An audience of three | Brunswick Group

Three Amigos of Employee Engagement

When putting together any campaign, gaining insight about your audience is always going to be a critical component.

The truth is, when it comes to employee campaigns this basic ingredient is often in short supply. While there are lots of reasons for this, the reality is that for many organisations the modus operandi for developing employee communication lags behind those honed and applied to customer communications.

So in lieu of that gap closing anytime soon, let me introduce my alternative approach that features three personas. This hypothetical (and hyperbolic) trio have kicked about my sub-conscious for quite some time now, and I’m pretty sure have contributed to many employee communication challenges over the last decade or more.  Only recently have I been able to identify and share a glimpse of them:

1. The busy employee

In a past article I talked about the busyness of business communications and the potential for information overload. Communications need to respect and reflect the considerable pressures on employees’ time and attention. That means simplicity, clarity and relevance are paramount, as is a clear call to action.

2. The bored employee

Without an immediate and compelling standout factor, communications will fail to get noticed or assimilated. Eliciting an emotional response and being clear about the personal benefits and outcomes can help.

3. The cynical employee

For any form of communication to be trusted, they must have a voice that is both authentic and respectful. Communications need clear rationale, robust proof points, and often to be more open and inclusive, offering the chance for voices to be heard and heeded.

I want to emphasise that this is a bizarre trio and admit it’s a tangential view on audiences. But the combination of these three extreme personas can be highly helpful, different and influential in thinking about any employee engagement challenge. If you can’t get a bespoke set of personas, then consider inviting them in.( It could be worth it even if you can)