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Model 07 of 74 · Leadership & People

Communications & Stakeholder Engagement Maturity Assessment

Assess how effectively your organisation communicates internally and externally, and engages its stakeholders.

Pillars & areas

Inform

Share the message

  1. 01Internal Communication
  2. 02Leadership Communication

Engage

Reach the right people

  1. 03Stakeholder Identification & Mapping
  2. 04External Communication & Engagement

Respond

Adapt and react

  1. 05Listening & Feedback
  2. 06Crisis & Sensitive Communication

Levels

  1. 1FragmentedAd-hoc & one-directional
  2. 2CoordinatedPlanned & intentional
  3. 3ConnectedStrategic & two-way

01 Internal Communication

How effectively does information flow within the organisation?

0/4 answered

IC-1How well informed do employees feel about what's happening in the organisation?

Think about whether people learn about important changes through official channels or through the grapevine.

IC-2How well does information flow between teams and departments?

Consider whether teams operate in silos, or whether cross-functional communication is easy and natural.

IC-3How effective are your internal communication channels?

Think about whether people know where to find information, or whether it's scattered across email, chat, intranet, and shared drives with no clear structure.

IC-4How well does your organisation communicate the 'why' behind decisions, not just the 'what'?

Consider whether people understand the reasoning behind key decisions, or whether they just receive instructions.

02 Leadership Communication

Do leaders communicate clearly, honestly, and frequently enough?

0/4 answered

LX-1How visible and accessible are your senior leaders in their communication?

Think about whether employees have genuine opportunities to hear from and interact with senior leadership.

LX-2How honest and transparent are leaders in their communication?

Consider whether leaders share bad news and uncertainty openly, or whether they only communicate good news.

LX-3How consistent is the message across different leaders and levels?

Think about whether people hear the same story from their team lead as they do from the CEO, or whether messages get distorted.

LX-4How effectively do leaders tailor their communication to different audiences?

Consider whether a message to the board sounds the same as a message to frontline staff, or whether leaders adjust for their audience.

03 Stakeholder Identification & Mapping

Does the organisation know who its stakeholders are and what they need?

0/4 answered

SM-1How well does your organisation identify its stakeholders across internal and external groups?

Think about whether there is a documented view of who the organisation's stakeholders are, or whether it's informal and incomplete.

SM-2How well does your organisation understand what its stakeholders need and expect?

Consider whether you ask stakeholders what they need, or whether you assume you know.

SM-3How does your organisation prioritise stakeholder engagement when resources are limited?

Think about whether all stakeholders get equal (and therefore insufficient) attention, or whether engagement is prioritised strategically.

SM-4How well does your organisation maintain stakeholder relationships over time, not just during projects?

Consider whether stakeholder engagement is continuous, or whether it only happens when you need something.

04 External Communication & Engagement

How well does the organisation communicate with customers, partners, and the public?

0/4 answered

EC-1How consistent is your organisation's external messaging across different channels and audiences?

Think about whether your website, social media, press releases, and sales materials tell the same story.

EC-2How effectively does your organisation engage with customers and the public on social and digital channels?

Consider whether your digital presence is active and responsive, or whether it's a one-way broadcast.

EC-3How well does your organisation manage its reputation?

Think about whether you proactively shape how the organisation is perceived, or whether reputation management only happens in response to negative press.

EC-4How well does your organisation communicate with partners and suppliers?

Consider whether partners feel well-informed and valued, or whether they are communicated with only when transactional needs arise.

05 Listening & Feedback

Does the organisation actively listen, and does feedback lead to visible action?

0/4 answered

LF-1How actively does your organisation seek feedback from employees?

Think about whether people are regularly asked for their input, or whether feedback only happens during annual surveys.

LF-2How well does your organisation act on the feedback it receives?

Consider whether people see visible changes as a result of their feedback, or whether it disappears into a void.

LF-3How effectively does your organisation listen to external stakeholders?

Think about whether customer, partner, and community feedback genuinely influences organisational decisions.

LF-4How safe do people feel giving honest, critical feedback?

Consider whether people tell the organisation what it needs to hear, or what it wants to hear.

06 Crisis & Sensitive Communication

How effectively does the organisation communicate during difficult or high-stakes situations?

0/4 answered

CS-1How prepared is your organisation to communicate during a crisis?

Think about whether there is a crisis communication plan ready to activate, or whether the organisation would be starting from scratch.

CS-2How quickly does your organisation communicate during a crisis or incident?

Consider whether stakeholders hear from you within hours, or whether silence stretches for days while leadership deliberates.

CS-3How well does your organisation communicate sensitive organisational changes (e.g. redundancies, restructures)?

Think about whether affected people hear the news with dignity and clarity, or whether they find out through leaks and rumour.

CS-4How well does your organisation learn from its crisis and sensitive communication experiences?

Consider whether each difficult communication situation improves the next one, or whether the same mistakes recur.

Self-assessment report

Communications & Stakeholder Engagement

Answer the questions above and your report builds here: an overall score, a score and target for each area, and the three changes that matter most.

About this model

About the Communications & Stakeholder Engagement maturity model

How an organisation communicates — internally and externally — shapes everything: trust, alignment, culture, and reputation. Poor communication creates confusion, rumours, and disengagement. Great communication creates clarity, confidence, and shared purpose.

This model assesses the full spectrum of organisational communication: from how leaders share information, to how teams collaborate, to how the organisation engages with external stakeholders. It covers both the mechanisms (channels, frequency, tools) and the culture (openness, honesty, two-way dialogue).

Effective communication is not about sending more messages — it's about ensuring the right people receive the right information at the right time, and have a genuine voice in return.

24 questions across 6 key areas, assessing the maturity of your organisation's internal and external communication and stakeholder engagement. Takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Who this assessment is for

  • Communications and marketing teams
  • Senior leaders and executive teams
  • HR and people teams
  • Project and programme managers
  • Customer-facing and stakeholder management roles

The three maturity levels

  • Level 1 — Fragmented: Communication is inconsistent, ad-hoc, and one-directional. Important information doesn't reach the right people, messages conflict across channels, and stakeholders feel ignored or uninformed. There is no coherent communication strategy, and feedback is not actively sought or acted upon.
  • Level 2 — Coordinated: Communication is planned and intentional. Key messages are consistent, channels are defined, and important stakeholders are identified and engaged. Internal communication keeps people reasonably informed, and external stakeholders receive regular updates. Feedback mechanisms exist, though they may not always lead to visible action.
  • Level 3 — Connected: Communication is a strategic capability that drives alignment, trust, and engagement. Information flows freely in all directions. Stakeholders — internal and external — are genuine partners in dialogue, not passive recipients. The organisation listens as well as it speaks, adapts its communication based on feedback, and is known for its transparency and responsiveness.

The 6 areas assessed

  1. Internal Communication — How effectively does information flow within the organisation?
  2. Leadership Communication — Do leaders communicate clearly, honestly, and frequently enough?
  3. Stakeholder Identification & Mapping — Does the organisation know who its stakeholders are and what they need?
  4. External Communication & Engagement — How well does the organisation communicate with customers, partners, and the public?
  5. Listening & Feedback — Does the organisation actively listen, and does feedback lead to visible action?
  6. Crisis & Sensitive Communication — How effectively does the organisation communicate during difficult or high-stakes situations?

How this model relates to other frameworks

  • International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) standards
  • Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC) framework
  • AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard
  • CIPD Employee Voice guidance
  • Edelman Trust Barometer (trust in organisations)

Frequently asked questions

What is the Communications & Stakeholder Engagement maturity model?

Assess how effectively your organisation communicates internally and externally, and engages its stakeholders. It is an original, simplified model with three maturity levels (Fragmented, Coordinated and Connected), assessed through 24 questions across 6 areas: Internal Communication, Leadership Communication, Stakeholder Identification & Mapping, External Communication & Engagement, Listening & Feedback and Crisis & Sensitive Communication.

How long does the Communications & Stakeholder Engagement assessment take?

Most people finish in 10–14 minutes. Each of the 24 questions has three concrete answer options. Your progress is saved in the page URL, so you can bookmark it and come back later.

How is the score calculated?

Each answer scores 1 (Fragmented), 2 (Coordinated) or 3 (Connected). An area's score is the average of its answered questions, and the overall score is the average of the area scores, so every area counts equally. Scores run from 1.0 to 3.0.

Is my data stored or shared?

No. Your answers are never sent to a server. They are stored only in the page URL, which you control. Copy the link to share results with colleagues, or export a PDF or CSV report.

How should I use the results?

Start with "Where to focus" in your report. It lists the questions with the biggest gap to the target you set for each area, and shows what the next level looks like in practice. For a fuller picture, ask several people from different teams to complete the assessment and compare their links. Differences in perception are often as revealing as the scores themselves.