When the deluge of information is heavier than ever, how do you make the important stuff stick? Enter live broadcasts; your very own news presenting platform.
As much as I love reading, most of us – myself included – are visual learners. In fact, we’re 95 per cent more likely to remember something if it’s presented to us as a video, rather than via the written word.
Specifically within the world of work, employees are 75 per cent more likely to watch a video than read a document or email. And the daily info dump is only increasing. The average working person, whether consciously or subconsciously, reads 174 newspapers worth of information every day.
No wonder we’re tuning out more and more information than ever before. So when that information is a policy change, a merger and acquisition or celebrating the great work people do, how do you make it stand out? When people tune out, tune in to live broadcasts.
Live broadcasts get everyone to step outside their daily routine and gather, either in person or remotely, to focus on a key topic – be it to inform, plan or celebrate.
They work because they capture attention. If there’s something people need to know, this will make sure they hear it – and, more importantly, remember it. It’s a ‘moment in time’; a one-off event that people won’t want to miss out on.
It works because we love novelty – so if you can create a new or different experience for employees, it helps them retain information. Novelty releases dopamine, one of the happy hormones, which boosts our moods and reduces stress and anxiety.
Live broadcasts come in all shapes and sizes, to suit any budget. They can be a small-scale meeting live-streamed over Teams, or a full-scale production with in-person attendees and a camera crew; think of the latter as your own private TED Talk.
So naturally, live broadcasts aren’t a one-size-fits-all affair. You can mould and shape them to fit your needs and budget. There can be live presentations, recorded videos or discussions, more akin to a personalised TV chat show.
And much like a TV show, it can reach people around the world. An online event removes the cost and logistics of travel, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get everyone together in the same room – albeit virtually. It’s an excuse to bring geographically disparate colleagues together and gives your leaders more ‘face time’ with the rest of the business.
So what’s the downside? Well, presenting to a live audience can be intimidating. You’re on the spot with only one chance to get it right.
That’s why a lot of leaders can steer away from the format, but it’s a brilliant chance to humanise yourself to your employees. It shows vulnerability. It won’t be perfect – and that’s the point. There’ll be the occasional technical hitch and you might slip up on a few words, but it looks and feels authentic. It’s real. And people will remember that, more so than any polished sizzle reel or intricately crafted leader profile piece.
And despite the name, it’s not like broadcast television where everyone sits and watches with no interaction. Yes, colleagues can listen, but they can contribute too, all creating a sense of belonging. You can get real-time feedback and understand how your content is landing, as it lands.
If we’ve convinced you to take the plunge into the world of live broadcasting, here are some of our top tips:
Prepare. Mistakes happen, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get the basics right. Having a solid plan of what you want to get across to your audience is a good first step.
Partner. If it’s something you’ve never done before, find the right partner to help you. Whether you’re going big or small, it’s always worth having an external perspective to be a critical friend.
Promote. Don’t plan the perfect event and then forget to send out the invitations. Get a date in the diary nice and early, so teammates don’t miss it. In doing so, you’ll also highlight that it’s a pretty big deal.
Participate. Once your event is up and running, remember to make it interactive and engaging. Don’t just talk at people for hours. Ask questions ahead of time, get real-time feedback and encourage people to share their thoughts after too.
Ready to take your first step into the world of live broadcasts? We can help – get in touch.
