There is not a lack of internal communications content or delivery mechanisms for companies today. Email. Private Social Networks. Instant Messaging. Intranets. Yet in a Gallup pole survey, 74% of employees feel that they are still missing out on company information and news.

Today many internal communications professionals are turning to video (71%) to converse with employees. And there’s no denying there are huge benefits:

• Align your employees with business goals
• Communicate in an authentic voice and leave little room for interpretation
• Increase productivity and consistency by eliminating many in-person meetings, handouts, e-mails and documents
• Help employees feel engaged and heard with emotive or UGC (user generated) content
• Communicate in seconds what might have taken multiple paragraphs to write
• And of course, it is HUGELY cost effective

But even video has its limitations especially when you have little control over what the viewer does next:

• Do you know if they watched it? How much was completed?
• How likely is an employee to switch screens to refer to content? Find that content again?
• Did they distribute it externally to someone that maybe shouldn’t see the video?
• Is it out on YouTube for the whole world to see?
• Can you measure your communications programs or employee interaction?
• Are you having to hire a video crew for live video events hosted across your company?

Are your videos just adding to the onslaught of information? Or are your videos actively answering questions, measuring results, and giving everyone the refreshing answers they’re looking for?

By adding interactivity to video, you give your team members an engaging, lean-in experience. A good way of thinking about it is to compare it to a website experience. Websites drive interaction and if done right help guide the viewer on the right path. The same can be true for your interactive videos when it comes to communicating internally:

• Highlight key points in videos with speech bubbles, pop-up boxes, chapter markers and labels.
• Prompt viewers to take action with in video hyperlinks
• Deliver and download relevant assets in-video and in-context
• Binge-watch – increase time in-video or watching of videos in succession
• In-Video-enriched communication – how to fix; what’s going wrong

So what are 3 scenarios where interactive video can be put to work for your internal communications program?

CEO or Top-down Messages

Connect upper management and the rest of the staff. Not just in a “Here’s a message from the boss” way, but in a way that increases feelings of greater communication and openness across the business.

Interactive tools your executives could use include:

• in-video pop-up boxes or labels, adding messages direct from the boss
• downloads to announcements
• links to areas of website want to highlight
• Or maybe its just a simple congrats on a job well done with a link to that person or team’s email – allowing you to also drop them a note

Town hall/Company Meeting

Keep everyone informed of changes in direction, structure, philosophy etc. Everyone wants to feel included; they want to be on the same page. With interactive video, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are, you can be a part of the event.

These are often live events so interactive video should support time-driven options as well as those needed when you convert the video to on-demand interactive options:

• live polling or questions for a speaker, or panel for live broadcast
• downloadable Q&A on what the announcement or changes mean
• follow-up videos for more information

On-boarding/New Employee Orientation

New employees are bombarded with tons of information – coming from all directions. Video allows them to watch on their own time and orient themselves to the works of the business with much greater ease. Video also gives them a chance to see and more easily understand far reaching parts of the business that they may have delayed exposure to.

Interactive videos for new hires can include:

• How-to videos on every day processes, with need-based pop-up boxes
• In-video surveys or quizzes on health and safety information
• Downloadable call lists and/or calendars
• Video orientation of the work place and best practices with detailed commentary

George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion it has taken place.” Don’t be lulled under the illusion that your company’s internal communications are as efficient as they can be. Don’t drown your employees with too many choices and not enough answers. Give them the tools they need to feel educated and secure. Help keep their heads above water. Give them interactive video.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our blog series on interactive video. Next we’ll tackle the “player vs. platform” debate and help bring some light and clarity to the differences, and benefits of both -- and how they are complementary technologies.