In today’s fast-paced, digital-first world, internal communications (or internal comms) still have an essential role to play. When companies authentically engage their employees, they cultivate a stronger, more productive, and deeply connected workforce. However, simply sending out an email or a text isn’t enough to foster that engagement; it calls for something more impactful: engaging stories that resonate emotionally.
Video and animation are two of the most exciting and accessible tools communicators can use when sharing stories. So, how do you choose between video and animation for internal communications? And why is emotional resonance so crucial?
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Internal vs. External Communications: A Key Difference in Strategy
Before we jump into the details of video and animation, let’s take a moment to sort out the difference between internal and external communications.
External Communication shapes perceptions, drive sales, and build brand awareness. These messages are often polished, strategic, and targeted to an audience outside the company. The tone may be formal (especially in B2B) or highly stylised, emphasising the creation of a specific brand image.
On the flip side…
Internal communications are all about connecting with people, being open, and keeping everyone motivated. The aim is to ensure employees are in the loop, on the same page with company goals, and engaged in the workplace culture. Internal comms can have a friendly vibe mixed with some formal stuff, but the real magic happens when the messages feel genuine. It’s not about pushing a product; it’s more about creating a culture, building relationships, and encouraging everyone. This is why storytelling with emotional resonance is so essential in internal comms. Employees are not just looking for updates—they want to feel connected to the company’s mission, to the team, and to the larger purpose of their work.
Video vs. Animation: Which is Right for Internal Comms?
Matching the medium with your message is important when deciding whether to use video or animation. Both have benefits, but the choice depends on the story you want to tell.
Video: A Personal, Relatable Connection
Video is one of the most powerful tools for building authentic connections in internal communications. Seeing real people speak or interact fosters a sense of trust and relatability. It’s harder for employees to feel disconnected when they can see a manager, executive, or coworker speak directly to them. Here are some reasons to opt for video:
- Authenticity and Relatability: Video, especially with on-camera appearances, allows for real faces, voices, and emotions. When employees see their colleagues sharing stories, updates, or messages, it reinforces a sense of community and trust.
- Transparency: More and more, employees are looking for transparency from their leadership. A thoughtfully crafted video message can really help to humanize leaders, share important updates, and make them feel more approachable and relatable.
- Engagement through Emotion: Video has the unique ability to combine visual cues (body language, facial expressions) with voice tone, creating a deeper emotional connection. This makes it perfect for conveying messages that require empathy, such as celebrating a team’s success, acknowledging a challenge, or sharing a company milestone.
But remember – Today, everyone consumes a lot of video. Your videos should be authentic and reflect your brand values. Not every company can or should create viral content. Tone is the primary focus with video. Animation: Simplifying Ideas with Creative Flair
Animation: Simplifying Complex Ideas and Adding Creative Flair
On the other hand, animation provides flexibility and creativity that video sometimes cannot. Whether it’s a fun explainer video, a visual metaphor for company values, or an abstract representation of data, animation can be incredibly effective in making complex ideas digestible and engaging. Here’s why animation might be the right choice:
- Simplifying Complex Concepts: There are times when internal communications have to simplify complex processes, systems, or policies. Animation shines here, as it brings abstract concepts to life using relatable metaphors, engaging symbols, or clear flow diagrams. This fun and approachable method makes explaining challenging topics so much easier way.
- Creative Flexibility: Animation offers a wonderful opportunity to showcase your company’s unique creativity and culture! There are many exciting ways to create vibrant worlds and characters that truly reflect your company’s values. Plus, it engages employees in ways that live-action videos simply can’t!
- Consistency: Animation can ensure consistent messaging and branding across different internal comms materials without the limitations of location, lighting, or the need for a studio setup. It’s a clean, polished solution that can be easily replicated across campaigns.
But remember – Animation can be seen as childish or making light of a subject, so make sure the animation style suits the tone of the content. Avoid character animation unless you have the budget to do it properly.
Telling Stories with Emotional Resonance
Emotional resonance is at the heart of effective internal communication. This emotional connection is the bridge that transforms dry information into genuine engagement. So, how can video and animation nurture this heartfelt connection?
- Video’s Emotional Impact: Video works well for creating an emotional bond because it allows for non-verbal cues like tone, facial expressions, and body language, which add layers to the message. The human element is crucial in making the content feel authentic and heartfelt. When you want employees to feel inspired, empowered, or connected, video can make those emotions come through in impactful and genuine ways.
- Animation’s Emotional Potential: Though animation doesn’t have human faces to convey emotion, it can still be incredibly moving. Consider how animated visuals can create metaphorical or symbolic stories that resonate with employees. A simple, colourful animation showing a team overcoming obstacles together can be as moving as a real-life video of the same scenario.
The key is that video and animation allow you to go beyond the surface. They help craft a narrative in which employees can see themselves—a story that reflects their experiences, challenges, and triumphs. This is where authentic engagement begins: when your internal communications reflect the human experiences that happen daily at work.
Best Practices for Using Video and Animation in Internal Comms
To make the most of these mediums, there are a few best practices to follow:
- Know Your Audience: Understand who you’re talking to. The tone and style of your video or animation should be tailored to the audience you’re addressing—whether it’s frontline staff, leadership teams, or the whole organisation.
- Be Authentic: Both video and animation can seem unoriginal if they aren’t executed thoughtfully. Ensure your content feels personal and conveys the true voice of your organisation, whether through real people in the video or a consistent narrative thread in the animation.
- Keep It Concise: Employees’ time is valuable, so keep videos and animations brief and focused. Strive for a clear, concise message that resonates quickly and deeply.
- Tell a Story: Whether you’re using video or animation, always centre the message around a story. Stories are more likely to be remembered, evoke emotion, and create a lasting impression.
- Use Both in Tandem: In many cases, video and animation can complement each other. For example, a leadership update might start with an animated explainer video, followed by a real-life message from a CEO or team leader to reinforce the message.
So…
In internal communications, engagement truly shines as the heart of creating a close-knit, motivated, and unified team. Both video and animation hold incredible potential here, each bringing its unique strengths to the table. Video wonderfully humanises messages, helping to cultivate connection, while animation excels at breaking down complex ideas and sparking creativity. By using these tools thoughtfully and focusing on emotional impact, you can craft stories that not only inspire but also motivate your audience employees.
When you choose the right tool for the job and focus on genuine, emotionally engaging stories, you’ll be on a wonderful path to creating internal communications that are not just effective, but truly impactful and engaging.
If you want to talk to us more about this, then email me at steve@studiogiggle.co.uk or call 0117 972 0081
