That video is a good way to present important, mundane, or sensitive information to employees is nothing new. What is new, however, is the overwhelming plethora of choices that communicators now have to package the video content itself. Live-action, talking head, animation, stop-motion, and even papermation, the opportunity to engage your audience and eradicate the office zombie has never been greater.

Video messages can now be disseminated within a matter of minutes to multiple locations globally, and even to the most remote places that are much less connected to the online world than others. Thus, utilising video for internal communications now makes more sense than ever before, thanks largely to this ease of online distribution we so fruitfully enjoy. As a result, video not only saves time and money, but also engages and interests employees without disrupting their daily working lives.

Outside of the office, video is now an integral part of the overall online experience: we literally cannot get enough of it. So much so that online video is predicted to account for 69% of all consumer Internet traffic by the year 2017. And it’s not just silly cats and funny babies; by then, 75% of business executives are expected to be watching a work-related video at least once every day within a typical working week (HubSpot). So it stands to make perfect sense that video should be viewed as a staple mainstay for internal messaging, and not just an added luxury for a special occasion.

According to Melcrum, 93% of internal communications professionals consider video as an essential component in the overall plan for prompting an emotional response amidst the workforce. Some of the key reasons they stated were

• Videos are the perfect platform to create and leverage stories, enabling the viewer to almost subconsciously engage with the message from the very off.
• So often these days, speed is of the essence, and video can communicate in seconds or minutes what might have taken multiple hours to write.
• Videos are highly effective at prompting an emotion in the viewer, and that’s great when messages need to stick.
• A simple video can eliminate the need to send training managers or consultants half way around the world to deliver training on very basic internal subjects.
• Video has longevity; once produced it will always be there to refer back to.

Video can be used literally in almost any instance across so many different areas of the business:

Induction of new starters

Video is the perfect way to introduce and integrate new employees into a business. Sophisticated new methods of distribution and enhanced data-protection capabilities mean that new starters can now even take videos home with them, thus allowing them to become immersed with the way things are done at a pace more comfortable for them. From the story of the company and working best practices to health and safety information and compliance procedures, video is ideal for easing people in to their new role.

Change management

One of the biggest challenges internal comms professionals face is employee inertia and the ramifications that come from seeing resistance to change. When deploying changes on a large scale, it’s essential to explain why a change is taking place, rather than just what the change is and how it will take form.

Therefore, harnessing the power of video – particularly animation – to build a story and form an emotional connection with employees can make any big change seem much less daunting and far easier to cope with.

Training

Video is perfect for delivering short-form training on the more basic concepts, saving time, expense, and the need to travel. By transforming mundane or complex subjects – like the Code of Conduct or new technology – into visually compelling stories, audiences are more likely to comprehend the key learning outcomes. Short snippets of video learning can also eradicate the need for employees to gather as a large group and take part in long, drawn-out workshops.

Video is nothing new, but thanks to the continued rise of connectivity and the degeneration of our attention spans, it should now be carefully leveraged as a channel of significant importance for any internal messaging strategy, in any organisation, in any location.