BECKY LEONARD
INSIGHT AND CONTENT MANAGER
Creativity, apps and dubious leaders – top trends of Q3
July to September edition
It’s that time again – our regular round-up of what we’ve been chatting with clients about this quarter, and what we’re advising them to do next.
“How do I get my organisation to embrace creativity?”
“I get it. But [insert stakeholder name here] will never go for it.”
Feel familiar? We hosted one of our regular roundtable events recently, talking about creativity. We discussed common blockers – lack of time, confidence, skills – but an interesting one kept coming up again and again. “Our leadership isn’t interested in creativity.”
Why? Reasons included: they’re scared to try something new; they don’t want me to invest any extra time in it; and the really painful one: they just don’t see the value in it.
Workplace research shows that almost half of executives recognise creativity as a crucial driver for growth in their organisation (Skillademia), but that the same proportion of employees feel pressurised to prioritise productivity over creativity at work (Linearity). There’s a real disconnect here.
So how can internal communicators convince leaders to see the value in creativity and give innovative approaches a try?
As ever, the answer lies in speaking their language: business value. Creativity isn’t about making things look pretty or adding novelty (although these things can add to a communication’s appeal). It’s a strategic tool to improve employees’ engagement with communication, and through that to develop understanding of their role and organisational goals.
Get examples of successful creative campaigns from other organisations (or your own) and show how innovative approaches helped them reach their goals.
You can also base your argument in behavioural insights, and tell them that creative communication is more likely to capture and hold attention. It can make the important interesting, by making complicated or dry information easily digestible, understandable and, therefore, memorable.
We only have 15 minutes a day to engage employees on any given day (IC Index) so we need to make sure business messages cut through.
“Do I need an app?”
While this question may feel very 2010s, it remains an important one as organisations struggle to connect with frontline and hybrid workers.
The benefits are pretty obvious by now. Easy access to everything together in one place. Push notifications to alert people to messages. More ways to socialise and connect across locations. And of course, we’re familiar with apps. Research shows that we spend a third of our waking hours on mobile apps (App Annie), and that 70% of office workers use their smartphones to do work tasks (National Business Communications).
Plus with 80% of the global workforce not sitting at a desk (in the likes of agriculture, construction or manufacturing), mobile solutions can help to reach the previously unreachable.
But there are also challenges. Employees who resist having work apps on personal phones. Lack of interest or engagement. Worries about “distracting” people. Concerns over data privacy.
So how do organisations decide whether an app is right for their employees?
Start by looking at your existing channel mix, and consider where an app would add value. Be careful of overlaps – are you introducing a new channel or replacing one?
Next, define two things: who is it for and what is it for? Because if you introduce an app, it doesn’t have to be all things to all people.
As Rozi Pearson, Head of Digital, explains: “When developing Sequel’s communications app for clients, JuICe, we found that the greatest success comes when you have a clear audience and defined need.
“For example: developing a news app for sales people on the road to keep them up to date; an onboarding app for new starters to learn and connect; or an events app to bring participants together before, during and after company conferences and town halls.”
What can I do to increase my leaders’ visibility?
The latest IC Index, which surveys UK employees to get their opinions on internal communication, was released at the end of the last quarter. And the findings were clear: leaders who are consistent, effective and human communicators have a hugely positive impact on employee communications.
It found that employees who rate their organisation 10 out of 10 for communication not only hear regularly from leaders, but also feel leaders understand their challenges and are approachable and authentic.
Yet leadership communication remains a frustration for many of our client organisations.
“I’m too busy with these other priorities to talk to people.” “My deputy will do it and it’ll trickle out.” “I don’t know how to deliver bad news.” “I’ll just send an email.” Just some of the common reasons IC pros get from leaders when they want to postpone or even ignore putting out internal communications.
What channels can internal communicators introduce to increase the visibility of even the most dubious of leaders?
Start small and coax them into simple actions that will build up over time.
Ask them to attend a Q&A session, but ask people to submit some questions beforehand so they can have time to prepare and feel more in control. You can start with those until they’re in their stride, and then move to new questions from the room.
Organise site visits, but book in small groups of three or four people for listening sessions on set topics so they can practise active listening and, again, do a bit of prep beforehand. Next time, they can be more spontaneous as they start to see the value in the visits.
And if you have a social platform, don’t insist they must become an avid content creator, posting every day. Instead, ask them to follow the ‘321’ method. Every week, or every couple of weeks, they should create one post, react to (or ‘like’) two others, and comment on three. It helps to make their contribution more manageable, while keeping them visible.
Get in touch with Paul, our Head of Insight, at paul.jones@sequelgroup.co.uk to talk about the trends we’re seeing, and how Sequel can help you tackle your communication and engagement challenges this year.
