5 Ways to Use Video to Foster a Listening Culture

In today’s business environment, fostering a listening culture is essential for organizational success. At work, Gen Z wants to feel heard more than previous generations. Video can play a pivotal role in building or reinforcing this culture, ensuring that all stakeholders, from employees to customers to shareholders, feel valued.

1. Regular Video Updates from Executive Leadership

Regular video updates from leadership can build transparency and trust. Frequent communication breaks down the barriers of corporate hierarchy. These videos create a sense of familiarity between leaders and employees on a grand scale, where direct face-to-face communication isn’t possible.

Depending on the target audience, these update videos can address key investor concerns, provide company updates, or acknowledge employee contributions. They might relay regular company updates by quarter or at the end of a project or campaign. Keeping people in the know is an essential way to foster a listening culture. Leaders can demonstrate that they are listening to questions and concerns by making regular update videos.

When planning these videos, consider the ways you can encourage the audience to submit feedback. Inviting questions will allow your videos to start conversations, furthering the initial dialogue. If your videos are posted on an internal company intranet, you might integrate surveys to collect feedback. Approaching video with a feedback-first mindset will build connections with your key audience.

2. Department-Specific Videos are Tailored Communication

In large organizations, employees rarely have a chance to interface with the C-Suite. This can cause them to feel that their feedback isn’t being pushed to the top—to the decision makers who can enact change.

This is a great opportunity to deploy personalized video messages to address specific teams or departments. These videos show that leadership is attuned to the unique challenges and achievements of different groups. They can engage in dialogue specific to those employees, getting to the root of the issue much more efficiently.

Consider highlighting individual and team accomplishments in these messages, reinforcing a culture of recognition and appreciation.

3. Live Employee Town Halls Invite All

Whether you are in-office, remote or hybrid, interactive video content can show your employees that the company wants to keep them informed and hear their perspectives.

Videos that are broadcast live capture questions in the moment. But one of the added benefits of video is that it can be replayed back anytime, anywhere. Stakeholders who couldn’t be present for the live broadcast can still hear the updates later on.

Several clients have worked with us to produce live town hall events that allow leadership to offer important updates and field questions from the workforce. Events like these foster a sense of inclusion and ensure that all employee voices are heard.

4. Testimonial Videos Resonate with Stakeholders

Story-driven testimonials are a powerful video category that can resonate with multiple different audiences. Employees will see the direct effects of their work. Investors will feel more emotionally connected to the organization. Prospective customers will feel assured that your organization can deliver on its promises.

You can also use these videos as a conversation starter, encouraging viewers to share their stories with you as well. Social media is a great way to open up larger dialogues. Humans are drawn to other human stories.

Importantly, the process of filming these testimonial videos is an exercise in listening. During pre-production and on the shoot day, your company will get to dive deep to pull out the right story. Whether you’re interviewing employees, management, customers, patients, or the executive team, everyone you speak to will have a valuable response. The research you put into crafting the video can be a productive learning opportunity for your company.

5. Social Media Videos Encourage Conversation

We’re in a social media golden age, and incorporating video into your social media strategy is a great way to foster a listening culture. These platforms have built-in ways for audiences to engage, whether through comments, likes or shares (and users love to share video). Those analytics can tell their own story—what types of videos get the biggest responses, and what do those responses reflect back to your company?

Companies who actively engage back with followers are displaying a listening culture. Have you noticed that some company’s teams are easier to reach through social media than through a customer service phone number?

In a crowded social media ecosystem, social media video not only allows your content to stand out in a feed, it fosters valuable conversations between you and your stakeholders.