An experience will teach you things that words cannot

Why do we communicate? For Transformation, Change Management, Agility? Every time we communicate there is a reaction, a reaction to our statements, and in turn these reactions create ripples of communication across an organisation, That many a times, dilute the very essence of communication that you began with. Thus is the dilemma of Internal Communications.

For instance every time one comes out from a CEO’s cabin, it generally is an experience, filled with things to do, ideas to achieve and thoughts to change.  And whenever one comes out of a CFO’s Cabin it was mostly an experience, we don’t have this, can’t do this, etc… These experiences then translated into reactions towards the way we work, interact with our teams and approach our deadlines.

While the above reflects reactions at a personal level, It also holds true when an organisation wide communication is sent out. So what happened? we only exchanged words… words that individuals interpret based on their current state of mind or judgement. Especially when this communication comes over an email.

Can we, as communicators, transform the process of communication, where the end user experience delivers the message, rather than just using words. This demands higher ownership and accountability rather than just being a Mail box?

ESat survey: Brand – score LOW.

CEO: “I want to build Brand awareness in the organisation?”

Comms: “We will create an email campaign to promote our brand within our employees.”

A typical comms response to many of such demands that we cater too! How about thinking a bit differently… Rather than just sending out words / Images… change the environment where people can experience or feel the brand and not just read about it.

I love watching tennis, but no one ever came and told me that Wimbledon is the most prestigious event in the Tennis circuit. We just know it, even after sitting miles away, watching the tournament on your TV, you can automatically see the difference in the way the event is conducted. Right from the basics like

• All whites, clothing of the players
• Invitations to Top class players
• The conduct of the referees, lines wo/men
• The punctuality
• Presence of Royalty…. And the list goes on. 

They do not send a bunch of emails to everyone or Advertise saying that we are a great tournament. Every time you are watching Wimbledon, you know that you are part of history being created, just by the experience you live through in the environment created all around the event.

Just like a video game… I don’t think one  ever got a manual to play PUBG or Doom (In the early days)… The user experience defined the success.

Similarly, as communicators we are equally responsible to create the right environment providing the right experiences, for the message, that not only resonates but gets reinforced through our actions.

These experiences create a conversation with our stakeholders leading to increased brand image and awareness, resulting in better client engagement, resulting in a greater return-on-investment—the ultimate goals of any organisation.

Ankush Malhotra

Ankush is an adventurist by passion and a Communicator by profession. He specialises in Employee Engagement and Gamification techniques to build and drive organisation culture. With over 20 years of premeditated experience he has emerged as a thought leader canalising & creating path-breaking communications strategies.