In strategic communication management, an outcome-based communication objective focuses on the specific behavior or action that communication is intended to influence. Option B is the strongest example because it directly measures a desired behavioral outcome—employees completing and submitting updated benefits enrollment forms within a defined timeframe.
Outcome-based objectives differ from output-based or activity-based objectives. They are centered on what the audience does as a result of communication, not merely what the communication team produces or how often content is accessed. In a benefits re-enrollment campaign, the primary organizational objective is ensuring employees actively review and confirm their benefit selections. Submission of updated enrollment forms is the clearest indicator that this objective has been achieved.
Option A measures awareness or exposure, not action. Visiting the intranet is an intermediate step that does not guarantee employees understood the information or completed enrollment. Option D is a tactical output describing what the communication team will do, not the result of those efforts. Option C reflects a business outcome influenced by many factors beyond communication, making it inappropriate as a direct communication objective.
Strategic communication management emphasizes that well-formed objectives should be specific, measurable, audience-focused, and directly tied to the intended change. Option B meets these criteria by defining who is affected, what behavior is expected, how success will be measured, and when it must occur.
By framing objectives around behavioral outcomes, communication leaders can more accurately evaluate effectiveness, demonstrate value to senior management, and ensure communication efforts support organizational goals. This makes option B the most effective outcome-based communication objective for a benefits re-enrollment campaign.
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