Question 1

Why is it hard to prove the value of internal communications?

Accepted Answer

Answer goes herMany comms teams still report mainly on activity, such as opens, clicks, and views, which shows reach but not results. Gallagher’s 2026 Employee Communications Report found that 70% of communicators track only basic outputs, while just 12% consider how communications drives business impact. Without a link to outcomes leadership cares about, comms can look like an administrative function rather than a strategic one.e

Question 2

What evidence shows the business impact of internal communications?

Accepted Answer

The strongest evidence combines three layers. Comms performance shows whether messages reached the right employees. Employee impact shows whether people understood, acted, or responded as intended. Business impact shows what happened to the wider outcome, such as retention, adoption, compliance, or productivity. Using more than one source gives leadership a clearer picture of what changed and why.

Question 3

Where can comms teams find data to measure internal communications effectiveness?

Accepted Answer

Start with your own tools. An employee communication platform or intranet shows reach, readership, and interaction, while employee listening tools add surveys, polls, comments, and sentiment. Then work with the teams that own the outcome you’re supporting. HR may hold turnover and exit data, L&D may have training completion rates, operations may track safety or productivity, and finance can help translate results into cost or time saved.

Question 4

How should I present the value of internal communications to leadership?

Accepted Answer

Bring three things to the conversation: the business priority you were supporting, evidence of what changed, and a clear recommendation for what should happen next. Choose the communication, employee, and business data that best tells that story, and keep important context close so the numbers make sense. For finance-first leaders, translate the result into cost, risk, or productivity terms where the data allows.

Question 5

How are leadership expectations of internal communications changing?

Accepted Answer

Gallagher’s 2026 Employee Communications Report suggests leadership expectations can rise as comms teams raise their own standard. Just 9.7% of low-maturity teams said leaders asked for business-impact metrics, compared with 22% of teams already measuring business impact. Comms teams that bring broader evidence to the table can help shift what leadership expects and earn a more strategic role.

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