OppositeWith Australia PostProject Signal
A brief update on how we're tracking on the project.
Summary
This update covers where Project Signal is up to at the end of August: the purpose of the project, the framework guiding the work, progress across the four project activities, what we are learning from the interviews and the online survey, and the steps ahead.
The Challenge
Safety communication across the network is currently measured by one number: whether a message was read. Whether it changed what people do is not measured. That distance, between a message being sent and a message being acted on, is the gap this project addresses.
Around 70 per cent of messages are read on the channels where reading is measured. Whether any message changed behaviour is not currently known.
Project Purpose
The purpose of Project Signal is to explore how to translate communication into behaviour.
The project seeks to understand how messages travel today, test where they cut through, and build the capability to communicate effectively and consistently.
How messages travel today
Map how safety communication moves through the network, from the national message to the person on the floor, and where it stalls.
Where they cut through
Assess current communications and ask the people receiving them, so decisions rest on evidence from this organisation.
The capability to communicate well
Establish a shared framework and practical skills so effective, consistent communication continues after the project.
The Signal Framework
Opposite is using the Signal framework, which explores six dimensions of effective communication. A message needs to perform on all six to move from being sent to being acted on.
See It
The message is noticed in a busy, distracted environment.
Interpret It
The message is understood quickly and correctly, first time.
Grasp Relevance
The reader sees why it matters to them, their role and their day.
Navigate It
People can find the information and know where to look.
Act On It
The required action is obvious, specific and practical.
Live It
The message is reinforced over time until it becomes habit.
Progress Update
The below summarises what we have completed so far.
Desktop review
Twenty current Australia Post safety communications assessed against the six dimensions, across the full channel ecosystem.
Stakeholder interviews
Ten interviews with leaders across operations, safety and support, capturing how communication lands in practice. All input de-identified.
Online survey
A short survey rating current communications against the framework. Nine responses received to date.
Capability workshops
Three workshops scheduled for September and October, teaching the framework through hands-on activities and real examples.
Interview Findings
Ten interviews have been completed with leaders across operations, safety and support. The three strongest themes are below, with what we heard, what it means, and why it matters.
Messages do not always fit the audience
Volume is working against attention
The current message is hard to find
Interview Findings
Three further themes cover how messages reach the frontline, how effectiveness is measured, and the strong practice that already exists.
The frontline is reached through leaders
There is no shared measure of impact
Strong practice already exists
Online Survey Findings
Participants were asked to rate the extent to which current communications support the six dimensions of the Signal framework.
Overall, the results suggest that people are finding it difficult to navigate the information they receive and understand what they need to do as a result.
Navigate It (2.7) and Act On It (2.9) are the weakest dimensions. The items behind them tell the story: ease of finding safety information scored 2.2, knowing what to do after reading scored 3.1, and having the time and support to act scored 2.9.
Next Steps
Three workshops will build communication capability through September and October, and pilot communication materials are being developed and tested alongside them.
Designing Communications that Cut Through
Making Messages Matter
Embedding and Sustaining Effective Communications
The detail behind this update.
This pack is a summary. The full interim report contains the complete desktop review, all interview and survey findings, the workshop design and the schedule, and it opens on this page. Posty, the guide inside the report, can take you to any section.