Instructional Design

The Shift from Static to Multimedia Communication

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In this day and age, people have what seems like infinite ways of communicating with each other but not all communication are created equal. For some texting is the way to go; for others, it’s keeping up that Snapchat streak; and sometimes you can’t beat an old-fashioned, handwritten letter. When it comes to your company, have you considered multimedia communication?

A company’s entire culture can be changed by only 3 creative multimedia communication shifts. Imagine that, a relatively small change can completely alter your culture if you’re intentional about the change. If companies switch over to creative visuals to connect with learners they:

  1. Educate and entertain at the same time
  2. See higher engagement
  3. Ensure a message is received and understood.
  4. Create more personalized, human-centric messaging. Grab people’s attention
  5. Create more enjoyable and memorable communications

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We all know that there isn’t anything especially exciting about receiving an email and so you can’t expect for your employees to get excited when you send one out. Emails fail to grab attention in the same way pictures, sounds, motion. Videos create a connection between the user and the information, which is vital if you’re hoping to incite excitement at work. Of course, there is a time and place for emails to be sent and received but incorporating video and audio will go a long way towards getting your learners motivated. By creating quick, immersive, and engaging experiences via eLearning multimedia, you have a better chance of helping your ideas take flight. And sending multimedia messages periodically to your team can get their creative flows going and will set a tone for your company.

For some, multimedia communication may seem like a luxury that isn’t worth spending money on but that’s not how millennials are going to feel. Millennials have been integrating themselves into businesses for years and they expect more from their communications.

These guys are the Internet generation: super savvy and extremely picky, these digital natives require a lot more than a boring training video or a click through the module. While it’s true that some might prefer a wall of text, others might respond much better to an audio recording, a live stream, or a video. The problem with text though is that you can’t always convey your excitement about a new initiative or inspire the change that only a leader can through the spoken word. Offering different types of multimedia means each learner chooses the medium she or he best connects with, bettering your chance to ignite real change.

If you’re stumped for how to make your communications go from static to creative, here are some things to get you started:

  1. Videos
  2. Live Q&A sessions
  3. Podcasts
  4. Live streams
  5. Video journals or vlogs
  6. Interactive slideshows
  7. Instant messages with embedded links, videos, and photos
  8. Online photo albums

Being creative with the way that you communicate might be the difference in the workplace that the whole company wants to see. Sometimes your brain just needs a rest because we know that brains are ultimately lazy organs. So give them a break by giving them images to process rather than text; images are processed 60,000 times faster than text by the brain. They’re constantly looking for the fastest ways through information and for any method that reduces cognitive work on their part.

When you have an overarching vision for a new way to improve learning and communication, it can be easy to blame the initiative when no one else seems interested while the real problem was in the way you communicated your idea. The average person only has an eight-second attention span, which means that even the most revolutionary ideas must compete with things like social media and funny cat videos. It’s time for multimedia communication.