One thing we can say about ‘the new normal’ is that it is not, in any way, normal.
The impact of the pandemic on individuals, businesses and the economy has been devastating.
Life has changed for all of us. Although the lockdown appears to be loosening in the UK, the threat remains and there is still no clear ‘end’ in sight. Ongoing infection spikes are likely to require multiple localised lockdowns for months to come. The ‘new normal’ will not be static.
Businesses have responded well: remote working has been enabled where possible and safety precautions are in place at physical workplaces. At a time when people cannot meet in person, we have all become familiar with a new verb – ‘to zoom’.
‘Zooming’ has become the catch-all phrase for face-to-face online communications of varying quality. The usual business protocols are dispensed with; suits remain on their hangers, hair is un-coiffed, children and pets roam freely in the background.
Why? Because, while we have all been forced to adjust our behaviours, what’s really interesting is that without prior discussion or planning, is that we have adjusted our priorities.
We have all accepted that the formal trappings of business are simply not important. People are…
Zooming has helped us realise that we all have lives outside of work. And we believe the conversations have improved. People have been caring more, sharing more and listening better. We’ve used the technology to go ‘back to basics’. Plain talk, about important stuff.
That’s what counts.
Unfortunately, sometimes the technology lets us down. Bandwidth issues and time delays distract from what we’re trying to say. And sometimes we need everybody to understand exactly what we’re trying to say without being diverted by our grey roots, wayward cats and echoes of our own voice bouncing back from the ether.
But while the way we do business has had to change we still need some fundamental things to happen. We still need to train, advise, sell, instruct and learn, and we need those messages to ‘stick’.
The most powerful communications tool in the digital world was always video (in all forms, including animation). It’s the most effective way for conveying stories, and it is the best at provoking an emotional response, to influence opinions and change behaviours.
In our new normal, a video has an even bigger part to play in helping us to talk plainly about important stuff. And to make sure the messages you send are delivered well, and uniformly,
to your team. That means there will be even more content flying around, and much more social media activity. Which in turn will make it harder to stand out and be remembered.
We can help. Talk to us about how we can help you communicate more effectively during the new normal.
This article was first published here: https://www.signalfilm.tv/insights/