Executive Communication Self-Assessment: Check Your Effectiveness

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION SELF-ASSESSMENT

As leaders, it can be hard to know if we are communicating the right things, in the right way, and at the right time.

This quick self-assessment guides you through some self-reflection to see where you’re soaring, and where you may want to shore up your communication.

And here’s the good news: communication mastery can be learned!

Download the Self-Assessment

Purpose
Assess how effectively your communication creates clarity, trust, and momentum across the organization.

Instructions
Rate each statement from 1–5
(1 = Rarely true, 5 = Consistently true)

I. Meaning & Clarity

  1. I regularly explain why decisions are being made—not just what they are.

  2. People understand how my messages connect to our larger direction.

  3. I simplify complex issues and link them to strategy.

  4. My communication is consistent across audiences.

  5. When I speak, people leave with a clear sense of what matters most.

Subtotal (out of 25):

II. Tone & Trust

  1. My tone matches the reality of the moment (steady in uncertainty, sober in difficulty, hopeful without spin).

  2. I acknowledge challenges directly rather than softening them excessively.

  3. People experience me as credible, not performative.

  4. I communicate in a way that builds trust, even when the message is hard.

  5. I am comfortable naming what I don’t yet know.

Subtotal (out of 25):

III. Leadership Voice

  1. My communication sounds like me, not just the role I occupy.

  2. I speak with conviction.

  3. I am clear about my point of view when it matters.

  4. I speak truth.

  5. I use my voice intentionally rather than reactively.

Subtotal (out of 25):

IV. Channels & Presence

  1. I choose communication channels deliberately rather than by habit.

  2. I deliver high-stakes messages in ways that allow for human connection.

  3. I am visible at moments when leadership presence matters most.

  4. I communicate often enough.

  5. When I speak, people pay attention.

Subtotal (out of 25):

V. Alignment & Impact

  1. My words and actions reinforce each other.

  2. My communication supports the culture we are trying to build.

  3. I invite dialogue and am not defensive when dealing with opposing ideas.

  4. My communication helps people know what is expected of them.

  5. I am known as a person of my word.

Subtotal (out of 25):

Scoring & Reflection

100–115
Strong executive communicator.
Your opportunity is refinement, not overhaul—sharpening presence, precision, and timing.

80–99
Effective, but inconsistent.
our communication works in stable moments but may falter under pressure or change.

Below 80
Your communication is likely limiting your leadership impact.
The issue is not intelligence or intent—but alignment and intentionality.

Reflection Questions

  • Where did I score myself lowest—and why?

  • What would change if I addressed just one weak area this quarter?

  • What do I want people to feel after hearing from me?

  • What kind of leader is my communication forming me into?

you can grow your business.

CMBell can help.