Phygital & live internal communication: challenges and formats | Responsive

In 2021, new working methods, in particular the rise of remote working, forced many jobs to reinvent themselves. Internal communication was no exception.

For several months, major in-person events were completely replaced by digital appointments. The digital format is not lacking in advantages, in particular, the assurance of reaching a large audience, but it has also shown its limits. It is therefore the mix of the two alternatives (face-to-face and remote) that should come out on top and become a future solution for internal communication.

Towards a mixed format

Internal events need to combine physical and digital; we speak of “phygital” for commerce. The term may not be appropriate, but the idea is there: use new formats that combine live, replay, and new, more original plenary sessions with real added value. The ambition is to interact with a double audience, both the audience in the theater and the one behind the screen, and to interest these two audiences.

Phygital involves completely rethinking the event with shorter speaking times, more varied formats, changes of scenery... The goal? Multiply the highlights and capture the attention of the double audience because, let's remember, even if the collaborator is connected, you have to interest him enough so that he stays until the end of the live program and does not do anything else at the same time. The digitization of content therefore encourages the production of more impactful formats, which are both short and dynamic; the internal event will not escape it.

The battle for proximity

Using a professional presenter can be a good solution. This one puts the speakers at ease and sets the pace for the event by moving from one section to another.

Major internal meetings have long been inspired by events with, for example, impressive scenography. With phygital, they will be more inspired by the codes of a program (TV or Web) and its rubricated side: we go from one subject to another, from one format to another (speeches, interviews, motion design, report, etc.), from one setting to another. We capture the attention of audiences thanks to a rhythmic editing. Far from wanting to impress with a scenography worthy of a concert at the Stade de France, we will rather seek an intimate side to recreate proximity. Maintaining proximity is one of the major current challenges in internal communication. The rise of teleworking has created physical distance between employees, so the mission of communication is to ensure that this distance does not also become social. Collaborators have fewer and fewer points of reference, places of exchange. This is why internal communication must strive to overcome this, to film the teams in their work environments, to bring the field to the stage. In this way, it gives a tangible reality to the diversity of company profiles. Everyone can see and understand what the other is doing and feel involved in the same project despite the distance.

This forces us to imagine a new vision of internal communication that uses face-to-face communication in a more restricted, more distilled way. Major events being complicated, it seems wise to increase the number of appointments via digital technology, for smaller audiences.

Creating cohesion at a distance is very challenging and requires very engaging content. Video seems to have found its place in this face-to-face and digital mix.

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