May 5, 2022

4 original ideas to boost your internal communication

Flora

Flora

5 min reading

Use originality to make an impression and boost employee commitment.

Internal communication is often underestimated, yet it is one of the pillars of the organization. As a privileged vector of the company culture, it strengthens cohesion between employees, contributes to the emergence of a feeling of belonging and fuels employee motivation.

In a word, internal communication is a major lever of commitment. If done properly, it helps employees to adhere to the common project and allows them to become fully involved in its implementation. The result is a 17% increase in productivity, a 59% reduction in Turnover, and a drastic reduction in absenteeism. All good reasons to invest in your organization's internal communication.

But beware, to be successful, your internal communication must reach employees in an environment already saturated with information. In short, you need to win the battle for attention and commitment. The solution? Rely on originality to make an impression. Lacking inspiration? Mozzaik365 presents the best ideas for internal communication to boost your company's.  

1. Launch your corporate web series.

Like a classic series, an internal web series is made up of a series of short videos, which unfold a concept or a narrative over the course of the episodes.

What is the strength of this format? It captures the attention of employees thanks to the Storytelling. But that's not all. Under the guise of entertainment, the internal web-series is a tool of choice for conveying key information and spreading the company's values. The corporate web-series is a particularly suitable format for communicating with young employees.

Several large companies have successfully used this internal communication tool. The" Microsoft MDR" web series, aimed at employees of Microsoft France, is a textbook case. The pitch: three journalists with an atypical profile travel around the company's premises to conduct interviews.

The aim of this catchy and humorous format? To effectively convey key information about product and HR news, but also to highlight the employees, their role within the organization and their working environment. The challenge was met as each Microsoft MDR was viewed by 60% of the company's employees.

Worried that your web series will get lost on the internet and not reach its audience? Create your own internal streaming platform in your Digital Workplace and distribute the episodes of your show directly to your employees by publishing them on their personalized homepage, for example via the social networking wall of your YouTube channel.

2. Broadcast an internal podcast.

Do your employees not find the time to read your internal newspaper or blog? Think about audio content, especially company podcasts.

According to a study carried out by Occurrence for Media Meeting, 59% of French employees consume podcasts, and 77% of them consider that the podcasts produced by their employer improve the impact of internal communication.

📌 To go further, discover 6 examples of internal communication strategy deciphered.

Yet to date, according to the same survey, only 15% of respondents say their organization has its own podcast. Creating your own audio content could therefore be a differentiating element in your employer brand.

Not quite convinced? The internal podcast has many advantages:

  • It is available on demand which makes its consumption flexible. In particular, it can be listened to on public transport.
  • It establishes a strong connection between the speaker and the listener, conveying emotions and creating a bond.
  • It captures the attention of listeners(80% of those surveyed said they listened to each episode in its entirety), which makes it possible to tackle complex subjects.
  • It can be recorded remotely, which is a significant advantage, especially for international groups.

Finally, the podcast offers many creative possibilities. In its podcast "We Are Netflix", the American company interviews its employees around the world and deals with a variety of topics (human resources, marketing, technical aspects, etc.).

Deloitte has developed "The Green Room", a podcast dedicated to social issues, "from automation anxiety to zero waste", featuring in-house experts and guests.

Finally, Argenta has created a series of podcasts featuring the voice of its CEO and "manager stories". The aim, according to Ellen Schruns, a training and development expert at the Belgian bank, is to enable everyone to"realize that they are not the only ones facing the same problems" and ultimately to improve the well-being of employees.

Again, to make your podcasts accessible and ensure that they are heard by your employees, consider creating an audio library as part of your digital workplace. Your employees will be able to access it from their digital workspace, bas well as from their mobile phones.

3. Focus on an educational video game or Serious Game

Like the podcast, video games are particularly popular. According to the Syndicat des éditeurs de logiciels de loisirs (SELL), 73% of French people play a video game at least occasionally. Moreover, 61% of gamers consider that gaming creates social links between individuals and 33% that it gives them a sense of belonging to a community.

All these advantages should lead you to integrate video games into your internal communication strategy. Used in the form of a Serious Game, it is said to even have a positive impact on understanding, concentration and motivation. A real panacea.

BNP Paribas Asset Management has already taken advantage of this internal communication tool. Recently, the bank created a video game entitled "Datatis: in search of the ultimate data city. The aim of this Serious game is to raise awareness among its 3,000 employees of the sometimes obscure world of data. The challenge was met with flying colours, as "Datatis" generated three times the expected level of engagement . Hats off to them!

Does this seem a bit cumbersome to set up? Organize group games easily from your Digital Workplace. To do this, use the collaborative communication application Microsoft Teams and its "interactive whiteboard" feature called Microsoft Whiteboard.

4. Create your internal social networking platform.

In 2022, according to Hootsuite, 80.3%of French people will use social networks. This user-friendly and informal communication tool has become a way of life for many organizations, many of which have set up a corporate social networking (CSN).

Microsoft understands this and has a dedicated CSN tool: Yammer. This solution is one of the many tools in the Office 365 suite  allowing you to stay within your Microsoft 365 work environment and ease its adoption. This comprehensive corporate social network offers you the ability to connect and engage all your employees, and also to find information and knowledge held by your internal experts.

Internal platforms have the major advantage of facilitating interpersonal communication and allowing information to be targeted. By offering all employees a common discussion space, they break down silos and encourage cross-functional interaction. With a CSN, employees who do not belong to the same subsidiary can help each other or exchange information on a given topic. This strengthens cohesion within the company. The icing on the cake is that such a platform allows for the implementation of a news wall The best thing about it is that it allows you to set up a personalized site, designed to provide each employee with a selection of tailor-made content.

Major French groups such as SNCF, La Poste, Air France, Rhodia and Alstom have already been using the internal social network for several years. Leroy Merlin has also successfully set up a CSN. As LSA conso explains, the result isfertile conversations between the various shops, which are now able to share their problems; but also fruitful exchanges between operational staff and head office employees, enabling products to be improved rapidly.

Would you like to adopt your own internal social network? Consider integrating it into your Digital Workplace. This way, your employees will be able to navigate seamlessly between their personal news wall, their collaborative communication tools  your knowledge bases and their business applications. The ideal way to circulate information easily and use it efficiently!

📍To learn more about corporate social networks, check out our article on : All about corporate social networks.

The best ideas for internal communication: conclusion

As you can see, there is no shortage of original internal communication tools. The notice board, the internal newspaper, the intranet or the blog are always useful. However, these traditional levers must be supplemented by others that are more likely to capture the attention of your employees. Web series, podcasts, serious games and internal social networks are definitely among the best ideas for internal communication.

The key to ensuring the success of these devices? Integrate them into your employees'digital work environment to give them the visibility and engagement they deserve. So it's up to you!

Things to remember

Original ideas for internal communication are :

📌 Launch your corporate web series;

📌 Create your internal podcast;

📌 Bet on the video game;

📌 Create your internal social networking platform;

Free Internal Communication whitepaper ! Get your copy now.

Get my resources