4 Signs Your Current Internal Communications Strategy is Not Working

 
#1. Your company struggles with email engagement.

There is a high cost of running an overly email-reliant culture. It’s difficult to convey meaning clearly when you can’t hear or see the speaker. There is a misconception that email saves time, but when you include the cost of the authorship, editing, and misunderstandings it breeds – wasted effort, hurt feelings, or and misconception. Over time, this compounds resulting in low employee engagement and employees that don’t read announcements.

Research shows that we can only decode 7% of the author’s intended meaning, but in an auditory setting, that comprehension increases to 38%. This means that when you switch from an email culture to an audio-based culture, understanding increases 500%. Read the research here.

If tone, intent, or meaning are important aspects of communication, you’re better off choosing a Soundbite over email.

#2. Your business executives have "likeability" issues.

Some corporate leaders are beloved by their employees, but not all are. And oftentimes, it is not the executive's fault. It’s not that these less popular ones are hated, per se, but more often, employees lack any kind of meaningful connection with those bosses. 

Some leaders just do their job and go home without interacting with anyone. When they do communicate with the masses, it’s done through lifeless memos and email, where personality and likeability are lost.

The most successful leaders build relationships across the organization at every level. If your leaders seem out of reach or out of touch, Soundbites are a great way to help them form lasting bonds with their workforce. 

Soundbites allow personality, passion, and understanding to come through. Soundbites get people to engage with company announcements and help employees see what they naturally have in common with their leaders.

#3. Your executives are uncomfortable and videos look scripted.

People act differently on camera, period. People become self-conscious, and there is more pressure to present themselves in a certain way. For video, you have to prepare and produce because your reputation and visual self-image are on the line.

Audio is a much more casual and comfortable platform. Audio changes a highly produced video presentation into a natural conversation, and your executives don’t have to worry about appearance. 

Simply, Soundbite removes all the fear and insecurity that comes with how they appear in the video. Having executives simply create Soundbites or sit down for interviews and fireside chats creates a much better experience for everyone involved.

#4. Your workforce is increasingly composed of millennials.

Statistics show that the average podcast listener is doing 2 things at once, which means that a large chunk of listeners – 40% plus of them -- are doing 3 or more things at once. Millennials love to multitask. It’s very natural and they have been doing 2-3 things at a time ever since they could walk. 

Platforms such as email and video don’t work as well for Millenials because they require them to stop what they’re doing and redirect their attention. Meanwhile, Soundbites allows a person to listen as they multitask.

And here’s another interesting fact. Recent research from Ragan and ContactMonkey found that virtually no one reads announcements. See the report here.

The intention of a Soundbite is to let the people listen when they have a chance. Soundbites are less restrictive. It's not the same thing as asking someone to read a long email or blog post like this one. 

So, it’s easy to see why millennials listen to Soundbites as they are a fun new way of sending company announcements. For more on this topic, check out our recent blog on Employees Don't Read Announcements.

About Soundbite: Soundbite.ai is next-generation enterprise audio communications. We help you connect with employees everywhere by using secure Soundbites and Podcasts.

The possibilities for Soundbite are endless. With short-form audio and podcasting, you can realize new communications processes that are over 90% more efficient and engaging.