Ever since the early 1980’s when British Airways pioneered the first of the large-scale experiential employee engagement events with their “Putting People First” program, communicators have regularly been involved in planning and delivering communication activity that requires bringing people together.
It has been interesting to see how this specific tool in the communicators’ toolbox has evolved and the amazing number of innovative approaches that agencies have tried to sell. One of the greatest innovations that’s dramatically changed communication is the variety and ease of online options available. But to me, social media and face-to-face communication is comparable to the difference between watching a concert live on television or being there in person. There’s no comparison of course.
"Social media and face-to-face communication is comparable to the difference between watching a concert live on television or being there in person. There’s no comparison of course."
1. Understand your objectives
Before you even start planning your event, it’s vital that you’re clear about what your objectives are. It’s easy to focus on the communications objectives, but it’s equally important to keep your eye on delivering the business objectives as well. Once you’re clear about what you’re trying to achieve, then you can make a more informed decision as to whether a face-to-face event is the right communications medium. Knowing your objectives will also help you with measuring the success of your event.
2. Know your audience
Unless your audience is full of English speaking expatriates, then an event in Tokyo will be considerably different to an event held in London. Equally, a management audience may require a different approach to one that’s being delivered for a group of new employees. Segmenting your audience can help you amplify your message. With this in mind, do ensure that you consider your audiences needs very carefully.
3. Have a clear message
One of the key roles of the communicator is to work with the message owner to ensure that the key messages are clear, concise and easily understood. Do try to encourage the use of stories, in particular personal stories in order to help bring the message to life. A good tip is to challenge the presenter to see if there own mother could understand what they are actually saying. You should also review the messages of any other speakers who maybe sharing the platform to ensure consistency and cohesion of the message. At The Company Agency, we spend a lot of time helping senior teams ensure that their messages are aligned.
4. Coach the speaker
Remember it’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it that matters. The style of delivery has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the communication, with the majority of the message impact influenced by the style and tone of delivery – not the words themselves. Coaching leaders to be more effective with their communications is a tough challenge, but a great opportunity for the internal communications manager. My philosophy is that senior leaders should not be performing seals when they speak, but use their natural style and strengths to engage the audience.
5. Be interactive
If PowerPoint slides have to be used, then try to use pictures to create a metaphor rather than extremely busy slides that the poor soul at the back of the room can’t read – it’s true, a picture does speak a 1000 words. When designing your event, ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for interactivity. If you’re on a low budget, then simply use techniques such as table discussions, the raising of hands to vote or simply build in time for a Q&A. The important point is to ensure that the design of the session enables two-way dialogue as opposed to the usual one-way information push.
6. Choose the right backup
No one wants to run the risk of seeing the CEO’s microphone not working or his or her slides not appearing. Sadly, the audience will always remember the technical things that go wrong as opposed to the message. If your budget can stretch to it, hire a professional event production company to support you for any major communications event. There are many different event production companies to choose from and I’d always advocate putting your event out to competitive tender.
On your selection criteria, you should look for solutions that deliver everything from pre- to post-event communication, a proven track record in delivering and most importantly of all, a team that you can work with.
A good agency will understand your strategy and will be one step ahead of you all the time.
7. Have a project plan
It is of course stating the obvious, but it’s critical that you have a detailed project plan that is flexible enough to accommodate changes but at the same time ensures you deliver the event as specified, within budget and of course, on time. Large scale events are usually very complex activities that have a low margin for error. In addition, any changes to your event can also become very costly indeed. You can minimize this by having a project plan that maps out key decision points such as confirmation of venue and transportation or booking of external guest speakers.
"The event must be managed as part of an overall communications process – not a separate activity in its own right."
8. There’s more than the event
As part of your broader communication planning, it’s imperative to consider what communication is required, both before and after the event itself. Simply inviting people into a room and talking with them will not deliver your objectives. Think about how you will create the right first impressions with the tone and the feel of the environment that you create. You should also consider how you balance the perception of cost versus the need to create impact for your message. In addition, those attending require context to explain why they are there and will require follow up communication to both remind them of and reinforce the key messages. This means that the event must be managed as part of an overall communications process – not a separate activity in its own right.
9. Flash isn’t always best
With organizations looking for more cost-effective ways to communicate with their people, the days of the large scale British Airways style experiential events look seemingly numbered. Explore alternative events that engage a smaller number of people to act as champions or ambassadors for your message and consider the use of web-based communication tools to widen the net and engage your audiences.
10. Measure, measure, measure
Having invested time, money and resources into the design, development and delivery of your face-to-face event, it’s critical that you measure whether or not it has delivered your objectives. Simple delegate feedback forms left on seats will give you an immediate response as to whether or not the internal customer experience on the day was any good. However, they won’t tell you if the event had any lasting effect on the audience. You should ensure that you measure against your original communication and business objectives at least four to eight weeks after the event. Don’t rely purely on quantative feedback – dig deep and seek qualitative views from those who attended and those who didn’t attend as well. By doing this, you will be able to assess how far your message has penetrated into the organization.
Figure 1: Study into use of internal events
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