2. What Would You Audit First?

A global company has started receiving complaints about missed deadlines and inconsistent instructions.

Senior management says:

“We communicate constantly. Everyone receives the same information.”

But when you look closer, you discover:

Teams work across five countries and three languages.

Important instructions are sent through email, Teams and informal messages.

Managers regularly pass information verbally to their own teams.

Employees say priorities sometimes change, but they aren't always sure which instruction is the latest one.

Management wants you to investigate. What would you audit FIRST?

A. How many meetings employees attend

B. Whether employees speak good enough English

C. How critical messages move from sender to final recipient

D. Whether managers need communication training

E. The company's translation procedures

Choose your answer before reading on.

ANSWER: C. Audit the communication pathway first.

Before blaming language skills or individual managers, examine how critical information travels. Who sends it? Who passes it on? Where is it rephrased, translated or changed? How do employees know which version is current?

Every handover creates an opportunity for meaning, urgency or responsibility to shift. Same information doesn't always mean same understanding.

What would an audit reveal in your organisation?

The MC3 Method Toolkit includes practical audit checklists to help you examine your own multilingual communication controls and identify where risk may be entering the system.

Start auditing your communication controls.

Download the toolkit at www.mc3method.com