About the approach
Design & Evidence
Explore how Communication Compass and Forward were designed, what informed the approach, how the results should be interpreted and how the product will continue to evolve.
Communication Compass is a developmental prototype. It is not a validated psychometric instrument, a performance rating or a fixed measure of communication ability.
What it is
A developmental communication experience built around 18 realistic workplace dilemmas, six dimensions and a four-week practice cycle.
What it is not
It is not a validated psychometric instrument, a performance rating, a selection tool or a fixed label of capability.
How to read a profile
Treat it as a starting point for conversation and practice. One strength to use, one focus to develop, judged alongside feedback from others.
Why Communication Compass exists
Communication often becomes more difficult when work is fast, uncertain, cross-functional or emotionally charged. Communication Compass was designed to help people notice the choices they make in those situations, identify one meaningful area for development and practise more effective behaviour in everyday work.
Understand where you are. Build what matters. Move forward.
Forward products are designed around a continuing development cycle that turns insight into workplace action.
Surface current choices through realistic workplace situations.
Turn responses into a useful development profile.
Identify one meaningful priority rather than many competing goals.
Apply a small behaviour in everyday work.
Learn from what happened and what could be adjusted.
Repeat, reassess and build evidence of progress.
Design principles
Behaviour before content
The experience begins with workplace choices rather than a library of theory. Learning is introduced in response to a relevant development need.
Context matters
Communication effectiveness depends on the situation, audience, timing and intended outcome. Responses are therefore considered within context rather than labelled universally right or wrong.
Practice drives development
Insight alone does not change behaviour. Employees are guided into workplace experiments, reflection and adjustment.
One priority at a time
A focused development priority makes consistent practice more realistic and avoids overwhelming the employee.
Reflection makes experience useful
Employees consider what they tried, what happened and what they will adjust, turning everyday work into a source of learning.
Psychological safety matters
The Compass is developmental and should not be used as a performance rating, selection tool or fixed label of capability.
Why workplace dilemmas?
Traditional self-rating questions can make the desirable response easy to identify. Communication Compass instead uses workplace dilemmas in which every response solves part of the problem and creates a trade-off.
- 18 workplace dilemmas
- Three situations per communication dimension
- One response selected as most likely
- One response selected as least likely
- Randomised response order
- Dimension names hidden during completion
- No scoring information shown before submission
This structure reduces the obviousness of traditional self-rating, but it still reflects self-reported judgement. Results should be interpreted as a developmental starting point rather than an objective measure of capability.
The six dimensions
Clarity
Do people know what matters, what has changed and what happens next?
Listening
Do I understand before interpreting, advising or responding?
Audience awareness
Do I adapt the message to what this audience needs?
Constructive challenge
Can I raise concerns while helping the work move forward?
Feedback
Can I give and receive information that supports improvement?
Influence
Can I build understanding and commitment without relying only on authority?
These dimensions represent the areas selected for this development product. They should not be presented as a complete scientific model of communication.
How the profile should be interpreted
The profile is designed to support reflection and prioritisation. It is not a clinical, psychometric or performance score.
- The profile is a starting point, not a permanent identity.
- Context can change how effective a response may be.
- A lower dimension suggests a possible practice priority.
- A higher dimension suggests a current strength to use intentionally.
- Reassessment should be considered alongside behaviour, reflection and feedback.
- Small score changes should not automatically be treated as meaningful improvement.
From insight to behaviour
An employee notices that they often avoid challenging a senior stakeholder. They practise asking what evidence would change the stakeholder's view, observe the response, reflect on what helped or created resistance and adjust their approach in the next situation.
How managers can support the process
Managers support development by helping employees identify opportunities to practise, asking reflective questions and noticing progress. The Compass should not be used as a performance rating or diagnosis.
- What behaviour are you practising?
- Where could you try it this week?
- What happened when you tried it?
- What feedback would be useful?
- What will you adjust next time?
An employee's private assessment results should not automatically be shared with their manager.
Building the evidence
Communication Compass is an evolving development product. Future versions should be informed by user experience, completion behaviour, feedback quality, repeated assessment patterns and evidence of workplace application.
Relevance
Do employees recognise the situations and recommendations?
Usability
Can employees complete and understand the experience easily?
Application
Do employees practise the recommended behaviours?
Reflection
Does the experience generate useful learning?
Feedback
Do colleagues observe meaningful changes?
Retention
Do employees return to continue development?
Progress
Does repeated practice correspond with stronger judgement or behaviour?
Practices and fields that informed the design
These areas informed the design approach. Their inclusion does not mean that the current prototype has been formally validated against every related model.
Next: Explore
The clearest way to understand the design is to experience it.