Within a matter of weeks, the Coronavirus has drastically transformed every aspect of our lives; from how we ‘socialise’ to how we work. It’s robbed many of us of a sense of security and changed our whole outlook on life.
It’s never been so important to cultivate a sense of togetherness, helping to keep the spirits high, as well as the motivation. Therefore, it is really important that businesses focus on their internal comms during these crazy times.
Here are Verve’s top tips to help your internal communications:
- Stay connected
○ Keep communication open with your employees. Radio silence is a morale killer.
○ Weekly newsletters keep staff updated and engaged with the company goings-on. - Keep a balance
○ It is important to keep a good balance between fun engaging content and the serious stuff.
○ Include lighthearted content in weekly newsletters including recommendations for TV, books, etc
○ Do not overwhelm employees with serious content, they get enough of that from the news! - Share the positivity
○ Email business achievements & new business wins to boost staff morale
○ Share the personal good news too, this helps to keep the connections strong e.g. Bob turns 40 this weekend (if Bob is happy to publicly turn 40 of course) - Stick to your schedule
○ Weekly department meetings or daily team catch-ups should keep the same schedule, heading online to keep the team together.
○ Encourage everyone to turn on their video to engage in the conversation which results in better levels of interaction (and a chance to check out what people’s kitchens look like)
○ Weekly/monthly meetings or calls with clients should stay firmly in the diary to nurture relationships in these somewhat un-nurturing times. - Have regular tea breaks, virtually!
○ Remember the chats at the water cooler or the printer? Virtual tea breaks are a great way of getting staff to have a bit of chit-chat with people outside of their regular day to day conversations.
○ Encourage casual non-work related conversations amongst employees across several departments - Stay social
○ Bring your social events online – Friday pub meetups, team quizzes, cocktail making nights and bingo nights are a great way to keep vibes alive.
○ Social engagement is so vital in boosting staff morale & keeping engaged - Activate the apps
○ Utilise apps to keep running groups & exercise classes active
○ Apps like Strava can be used to encourage team activities and challenges while encouraging physical wellbeing - Concise content – Engaging versus overload
○ Focus on the quality of communication instead of quantity – how many times you post or email.
○ Keep the content concise to keep employees engaged. Content will get lost in long-winded paragraphs of text. Show mercy to readers and use bullet points & summarize where possible. - Digital exhaustion
○ Due to the quick shift to online meetings, mental exhaustion is common
○ Dedicate a meeting-free afternoon once a week to focus on work deadlines without thinking of the next call. - Stay strategized
○ Keep Town Halls & Conferences as planned – working remotely doesn’t need to put an end to these
○ Virtual conferences allow employees to engage with speakers, exhibitors & partners and allow the company to announce strategies & initiatives globally
Verve houses a multi-disciplinary team of creatives, storytellers, techies and thinkers – as well as the producers, makers and doers who make it happen. They collaborate with the best and nurture a team of specialists who always deliver the goods. Headquartered in Dublin with expanding offices in London and Amsterdam, Verve works with a variety of clients across all industries executing events and campaigns to the highest standard.
Verve is an end to end Events and Online Experience agency – talk to them today about online conferences, webinars, launches, celebrations & digital communications.
Get in touch at verve.ie/virtual-events
