This article was written by Outlier Founder Ben Friedle. It was originally published on Production Hub.
The article aims to help teams evenly distribute organizational messages with the exact same clarity for each viewer using the power of video. Arguably, video is the best medium for both value and vision alignment based on its ability to persuade, inform, convey emotion, and provide visual delight.
If you want to deliver messages about your organization’s values, service, or achievement of goals, this article outlines a blueprint for creating a successful video communication strategy.
This isn’t about training and procedures, this is about the alignment of your strategic vision, adding purpose and reasoning so the talented people on your team can understand how their work is making an impact and how to accomplish what leadership asks for.
Define Good, Better, Best
Is it possible to outline a path to success that begins at good, demonstrates how to improve, and then ultimately how to achieve a top-level goal? Because that’s powerful. To use a sports analogy, everyone wants to be on a championship team but success starts on the practice field. How can you frame your messaging in a way that gets people to recognize where they stand today and where they could be by the end of the business quarter?
Motivate and Inspire
Motivation and inspiration are fuel for teams as well as individuals. Sometimes we can muster this ourselves, and other times we get it externally. Videos that share inspirational stories from within the organization can accomplish both. By spotlighting individuals who are finding success, you create subject matter that is honest, relatable and approachable. Maybe watching this video will inspire others to reach out to encourage their co-worker after seeing them spotlighted, maybe they are driven to earn similar recognition so they start focusing a little better.
This form of celebrating or recognizing people is easy to accomplish and, in our experience, encourages individuals to continue to strive and add more value to their teams and culture.
Stay Focused on Communication Goals
When interviewing anyone, including leadership, it’s important to weave together a combination of questions related to goals, clarity, and inspiration.
Some topics to consider:
Things to avoid:
These are ways of sounding uninvested; in current business culture, inspirational lists and slogans are often overused. Instead, we suggest sharing habits, tasks, and key moments that can be universally relatable. Invite honesty and brevity so we can all relate and absorb the takeaways.
Finish Strong
Make sure to reiterate the goals, values, and calls to action behind why you are sharing the video. Empower your viewers and encourage reflection on what the organization stands for, and how they can contribute to a successful culture moving forward.
What’s the next goal or milestone to keep in mind?
What benefit came from taking the time to watch this? Did the video deliver a new insight, resource, or encouragement?
Ask viewers to consider these questions for a moment, and ask that they continue to share and discuss to inspire others around them.
And finally, tell them what to expect next and where to go if they have questions or more to share.
Outlier works with business leaders and organizational communicators to capture and share stories that meet audiences on their terms.
