuring whether these efforts are working.
In other words, are executive communications delivering what they’re supposed to? Are they helping the organisation meet its goals—and if not, what needs to be adjusted?
To answer this, communicators must be willing to go beyond activity reports and take a closer look at outcomes. They must evaluate whether executive presence and messaging are producing the right actions and behaviours from audiences, and whether their efforts are contributing meaningfully to the organisation’s strategic direction.
Ineffectiveness Does Not Equal Irrelevance
Executive communication is often highly visible. When it falls flat, the impact can be immediate—but not always obvious. A lack of engagement, lukewarm audience response, or recommendations not acted upon may signal an issue, but the source of that issue is not always the executive or the message.
In many cases, the underlying assumption may need to be re-examined.
- Was this the right spokesperson for this topic?
- Was it delivered at the right time, in the right setting, for the right audience?
- Did it align with other touchpoints or feel out of step?
This does not mean the communication strategy was flawed in its entirety. But it does suggest that the current plan may not be calibrated to current conditions. Communicators should revisit these questions regularly:
- Is the executive’s involvement matched to the topic’s relevance and timing?
- Is the audience segment appropriate for the message being delivered?
- Have we considered recent shifts in context, sentiment, or internal dynamics?
Effective measurement begins with understanding what conditions were expected—and what changed.
What Ineffectiveness Looks Like in Practice
Executive communication can be considered ineffective when there is no observable follow-through from the intended audience.
This may show up in different ways depending on the communication objective. For example:
- After a leadership town hall, employees do not take up the new behaviour being encouraged.
- Following an investor briefing, there is no shift in market sentiment or shareholder queries.
- After a product announcement, key stakeholders still seek clarifications that should have been addressed.
These signs suggest that the communication moment did not land.
When the desired action—whether a decision, shift in perception, or show of support—does not follow, it may be time to re-assess the approach. This includes evaluating whether the executive’s presence added credibility or introduced doubt, and whether their role was used appropriately.
Not every failure is a crisis. But every missed opportunity compounds if it is not recognised and addressed.
Understanding Tangible and Intangible Outputs
To evaluate executive communication outcomes, communicators must be able to distinguish between two types of outputs: tangible and intangible.
Tangible outputs are actions or behaviours that can be directly observed and measured. These may include:
- Number of employee sign-ups after a call to action
- Volume of inbound investor queries or meeting requests
- Uptake of a new process, policy, or behaviour change
Intangible outputs are more difficult to measure directly but still meaningful. These might include:
- Increases in trust, affinity, or favourability among key stakeholders
- Better access to key decision-makers
- Expressions of advocacy or continued loyalty
Both types of outputs are valuable, and they are often interdependent. For instance, increased trust (intangible) can lead to future partnership discussions (tangible).
Communicators should track both, understanding that not all progress will appear immediately in a metric dashboard. But over time, trends in both areas can give strong signals about whether executive communication is making an impact.
Why Communications Affects Behaviour
At its core, communication is about influence. The communicator’s job is to influence the audience’s direction—from a neutral or uncertain stance to one of confidence, support, or action.
A useful reference point here is the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), a psychological framework explaining how people process persuasive messages. It proposes two main routes:
- The central route, where audiences are highly engaged, process information deeply, and base their decisions on the strength of arguments.
- The peripheral route, where audiences rely on cues like credibility, familiarity, or emotional tone rather than content depth.
In executive communications, both routes are relevant. A well-briefed and authentic executive can shift opinion by signalling expertise and trust (peripheral), while also presenting compelling reasoning (central). When aligned with the audience’s existing beliefs and expectations, this type of communication increases the likelihood of behaviour change.
This model is a reminder that effective executive communication isn’t just about information but about how that information is processed and received.
A Simple Framework for Measuring Output
Executive communication is not just about presence or delivery. It is about producing meaningful outcomes that serve the organisation’s strategic goals.
Communicators can use a simple 2×2 matrix to guide measurement planning. On the Y-axis, distinguish between tangible and intangible outcomes. On the X-axis, define the type of organisational objective—whether operational, reputational, relational, or strategic.
| Tangible Outcomes | Intangible Outcomes | |
|---|---|---|
| Operational Objectives | Adoption of new policies, behaviour change, uptake of tools | Staff morale, internal trust levels |
| Reputational Objectives | Volume of media mentions, share of voice, stakeholder quotes | Increased trust, improved sentiment |
| Relational Objectives | New meeting requests, collaborations, follow-up actions | Loyalty, increased access, willingness to engage |
| Strategic Objectives | Investment commitments, decisions influenced | Advocacy, long-term alignment |
By plotting executive communications activities against this matrix, communicators can track what kinds of outcomes they are influencing—and where gaps may exist.
For example, if executive activity is generating intangible goodwill but not leading to tangible next steps, you may need to shift the message strategy, adjust timing, or increase audience segmentation.
Communicators must evaluate effectiveness not just by how polished the message appears but by what happens after the message is delivered.
Behaviour change—whether immediate or long-term—is the clearest signal of impact. By using a structured approach to distinguish between tangible and intangible outputs, and applying basic behavioural insight, communicators can become more confident in measuring executive communication work.
This shifts the perception of work done from being just an activity but becoming an activity that is accountable.
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