Not another video call, said every employee ever. Same goes for emails, spreadsheets, shared documents, Slack channels, and WhatsApp groups. Along with our rapidly changing world of remote work, the multi-platform management mayhem is becoming a real issue, making the need for clear and concise communication stronger than ever. 

Because while platforms are growing, your headaches don’t have to. Add COVID-19 to the picture, and that common work headache can quickly become a migraine if not managed properly. 

The thing is, in a world that is scattered with in-office and remote employees and teams, communication is the bridge to bond it all together. Employees need essential information, important updates, clear tasks, goals, and motivation to make it all happen. 

And that all starts with fostering a company culture of effective internal communication. 

The need for effective employee communication

We’ve all been in one of those whispers down the lanes when it comes to big company news. By the time a message reaches the end of the lane, it’s become diluted, confusing, and perhaps irrelevant. With today’s speed of information, internal communications needs to keep up, despite it typically being second, third, or heavens, even a final thought! However, that’s changing as the need for internal communications grows. Businesses are finally realizing that successful companies are made up of happy, engaged, and informed employees. Even the WSJ reports that businesses with the most sustainable growth are the result of positive employee engagement. Go figure. 

Without effective communication,  employees feel disengaged and unmotivated, which leads to a lack of productivity, attention, loyalty, and bottom line…results. Think of poor customer service, poor retention, poor collaborations. Reporting on their annual 100 Best Companies to Work for, Forbes says that the companies that score the highest with their employees are based on two main factors: camaraderie and internal communications. 

So let’s cut the vicious cycle of poor communication, and enter a new world of effective communication. How can businesses improve employee communication, no matter where they work?

Employee communication that goes beyond informing

To counter scattered teams and energy amidst the workplace, it’s crucial to create a structured and streamlined approach to communicating with employees across the board. Not only in a way that informs them of essential information, but also that motivates and engages them. 

How is it possible to inform AND inspire in-office and remote employees? Well, that requires some creativity. Anyone alive knows that the key to successful relationships is communication, and it’s not necessarily about what you say, but how you say it. 

Imagine turning a datasheet into a short and sweet animated clip? Or making that 11-page bore-of-a-report into a cool and super informative infographic? Or getting an encouraging message and vision recap, straight from the CEO?

These are all visual communications with tiny twists to the typical office email — an open invitation to manage multi-platform mayhem by delivering concise messages to employees in a fun format. And we know this might be hard to believe, even at work, but fun matters. A study done by Alive with Ideas, reported that 93% of communication pros believe that creativity is important to internal communications, yet only 6% think it’s being used to potential. 

Building a culture of trust

Nurturing employee communications means building a culture of trust, connection, engagement, and yes, dare we say it….fun. Who doesn’t want that in a work environment?!

When it comes down to it, what tools are needed to improve employee communication? To make employees’ lives a bit easier, exciting, to add some enthusiasm to their day instead of just email?

Enter visual communications. Make data that’s digestible. Present information that’s inspiring. Foster engagement that empowers employees to do their best work. Yes, yes, YES! 

How? Take 10 minutes and choose one of these templates to start today. Improve your employee communications from wherever they work. 

1. COVID-19 Company Update

An informed employee is a happy employee. In this rapidly changing world of work, sending timely company updates is crucial. Plus, if your employees know they can trust how your company is managing the COVID-19 craziness, it’s a huge trust-builder. Relay the latest guidelines and internal company stats in a clear, visual way to your employees. Answer all back-to-work questions. Show up in a fun way for your employees when they need you most. 

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2. Introduce New Processes

Share new ideas, changes, and processes in one swooping office announcement. With big changes happening on the daily, your company doesn’t need to whisper down the lane anymore. With a unilateral change management guide and a way to introduce new processes, get all employees on board with this simple transitioning tool, and communicate it in a clear, and visual way. 

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3. Recognize Small Wins

It’s the smallest things that make the biggest difference. Acknowledge the small wins by sending employees a certificate of completion! Recognize when an employee has successfully attended a workshop or training. Instead of a boring printout, award your people with a personalized certificate. You’ll be surprised at how one tiny GO YOU video can create a whole day of increased happiness…and productivity. 

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4. Share Quick Results

Don’t make them read through another data document and wonder what to do with it! Instead, be proactive in how you present important information. Be concise, and share results in an exciting and comprehensive way. By using this video template to report quick results, be ready to create unexpected doses of clarity, motivation, and team togetherness, no matter where your desk is! 

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5. Lead by Example 

Show your employees true leadership, and send a message straight from the top dog — the CEO. Relay important information, an encouraging message, acknowledge the challenges of the times or share a personal message of inspiration. Keep the company together with a vision of the future and a dose of hope by simply showing your face!

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Employee communication during remote work can be difficult. With so many people scattered, information becomes scattered with them. Reconnect your employees, their projects, and your companies goals with visual communication that makes an impact.

The post 5 Video Templates to Improve Employee Communication Wherever They Work appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

Health will always be a top priority and for those who work in a government, healthcare, or nonprofit organization, understand that public health matters more than ever.

Amidst the current global pandemic, public health is on the frontline, and that means that health communications is key to ensure a safe and secure society for all. 

How? It’s all in how you present information. As you will see, health information is essential, but a challenge to consume and understand. Organizations need a better way to communicate with the public, and improving the ways of sharing this information with visual communication should be the new standard. 

Too Much Data, Too Little Time

With so much data and information, how is the public meant to access the information that actually matters to them?

The public are overwhelmed with multiple sources of information and are searching for one simple source of truth.

With their attention in high demand, the public needs reliable leadership, clear communication, and empowering education from health organizations, government agencies and NGOs — fast.

These organizations are the centers of research and data that can help people lead healthier, safer lives — but only if they actually understand that information and are inspired to act on it.

And sharing valuable information breeds better connection and collaboration with the public. But there’s a gap between the data available to these organizations and how it’s being served. The way we engage with content is changing — and it’s time for large scale and data heavy organizations to evolve with it.

Take the European Data Portal, for example, a portal full of pages overflowing with necessary safety information and updates. Yet does any of it see the common eye, or is it left untouched, unread, and misunderstood?

Sharing information can save lives, especially in times of crisis management and disease prevention. But the European Data Portal approach just hasn’t adapted to meet the public’s expectation for clear, fast, valuable communication.

So what needs to change?

Data is meant to provide the public with a clear understanding, to empower citizens, and to motivate action. The days of daunting data tables, health brochures, and handouts are over. It’s time to face a fresh reality, and to bring health communications up to date.

How Does Data Become Digestible? 

This is where the world of visual communications meets the world of health communications in one innovative and enthusiastic collaboration! 

As shown by Forrester and California’s health initiatives, this is because…

• 65% of the population are visual learners. 
• 90% of information transferred to the brain is visual.
• Visuals are processed 60,000x faster than text. 
• Employees are 75% more likely to watch a video than read text. 
• One minute of online video equals about 1.8 million written words. 

In short, nobody is sifting through those multi-paged, text-only reports anymore — we have seen some as long at 72-pages. BUT it doesn’t mean that the information isn’t valuable and doesn’t need to be shared with the public.

Without health communication becoming visual, non-profits, government agencies, and health organizations run the risk of not effectively communicating with the communities they serve. 

The Future of Public Health 

Creating valuable content that makes an impact has been a challenge for many organizations. Yet for the future of public health, such content is key.

Trusted information sources have the capacity to relieve massive panic, dissuade public fear, and keep misinformation at bay. 

Organizations today require game changing tools to enable them to easily create engaging content that would allow the public (which they serve) to get relevant and valuable health information.

Such technologies would be useful for international institutions like the CDC, WHO, the EU, as well as your local municipality or your favorite NGO.

Instead of letting hundreds of pages sit like the European Data Portal, turn them into visual communications pieces like we did here.

An engaging piece of visual communications like this allows us to immediately visualize and understand the impact of COVID-19, and can be used as a tool to positively influence the way the public manages their health.

Health Communication Gone Visual

So what’s the solution? Health communications needs an upgrade, and the organizations who garner such crucial health data need to find ways to communicate it effectively and efficiently.

Using visual communications to navigate public health is key. The good news is, there are tools available which can deliver professional videos with minimal budget, which will get valuable messages across and engage the public in a brand new way.

Breathe new life into your communications, empower and educate more people, and maintain your edge in a world overrun with data.

Today, when public and personal health go hand in hand (socially-distanced), it’s key to remember the power and responsibility that governmental offices, healthcare organizations, and NGOs have.

Start Now! Here Are 3 Video Templates You Can Use Immediately

Here are some ideas for you to advance your health communication initiatives today:  

1. Share a short list of key tips to get an important message across 

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2. You have the research; share it easy as 1 2 3 

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3. Harness the power of your data in its most desirable form, the Infographic 

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Click here to see more video templates for the future of work!

The post Government, Health, and Video: Helping the Public Navigate the Future appeared first on Powtoon Blog.

Managing employees is never an easy task. Managing in-office AND remote employees in the new world of work is a whole different story. Managers, human resourcers, and executives  — we don’t envy you. 

Yet the work must go on!

Everything is changing, fast, and we are all being forced to change too. Whether someone is making moves to get back to the cubicle, or is committing to their kitchen table for a little bit longer, it’s crucial to assure all employees that you see them, and support them through this transitional time. 

Managing teams today can feel extra overwhelming, but there’s no reason to add more stress to your plate. By adding visual communications to your team toolbox, managing in-office and remote employees can be super simple, streamlined, effective…and actually AWESOME.  

How can you as a manager maintain balance, meet your KPIs, and manage your people? The key is to support in-office and remote employees by ensuring that they all feel included, updated, and orientated. 

There are just five things to remember when it comes to managing your employees, no matter where they work from, that will support you, and the team to achieve what needs to get done —  AND have fun while doing it. 

1. Show employees that you care

Let’s remember, employees are humans, not machines. The world has been through quite a trauma and while it is easy to get caught up in what needs to get done, treating employees like humans should always be first on the agenda. 

In fact, “Half of all employees who say that they do not feel valued at work report that they intend to look for a new job in the next year according to a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA).” 

We all know how crucial it is to retain employees, not roll them over. Showing a sense of care, having a personal check in, sending a welcome back or thank you video message, can shift the world of any employee. 

Not only will this give you valuable insight about the status of your employees, but it will ensure they feel seen. The same report mentions that “almost all employees (93 percent) who reported feeling valued said that they are motivated to do their best at work and 88 percent reported feeling engaged.” 

Use these video templates to show your employees you care. 

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2. Manage expectations and goals 

As a manager, take on your role with a capital M and Manage. It’s crucial teams feel ownership over their own responsibilities; however at this point in time, teams also need to know a captain is steering the ship. Teams need guidance and direction during times of unrest, so be the rock of resources for your team to turn to. 

Make sure everyone is on track towards the same goals by sending a consistent weekly video update. Instead of lining up video call after video call, create a weekly framework for your employees to return to a sense of routine. Maybe Mondays and Thursdays are for video updates to bookend the week! This allows employees to better prepare, feel productive, and creates a focused timeline to set clear goals, and meet necessary deadlines. 

Employees will enjoy the sense of routine, and you will enjoy creating, tracking, and updating video templates as goals get achieved. This allows for a macro-view of the company, and ensures every employee, in office or remote, stays on track with the larger vision. 

Use this video template to manage your teams expectations and goals.

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3. Update the latest health and safety standards 

With such a rapidly shifting world, any kind of stability is helpful. While you might be tired of hearing about restriction after restriction, passing that information along to your employees is crucial, for transparency, trust, and open communication purposes. 

Whether employees are travelling the roads or into their living room, it is essential to send company reminders to ensure that all employees are aware of the current environment and expectations. 

During such turbulent times, leadership is key. Communicating the latest safety and security regulations through video creates the most effective way to get your message across to all. 

Use these video templates to communicate your latest safety and security measures. 

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4. Be a magnificent project motivator

Part of being a manager means ensuring your team stays motivated. This includes crafting clear goals, projects and updates, and being there to motivate your employees to follow through. Being a manager also includes providing encouragement and incentives, enabling you and your team to check off those goals and projects, one by one. 

Often meetings take place and decisions remain unmade. By taking control of the project kickoff, creating a framework can be a powerful way to kick employees into gear. Highlight important deadlines, make plans known to the masses, and get your team excited with this absolute awesomeness!

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5. Celebrate the small wins 

Especially during a time of teams not always being in the same place, employee recognition can be the make or break when it comes to team cohesion, creativity, and productivity. Time and time again, studies show that employees value recognition over money. Recognizing individuals is a crucial aspect of keeping workers motivated to move, engaged at work, and feeling full of purpose on the daily.

And celebrating team wins can be just as important. One study shows that 40% of employees feel isolated or disengaged at work — and this study ran before the global pandemic. Imagine how teams feel now, with a more complex need to understand, communicate, and collaborate under such emotional duress — the small wins are the big wins. 

So make sure to celebrate them! At least once a week, or even twice a week, use these video templates to shout out the small wins. 

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By making the time to communicate with your employees, no matter where they sit, you’re making the time for team success!

Click here to see more video templates for the future of work

The post How to Manage Your In-Office & Remote Employees With Visual Communication appeared first on Powtoon Blog.