As we settle into the new normal, it’s interesting to explore how the pandemic has affected our working lives and the way we engage with people via communications.
But what are some of the key things we learned from the pandemic and how can we implement these into campaigns today?
Before the pandemic, working from home was regarded as a luxury. Today, many industries embrace a hybrid or fully remote working model. In fact, statistics show that at least 38% of adults work from home at least one day a week.
The pandemic also changed people’s attitudes towards work on a wider level. Having time away from their desks made it clear to thousands of people that they weren’t fulfilled by their career, and a huge migration of talent soon followed. Now, individuals expect the company they work for to value their skills and are less likely to stay in a job if they are dissatisfied. There’s also evidence to suggest that people value their time more and are now unwilling to sit through meetings without clear agenda, objectives or insight.
These factors all come into play when we look at how to engage with the modern workforce. With more home workers, there’s no guarantee that communications crafted for the office space will have the right impact, or even reach most of the workforce at all. We also need to be more dynamic than ever, taking a tailored, multi-channel approach to engage as many team members as possible. It’s all about cutting through the noise and getting to the point. However, while direct messaging makes an impression in the short-term, how can we guarantee longevity?
Worried While not everyone will agree on the way that the UK government handled the pandemic, it did offer some valuable lessons. As the virus evolved and messaging changed regularly, it became clear that regular updates that reinforced messaging were the key to helping guidelines stick in the minds of the public. This “little but often” approach effectively reduced communications to just the core message and repeated it often, but it had the right impact.
So, how can we implement these changes into the communications of today?
You may have heard of the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. This model states that learned information fades over time if we don’t try to relearn it regularly. The theory suggests that the only way to prevent this from happening is to reset the curve often, reminding ourselves of the information at set intervals so it moves into our long-term memory.
That’s not to say that this is a straightforward theory, and there are, of course, multiple factors that impact how well we retain the knowledge presented to us:
Have you ever left a webinar filled with new information and found that you can’t remember any of it a few hours later? Ebbinghaus suggests that this is because the first few hours after learning are when we are most prone to forgetting things, a challenge that can only be overcome if we remind ourselves of the information we’ve learnt frequently.
Ebbinghaus also suggested that the nature of the knowledge we’re being presented makes a difference. Topics that interest and engage us are inherently more retainable, whereas information we’re not interested in soon fades from our minds. How the information is communicated also affects how memorable it is. A fun animation could be far more memorable than the same information in document form – it all depends on what the audience prefers and what formats resonate with them. Remember, even complex information is memorable if it catches attention!
Information retention can be influenced by how we feel. When we’re tired or stressed we often struggle to remember information, even when we’re really interested in the topic.
Sleep plays a vital role in how we consolidate information. A good night’s rest gives our brains the chance to process events from our day, and this is an essential part of making information stick in our minds. Plus, a tired brain isn’t as efficient as learning. When we’re exhausted, we find it hard to focus, and this means we struggle to absorb information.
Looking at these factors, it’s clear that for communications to make an impact, we need to be implementing the same “little but often” approach that the government took during the Covid-19 crisis.
On a wider level, the pandemic also ushered in a new era of technology. With people working remotely or wanting to remain touch-free, certain tools have now become mainstream. Just look at QR codes –before the pandemic many people hadn’t used one before, now they’re everywhere!
Taking advantage of this shift can also ensure that communications make the required impact. A QR code linking to a video is a fast, effective way to have people engage with a message and to find out more on a topic. Plus, it’s a smart way to tap into the familiarity that we all have with these new technologies, encouraging people to access information in a way that feels normal.
Every member of our Impact team is dedicated to keeping ahead of the curve and creating communications that make a lasting impression. We’ve learned a lot from the pandemic and feel confident that we can always develop solutions that not only reflect your core values, but also encourage continuous engagement.
If you’d like to know more about what we do or how we can help you, please contact us today.
