It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway). Good communication is vital to every successful organization.
Just like any good team, organizations need to have an internal game plan to ensure all employees are on the same page and working together toward a shared goal. It’s easy to assume everyone has the same general awareness of what is going on and avoid communicating what may seem obvious to some – but this often leads to internal silos, loss of culture, and overall disorganization at all levels.
Equally important is external communication. Stakeholders partnering with your organization crave transparency. When your goals, financial position, and growth agenda are clearly communicated, stakeholders feel as though they are working with an organization that they can trust. When customers and clients are engaged enthusiastically and frequently, they feel supported and better prepared to make decisions regarding the partnership. Even new or potential customers thrive on communication. Actively engaging leads to increased networking opportunities, proves thought leadership, and keeps your company top of mind.
How do organizations communicate effectively?
The ways organizations communicate … both internally and externally … vary as much as the information they share. Similarly, various means of communication often become the best tools to disseminate different news.
Pro Tip: Many organizations find that Q1 is a great time to host a live event. It allows organizations to debrief and celebrate the previous year plus set expectations for the year to come.
Digital and print messaging.
When the audience is internal, weekly or monthly newsletters are perfect for minor updates, important reminders, and recent success stories. These can be sent via email, posted on your intranet, or pinned in hallways/elevators/restrooms throughout your facility.
For external audiences, communication tools can be as simple as social media and direct email.
Ultimately, these tools are most effective when used in combination with each other as part of a broader communication plan. As for the most important, most exciting, and most celebratory communications … that’s where in-person and hybrid events come in.
Communicating through live in-person and hybrid events.
There is no question – when it comes to communicating important information, making large announcements, communicating directly with internal and external audiences, connecting audience members with each other, and celebrating successes, there is no substitute for live in-person and hybrid events.
Internal events:
These events allow people to come together and communicate more intimately than any other. Employees have the opportunity to have face time with leaders they have never met before, ask their CEO questions, and network with peers who may sit on the other side of the country (or around the world). These are high-value opportunities for employees to learn, engage, and grow.
These events can also become a forum where employees hear from key customers and clients. Customer feedback is one thing that, like communication, is vital for any organization. Engaging employees … especially those who don’t regularly interact with customers … will lead to first-hand experience, understand how their work has impacted others, learn what customers value most, and gain ideas on how to improve upon their own work to broaden their (and their organization’s) reach.
For internal audiences, celebratory occasions deserve and want to be celebrated face-to-face. We all know that there is simply no substitute for the joyous energy in a room when a group of people are coming together to celebrate something or someone important. By keeping celebratory events in a live or hybrid atmosphere, you’re allowing everyone to fully recognize … or be recognized for … organizational successes.
Live internal events absolutely communicate that deeply engaging your audience matters!
External events:
Hosting events for external audiences serves several important purposes. First, your live audience is given greater accessibility to executives and/or influencers. This allows more more thorough and personally communication than any other setting. It also creates opportunities to develop much deeper relationships.
For decision makers, live events are important because they lead to a quicker feedback loops. Rather than wonder how key stakeholders or other customers may be responding to a large announcement or interpreting news, they are able to gauge real-time reactions. This leads to deeper engagement for external audiences … not just while they are attending the event … but with your brand in general.
Finally, hosting a live event specifically for external audiences clearly communicates that they are important to you. It shows that you value their partnership and reward it by sharing details of the organization’s policies, practices, and planning.
Presenter perspective:
For presenters (and key decision makers), live in-person and hybrid events lead to more honest and customizable communication. Because target audiences are physically present, presenters are able to get real-time feedback that simply isn’t available through 100% virtual platforms. They can easily read to room to see how messages are being received, listen for applause or sounds of discontent, and feel the energy of those they are communicating with. This allows the presenter to lean on messaging that is well received and pivot components of their message if necessary.
Pro Tip: integrating and embracing live Q&A and chat helps develop a culture of inclusiveness and teamwork … both internally and externally.
Conclusion
Communication doesn’t have a “one size fits all” approach. There are several tactics that … in conjunction with others … develop into an effective and repeatable process. Through live events (both in-person and hybrid), your internal and external audiences will be better informed, more engaged, and understand that your organization truly cares about them.
Do you have important information that needs to be communicated? Encompass Event Group is here to help you effectively communicate with internal and external audiences through the magic of live events.
At Encompass, we have unique backgrounds that situate us perfectly to produce high end and complex offerings. We’ve worked in broadcast television, touring entertainment, live sporting events, and countless convention facilities across the country.
We have technical design experience and a disciplined process in place that allows us to easily scale events and shift from in-person to virtual without angst. There isn’t much that’s beyond our scope and we love the intensity of putting on events!
If you’re a planner working to create an event, seeking help with virtual event technology, or simply want to learn more … we can help! Sign up below to receive our updates (we promise to keep your contact information secure and won’t “overshare”).