The Handbook of Public Sector Communication

24The Fundamentals of Measurement and Evaluation of Communication

Anne Gregory

Introduction

Debates about how the contribution and worth of communication can be measured and evaluated have been raging in the academic and practitioner fields for several decades (Gregory & Watson, 2008; Likely & Watson, 2013; Macnamara, 2015; McCoy, 2016; Watson, 2012). Indeed, as Gregory and White reflect, at times it appears that these debates:

Seem like a car, stuck in mud or snow, trying to move forwards. The engine revs, the wheels spin, exhaust fumes and friction smoke clouds the scene, but – in the end – the car remains stuck. So, too, the evaluation debate: a great deal of discussion, but no forward movement.

(2008, p. 307)

However, just as with the car, so with measurement and evaluation; shifts in context can facilitate traction. The mud dries, someone comes along to give it a push and the car makes headway. In the measurement and evaluation arena and especially in the public sector, the increasing demand that communication demonstrates the efficiency and effectiveness of its contribution (Macnamara, 2015; McCoy, 2016; Panday & Garnett, 2006), along with a number of industry and academic initiatives seem to be accelerating progress. The public sector has much to be proud of; in fact, it is at the forefront, both in insisting on rigorous evaluation (e.g., since 2014 the UK Government Communication Service [GCS] has mandated that all government and associated agency communication programs ...