How To Improve Internal Business Communication With Video

Internal communication can be a real pain. Messages might be unclear, some may be repetitive, and others could be buried in walls of text and endless emails that no one has the time (or desire) to read. 

But sometimes, communicating via real-time meetings isn’t any better. While it could enhance clarity, it can cause meeting fatigue, resulting in disengaged employees and disconnected teams. 

Fortunately, there’s a solution: video communication. It’s faster, clearer, more convenient, and more engaging than lengthy emails and live meetings. Whether you need to onboard new hires, explain standard operating procedures (SOPs), or send out quick company updates, this type of business communication can be a game-changer — but only when implemented effectively. 

Here, we provide step-by-step strategies and best practices for video communication and look at easy-to-use tools. 

Why video improves internal communication

According to our 2024 Video Viewer Report, 83% of people prefer informational or instructional content when it’s in video format, while only 41% and 30% prefer text and audio, respectively. This is because video:

• Facilitates self-paced learning
• Makes it easier for learners to understand complex processes 
• Promotes content consistency 
• Is more engaging than blocks of text
• Levels the playing field for introverts and extroverts by reducing performance anxiety

Video communication also benefits training and management teams. A single video can serve anywhere from 5 to 500 people, making it easy to scale. Plus, the convenience of video eliminates the need to schedule as many meetings, which is especially valuable for global, hybrid, or remote teams.

Internal communication use cases that work best as video

Video is really versatile. Here are some use cases where it can redefine how you engage:

• Onboarding new hires: Give new employees a quick welcome video or walkthrough of your company. 
• Explaining SOPs: Create short explainer videos that show employees exactly how to perform different tasks, eliminating confusion. 
• Giving company updates: Replace time-consuming staff meetings or lengthy emails with quick videos. 
• Providing software walkthroughs: Show employees how to use company systems effectively, rather than issuing manuals that they’ll likely never read. 
• Explaining product or process changes: Record key changes in your system and encourage employees to consult them whenever they feel stuck. 
• Sharing leadership messages: Record introductions and announcements from management instead of sending memos to help build emotional connections. 
• Answering FAQs: Instead of answering the same questions repeatedly, create video recordings and add them to a library that employees can revisit. 

Essential tools for producing high-quality internal videos

Whether you’re new to video creation or you’re an expert, TechSmith’s Camtasia, Snagit, and Screencast are sure to streamline your recording and editing experiences. Here’s a look at these tools and when to use them:

Camtasia

Available as a browser-based solution (Camtasia Online) and a desktop app (Camtasia Editor), Camtasia offers AI-powered solutions that can help you create high-quality, engaging videos quickly. The tool offers:

• Screen + webcam recording capabilities that make it easy to share information
• Easy-to-use cursor effects and annotations that let you highlight key details in your recording
• Customizable themes and templates that help you stay on-brand, even when you delegate video creation to different team members
• AI-powered avatars, voices, scripts, and captions to promote fast video creation

Camtasia also streamlines video creation and editing by allowing drag-and-drop and text-based editing. The best part? It records all inputs — screen, mic, system audio, and webcam — on separate tracks, so you don’t need to re-record entire videos if you only want to change one element post-production. 

Best for: Employee training videos, product or process tutorials, leadership messages, and PowerPoint presentations.

Snagit

Snagit can enhance Camtasia videos by quickly grabbing visuals to support your recordings. The snipping tool offers valuable features like:

• Screen capture, which can take screenshots or videos of your entire screen or a custom region
• Scrolling capture can record your scrolling, eliminating the need to stitch multiple screenshots together
• AI-powered text recognition and element moving capabilities that allow you to adjust a screenshot’s font size and color, or even rearrange elements like call-to-action (CTA) buttons
• Video library that allows you to organize recordings by keyword, date, app, and file type

Best for: Software walkthroughs, how-to recordings, and annotated screenshots.

Screencast

While it’s not exactly a video recording or editing tool, Screencast is a valuable addition to your arsenal. The cloud-based solution allows you to share the videos created with Camtasia and Snagit, eliminating the need for a separate collaboration tool.

With Screencast, you can:

• Streamline video access by sharing links.
• Use AI to generate titles, chapters, and descriptions for your videos.
• Offer feedback, ask questions, and make content decisions remotely.
• Create shareable Collections for different departments or projects.

Best practices for planning and scripting internal videos

Want to streamline internal video creation and maximize engagement? Here are some best practices to keep in mind when preparing your script:

• Understand your audience: Are you creating content for employees, management, or shareholders? Your audience will determine your tone, be it conversational, professional, or formal. 
• Determine the “why” before the “how”: Understanding your end goal will guide your script. You’ll know to focus on your software when scripting and cut out any non-related content when editing. 
• Keep your script and video short: The human attention span is getting shorter and shorter. So, keep your content as brief as possible without compromising the value of your video. 
• Leverage technology: Make your work easier by leaning on technology whenever possible. You can use Camtasia’s AI script generation feature to get started more quickly.
• Plan visuals alongside your script: Determine what to show and where to show it. With Camtasia, you can align your script, visuals, and audio by first recording your video and then adding your voiceover. 
• Use annotations: Draw viewers’ attention to important details with features like callouts and arrows. Camtasia lets you add, rotate, resize, and even animate annotations to capture your target audience’s attention. 

Recording tips for clarity and engagement

Creating a good plan and script is just the first step. You also need to apply recording best practices to capture employees’ attention and maximize engagement. Here are some things you can do:

• Use full-screen recording when you want to give a broad context (like showing employees how to use multiple tools) and focused region recording when you want viewers to focus on a specific tool or process. 
• Use a conversational tone, like you would when talking to one person. 
• Keep a steady pace. 
• Eliminate distractions like cluttered desktops and pop-ups by closing unnecessary tabs and disabling notifications.
• Record in a quiet location — preferably a soundproof room. 
• Use your webcam to record parts that need a human connection.
• Use an external mic for clear sound, if possible. 
• Use gestures to enhance your communication, but don’t overdo it. You can always add cursor effects (like spotlight, kinetic movement, and smoothing) and motion path animations when editing with tools like Camtasia to highlight key actions and maintain viewers’ attention.

Editing for maximum understanding

Editing can make a world of difference in your videos. To promote employee understanding and engagement:

• Shorten your videos by removing dead space, unnecessary pauses, and filler words. Camtasia’s drag-and-drop editing feature and Audiate’s automated noise cleanup and filler word removal streamline this process. 
• Add captions and voice narration to boost your videos’ accessibility. Camtasia offers automated captioning and AI-powered voiceovers, which can help. 
• Use transitions and pauses between key steps. 
• Blur sensitive information, like customers’ personal details, for data privacy. 
• Maintain branding consistency across all your videos for easy recognition. 
• Take advantage of presets for quick exports. For example, you could use Camtasia’s Screencast preset if you want to collaborate with your team on the platform. 

Make your internal videos accessible and searchable

Your videos will only be valuable if employees can easily find and watch them. So, don’t stop at editing — enhance their accessibility and searchability by:

• Adding captions, which will help people with hearing difficulties and those who prefer to watch videos with the sound off
• Translating scripts to promote accessibility for global teams; you can automate this process in Camtasia by uploading your script and selecting from the language options provided
• Grouping related videos and using clear naming conventions
• Sharing them via your company’s learning management system (LMS) or Screencast Collections minimizes the need for repeat explanations, centralizes company knowledge, and allows employees to learn from each other (via features like comments)

Sharpening your communication strategy with internal video

Internal videos can enhance your broader strategy by improving message delivery, supporting asynchronous communication, and providing content for external channels — if you play your cards right. Here’s how:

Make effective communication repeatable and scalable

Video can elevate your communication strategy by promoting content consistency, even when scaled. It ensures that messages are standardized across teams, departments, and time zones, which reduces confusion and limits the need for repeated explanations. 

Reinforce communication skills with visual cues

While communication methods like text can still convey messages, they may not effectively demonstrate complex processes, programs, and data. 

Video, on the other hand, offers visual support, which can enhance employees’ understanding. For example, training videos that demonstrate how to use different company systems can serve as simple guides for new hires.

Use body language and facial expressions to your advantage

Video captures your message as well as nonverbal cues that are impossible to show in chats, phone calls, or emails. It shows your facial expressions and hand gestures, which can communicate the emotion behind your words. 

When you record video welcome messages, for example, you can showcase your company’s warmth through smiles to build trust — just like you would in typical in-person or face-to-face meetings. 

Repurpose internal videos for external channels

Some internal videos, such as product overviews, FAQs videos, and how-to tutorials, can serve your employees and external stakeholders, like customers. In fact, 62% of consumers say that they watch video content like FAQs and demos to learn more about brands. 

So, don’t underestimate the value of your videos. 

If you measure video engagement and your metrics show that your recordings perform well internally, optimize them for external communication tools or social media channels like LinkedIn and YouTube — after confirming they don’t disclose sensitive company information, of course. 

Camtasia can make it easy for your team to repurpose internal videos. It supports vertical formats, features presets for different platforms, and allows you to create branded templates (to serve as a guide for video creators), promoting alignment with external channels and messaging consistency. 

Boost your business communication with visual tools

Effective business communication requires a mix of visuals, audio, and text — things that video delivers. Internal videos can enhance employee engagement, understanding, and message consistency. 

But this depends on how you create your videos. For optimal results, write a script that meets your audience’s needs, prepare your recording setup for clear visual and audio capture, and work with a reliable video editor. 

With TechSmith’s Camtasia and Snagit, you don’t need a video production expert or a studio. Our tools can record your screen, take quick screenshots, remove background noise and filler words, and streamline video creation with AI avatars and voiceovers. 

Want to use video for a product walkthrough, a welcome message, or a how-to tutorial? Give TechSmith products a try today!