Good internal communication (internal comms) is key to the success of any workplace. And while the number and types of internal communication platforms and tools are expanding, email and meetings remain the two go-to methods for many organizations.
But both of those methods aren’t as effective to communicate in remote and hybrid environments.
Whether it’s for training, team updates, internal announcements or information sharing, video is changing the way organizations communicate. In this post, we’ll explore internal communication and how to level up your employee communication using video.
What is internal communication?
Internal communication is the process of communication between employees inside the organization. Effective internal communication is key to aligning around goals, sharing knowledge, providing feedback, and building trust inside the organization. A strong internal communication strategy is key to improving employee communication and the overall employee experience.
Types of internal communication
The internal communication function plays a crucial role in making sure that key messages reach all employees. There are three primary types of internal communication used within an organization.
1. Top-down communication
This type of communication is where information flows from management and leadershp down to all other employees. Top-down communication involves sharing company information, new policies, key decisions, and strategies.
Examples:
- All staff announcements
- Executive directives
- HR changes or updates
2. Bottoms-up communication
This type of communication is where information flows from employees up to management or leadership. Bottoms-up communication involves capturing feedback, ideas, concerns, and suggestions from the entire staff to create a more inclusive company culture. This type of communication helps employees feel like they are heard.
Examples:
- 1:1 meetings
- Suggestion boxes
- Employee surveys
3. Peer-to-peer communication
This type of communication is where employees, teams, and departments share information and ideas horizontally across the organization. Peer-to-peer communication is critical for effective communication among people within any organization to collaborate, coordinate plans, and ensure transparency.
Examples:
- Team meetings
- Cross-departmental communication
- Cross team projects
Examples of internal communication
Internal communications changed dramatically over the last few years. As more teams are becoming remote and hybrid, they must communicate effectively without being in person. Traditionally most inter-office communication was done through meetings or text communication like email or instant messaging. But now it has evolved to a 24/7 world where communication can happen anywhere, from any location, at any time.
This can be done synchronously, exchanging of information between two or more people in real-time). Or asynchronously, where there is a delay between when a message is sent and when the person on the other end receives and interprets it.
Here are a few of the top types of internal communication:
- Video conferencing (Zoom, Skype, Google Meet)
- Asynchronous video messaging (via screencasts & webcam recordings)
- Instant messaging (Slack, Microsoft Teams)
- Email (Outlook, Gmail)
- Project management apps (Asana, ClickUp, Notion)
- File-sharing platforms (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive)
- Meetings (in-person or remote between a team or individual)
Why use video for internal communication?
Email is a great communication tool. But the average employee receives 121 emails a day, according to Campaign Monitor. And if you’re being honest, most of these emails that hit your inbox email get skimmed over or, worse yet, ignored.
With any text communication, there is a big risk that even if the recipient reads your message, they might misinterpret what you’re trying to say.
Meetings are also an option for transferring important knowledge and information to colleagues. They provide an opportunity for organic discussion and allow you to convey your message more clearly. Of course, it can be difficult to align schedules and get all the necessary people in the same room at one time.
And that’s not all. Face-to-face meetings can eat up the workday and might not be necessary when we just need to give a quick update that doesn’t require much or any additional discussion.
There’s a new challenge added to work and office communication.
In the last few years, many of us had to switch to and learn how to work from home. This change forced workers and companies to consider other options for effective communication. While meetings and email remain effective forms of communication, video emerged as a great and particularly efficient option.
What is video communication?
Video communication is the practice of using video to communicate. This can be done synchronously with Zoom calls, webinars, workshops, or team meetings. Or you can use asynchronous video with quick screen recordings, feedback videos, demos, and tutorials.
Both are great options depending on your goals, processes, and urgency.
Types of video communication
As we mentioned earlier there are two main types of internal communication, synchronous and asynchronous, and the same applies to video. Here’s a quick list of the different types of video communication methods:
Synchronous video communication
- Video conferencing: These real-time meetings are commonplace in most organizations and happen on tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet.
- Webinars: Typically involve larger groups of people and combine a live presentation and Q&A.
- Live streaming: Like other forms of video conferencing this is a live broadcast that can be used for announcements, product launches, or virtual conferences.
- Live customer support: Like phone support, these live calls give customers a way to get immediate feedback and assistance but in a face-to-face way.
Asynchronous video communication
- Training videos: These pre-recorded videos can be watched at any time by employees or customers.
- Internal updates and announcements: Use these to easily share policy updates, product roadmaps, or company news that can be shared and rewatched later.
- Video message: Send a quick personalized video to an individual or team to replace a long email or meeting.
- Video tutorial: Show an employee or customer how to complete a task. These videos can be accessible at any time for them to review.
Which tools work best for creating internal videos?
Videos cannot only replace emails, but they can also help keep your calendar clear by replacing meetings. Instead of getting your whole team together for a shareout or presentation, send them a video that they can watch on their own time.
But which tool is best for each job?
TechSmith offers two different video creation tools: Snagit and Camtasia. Let’s break down each one.
Snagit
Snagit is great for quick, easy-to-create videos. It’s perfect for video messages, simple tutorials, and screen recordings.
Strengths
- Simplicity
- Speed
- Ease of use
Weaknesses
- Limited editing
- No video templates
- Not well suited for longer recordings
Camtasia
Camtasia is a full-fledged video editor for polished, professional videos. It’s the ideal pick for training videos or tutorials that require in-depth editing and effects.
Strengths
- Lots of editing features
- Easy-to-use templates
- Multi-track editor
- Includes graphics, music, and effects
Weaknesses
- Steeper learning curve
- More complex
Video is a great resource for your internal communications strategy.
Businesses that use the power of video to improve employee engagement are future-proofing their workplace. Using video tools like Snagit and Camtasia to communicate is efficient, it’s something employees desire, and it’s extremely cost-effective, saving you and your business time and money.
3 reasons video is the right internal communication method
1. Video is more effective than email
Not only does video work, but it works better. Messages conveyed in video are more engaging and they lead to a higher retention rate. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text according to Pop Video.
Compared to email, video is far more engaging. Studies have shown that the average viewer retains 95% of the message if it is in video form. If made right, videos can make complex information easy to interpret.
Video messages > meetings
Record your screen and camera with Snagit for quick updates and feedback.
Learn More
2. Video is preferred in the workplace
It shouldn’t come as a shock that our research found that most people prefer to watch a video rather than read a bunch of text.
As younger people enter the workforce, the desire for video content will continue to increase. Younger generations lean more towards video and visuals rather than text when it comes to communicating. And, they appreciate short and quick videos that are more engaging than long, imageless emails.
Regardless of age, the desire to see increased video communication is pretty universal. In our research, we found that:
- 48% of all employees consider video the most engaging form of communication
- 37% prefer text with images
- 15% who prefer text-based email
3. Video saves time and money
Perhaps the biggest reason to use more video is that videos can actually save organizations money.
Our research found that using more visuals in your internal communication can save the average employee, conservatively, 6 minutes and 43 seconds a day.
That may sound modest, but six minutes and 43 seconds a day calculates out to over half an hour per week, and over 25 hours per year, for every employee. Using our economic modeling, which was conservative to avoid over-promising, a company would save approximately $1,200 a year in productivity per employee, just by using more visuals in the workplace. A company of 500 employees could add the productivity of 7 full-time employees without hiring a single person.
It’s clear that visuals are more effective, desired by today’s workforce and save time and money. All that’s left to do is start creating. To get started, try replacing an email or meeting with a simple screencast or even an unedited webcam recording can work. You’ll quickly notice the difference and soon video may be part of your regular work communication arsenal.
If you are looking to up your video game, you can learn about the basics of video creation for free at our TechSmith Academy. Lessons include script writing, lighting, recording your screen, audio recording, and more!
Share