Rethinking internal communication in the age of TikTok

As media consumption continues to shift, internal communicators need to find new ways to connect with employees. Russell Reynolds Associates' Global Head of Internal Communications Ally Bunin shares some tips to win the competition for attention.

Gallagher. You've got 20+ years of experience in internal communication… How has technology changed the way employees expect to receive information?

The evolution of technology has deeply changed the expectations of consumers. And while we may not want to think of, or refer to, our employees as consumers, that is what we all are. Today we want soundbites of information that are relevant to our needs and desires. And we want it quickly, effortlessly and in ways that consume the least amount of time. Not always, of course, but day-to-day that's generally the case. So the traditional approach of communicating with and engaging employees has significantly evolved for the same reasons external marketing and communications has evolved. The concept of 'mixternal' communications is taking shape. It's an approach in which we recognize that employee communications are also external communications. As such, we need to reach our employees in the ways they prefer — from targeted content and channel delivery to message reinforcement. The need for mixternal communications fuels challenges and opportunities that we have never experienced before in our profession.

Gallagher. Have you experimented with any new formats in your role? And with what success?

I've been very fortunate to have worked with leaders who are open to trialling new ways to connect with employees. I remember rolling out a new brand at a large hospital system (with more than 60,000 employees, most of whom were front-line). We needed a very different approach, and our leaders embraced experimenting. There we rolled out a mobile app — which at the time - for a hospital system - was unheard of; we also took the brand on the road, delivering messaging through sprinter vans with different employee experiences inside. How is this the role of internal communications, you may ask? When you step out of the traditional internal communications role of tasks and deliverables, the magic can happen. In this case, we partnered with the HR team and the campaign on-the-road was wildly successful. The only downside: it was very hard to top!

In my current role at a professional services firm, we use various channels to engage colleagues. We've found success with brief videos, animations, Slack posts and weekly team huddles led by local leaders. Outside of the traditional, we started experimenting with CEO TikTok videos to deliver the more mundane messages. They're quick and unexpected, and people enjoy them. Most memorably, at a recent in-person event with 550 colleagues, we set out to mix-up the CEO's opening session. Instead of the traditional PowerPoint presentation, we used light-hearted videos (some of which featured our executives as bobble heads!). We then replaced the traditional Q&A session with a fun "Hollywood Squares" game named after the famous American TV show. We put our leaders in the "Hot Seat" for slide-free fireside chats on challenging topics. All of this was balanced with business content in between and the feedback was incredibly positive. After the session, one senior Consultant actually said "I never thought I could remain engaged during a 90-minute session but I was wrong. I didn't want it to end." You can't ask for more than this.