Page 15 - Inquisitive Employee Engagement Guide v22

Chat and

Connect People consume content on phones and tablets; and if they don't know something they

Google it, look on YouTube or find a TED talk. They use social media to connect and engage
with family, friends, colleagues, mentors and tribes. Many company intranets fail to work
effectively because they do not match how people work, live and communicate.

Your communication, information and learning environments need to align with this
world and your content needs to be repurposed to fit in with it. Life is more informal –
people chat and connect - communication needs to mirror this world in style and tone,
but not by dumbing down content to soundbites. Communication now has the challenge
of making the complexity of lots of different inputs - simple to consume and understand.
Navigation is key, as are the roles of curators and synthesisers who sense make for others.

Digital tools, can be transformational if used in the right way. We are talking about
collaboration frameworks with integrated Apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams; plus pulse
survey tools and chatbots. They facilitate dialogue in a way that mirrors how people use
social media in their day to day lives – colleagues can work, listen, watch, ask and learn;
choosing when to participate, give feedback and voice their views. They can help
companies communicate, connect and build trust by being credible sources of
information and by encouraging dialogue. They do require a commitment to keep them
real, relevant, alive and vocal. But again – they are simply delivery tools – you still need the
right content in the right places.

To get the most from digital technologies you also need to be clear what they cannot, or
what you do not want them to do for you. They are tools that can dramatically enhance
information dissemination and increase dialogue but they will not lead and engage people.
They are one part of a multi channel communication strategy that also has to include
regular face to face communication with Leaders and Line Managers. Face to face chat and
connect are still major parts of these two roles in your business – to facilitate engaging
conversations, deliver the WHY narrative and create the emotional connection to make
people feel valued. Technology is just part of the solution – people and great content
are the enablers.
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