Evaluation and communication: using a communication audit to evaluate organizational communication.

Area of Science:

• Evaluation Studies
• Organizational Communication
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• A significant gap exists in research explicitly linking communication and evaluation.
• Existing studies often overlook the substantive, theoretical, and methodological connections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a typology of evaluation studies that incorporate communication.
• To stress the importance of organizational communication in program delivery and evaluation.
• To advocate for the use of communication audits in program evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a three-fold typology for evaluation studies referencing communication.
• Review of illustrative studies on organizational communication in program delivery.
• Description of communication audits, including survey questionnaire instruments.
• Application of communication audits in two case studies of educational and social programs.

Main Results:

• Identified a surprising lack of explicit links between communication and evaluation across multiple levels.
• Demonstrated the critical role of organizational communication in effective program delivery.
• Provided practical examples of communication audits and their application in program evaluation.

Conclusions:

• Organizational communication should be a standard consideration in all program evaluations.
• Communication audits offer a robust methodological approach for integrating communication into evaluation.
• Survey instruments are effective tools for conducting communication audits in diverse program settings.