While studying
communications models
as part of
my studies
to become
an Accredited
Public Relations
practitioner (read my blog on Why the APR matters for more information),
I was intrigued
in looking
at communications
models that
include the feedback
loop. The Feedback
Loop is
important when trying
to determine
if your message
has been received.
The Feedback
Loop is how
the sender
interprets the receiver’s
response to the
message. In other
words, did the
message have the
desired effect
on the receiver?
As professional
communicators, we want
to believe
that every
message we send
out has been
received by the
intended publics/audiences,
however, how can
you really
be sure? How
do you know?
This is when
the feedback
loop comes
into play. Many
of us avoid
creating feedback
mechanisms because
we know that
some of the
feedback we receive
will not be
good. Over the
years, I have
learned that being
open to feedback
not only improves
your communications,
it also, improves
your relationship
with your audience.
So, here’s
how we have
used it and
why you should
continue to look
for ways to
use it.
Through my time at the municipality that I currently work for, we have launched
two new website designs and each time,
we have created
a
website feedback form for individuals
to let us
know what they
thought about
the website. While website design is
subjective, it is imperative to pay attention to the needs of your audience.
The post launch web form has provided us with an opportunity to hear from the
individuals who will most use our website and make improvements that we might
have overlooked or missed during the design process.
On our website
which consists
of more than
800 pages, individuals
can submit
feedback on every single webpage. The feedback
that comes
in through
this tool ranges
from the relatively
mundane comment
about a picture
that someone
does not like to more serious questions
that residents have about operations or
procedures or employee conduct.
We created
a contact form
for residents
to contact
city council
members. So often residents in cities throughout the country
complain that they don’t have the access to elected officials that they want. To provide residents
when a means to communicate with the officials that they have elected to serve,
we added this feature to our website. We have had countless comments, questions
and both negative and positive feedback come in through the form. The form has
served as an informal way for us to gauge resident sentiment.
We also produce a biennial citizen survey, where
residents can provide feedback on everything from city services to traffic and
mobility. We utilize the data to improve our services and the survey serves as
a gauge to determine resident satisfaction. Following one of the surveys, we developed a Citizen Survey Task Force to analyze the results and provide recommendations on how we could respond to the feedback from the survey.
It should go without saying that a feedback loop needs to be
included in printed publications. Printed
publications are likely one of the most expensive budget line items you have.
So, don’t you want to know if you are successful in conveying the intended
message? In our printed newsletter, we provide a web link where anyone who
wants to provide comments regarding the newsletter can do so. Most of the
comments that have come in through this form are good. However, some have had
very critical comments that we review and determine appropriate corrective
actions. Sure, what one individual says cannot be viewed as representative of
the larger group, but, it might be. So, in some instances, we have embarked
upon further research to determine if it is. I believe this has made our
publication better.
We have incorporated feedback in our email signature. Because
we are in this business of providing services to our residents, we have added
a link in the email signature block of every employee to allow for
feedback. The line states: “How can we
better serve you? Take our customer satisfaction survey.” This email is routed
to Human Resources who reviews it and passes on the “attaboys” to the employee
and supervisors or department heads and looks further into any complaints and
when appropriate, takes corrective action. This could make some employees a
little uneasy, but, it was not implemented to serve as a “big brother” kind of
function, but, instead, serves to hear both negative and positive information from
our residents essentially ensuring better customer service.
So, I encourage you to work to ensure you are incorporating the
feedback loop into all communications. Don't be afraid of it. Use it to improve the work you do. What are some ways that you have added
the feedback loop and improved your communications?
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