Introduction: Your message landed. Did it make sense?

This first episode introduces The Comms Brief, a show for people who work in employee communication, wherever they are. Each episode follows three layers: the news (what happened, who published it, when), the context (what it means for your work, and where our reading stops) and your next move (one small step you can take).

For this introduction, we are starting with a practical question rather than a news story: how do you know a message was understood?

We use a fictional example: an internal request procedure has changed, the dashboard shows the update has been opened, but one employee still doesn't know what to do with a request that was already in progress.

Source

AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework — "A taxonomy of evaluation towards standards", developed by Professor Jim Macnamara for AMEC.

https://amecorg.com/amecframework/home/supporting-material/taxonomy/

Publication date: not stated on the page. Checked: 12 October 2026.

What we take from it

- The taxonomy lists distribution, exposure and reception under outputs, and understanding, among other items, under out-takes.

- A recorded open and a person's understanding answer different questions. The open alone cannot tell you what that person took from the message.

- It is a framework for asking better questions, not proof that this exercise will improve results.

Your next move

Next time a procedure changes, pick one person from the affected group. Give them one real situation, such as a request already in progress, and ask which step they would take. Compare the explanation with the agreed procedure, then investigate whether any gap is in the message, the policy or access to the system.

Keep in mind

- A small check like this isn't representative. It might reveal a gap, without telling you how widespread it is.

- Understanding is not agreement.

We use AI to expand the context, sharpen the analysis and make your attention go further.

Sponsored by Springcast.