On Sunday, February 23rd, a T!LT video crew arrived in Milan, Italy — the first leg of a series of video shoots spanning multiple weeks and journeying them throughout Europe. The following day, Monday, February 24th, the T!LT video crew departed their hotel – after being quarantined indoors for 24 hours – and headed directly to the airport where they boarded a flight back to the United States. The shoot was postponed indefinitely, and the growing fears of Covid-19 – more popularly known as coronavirus – were realized.
We’ve seen a growing number of clients exercising more caution, postponing or canceling face-to-face meetings and in general heightening accountability for their employees’ health and safety as it relates to the coronavirus outbreak.
Realizing that content and messaging still needs to be shared, and the need for communicating is only stronger (especially through a heightened level of anxiety), we’d like to offer a few suggestions – ideas we know work through experience – helping you engage when face-to-face meetings are not possible.
Knowing that the value of a live (in-person) business meeting is in many respects irreplaceable, at T!LT we recommend to our clients that you engage in a comprehensive communication strategy that incorporates virtual tools when conditions outside of your control prohibit travel. But this virtual (albeit dynamic and engaging) alternative is just one key part of the communication strategy that will reinforce your culture, elevate employee morale and drive your business results.
By far the most popular live meeting alternative takes the form of virtual webcasts. At T!LT, we believe didactic webcasts are a thing of the past. Robust multimedia experiences are the new generation of virtual communication, and T!LT lives on the cusp of what works, what connects, what inspires.
We push the boundaries transforming the traditional live streaming platform into a much more powerful communication tool. We realize audience engagement is critical to seeing a return on investment and achieving a bump in performance. With that in mind, T!LT views virtual meeting technology beyond a technical alternative to live engagements, but instead as a strategic and tactical method of driving communication, information and learning objectives.
How? By designing the virtual experience with the end user in mind – it’s a combination of technically flawless connection paired with smart experiential design. Rarely will we suggest a simple one to many broadcast; instead, we work with our clients to identify their communication objectives and then enter the design phase, exploring the most strategic way to deliver their critical messaging. Perhaps it’s a one to many “general session” experience before seamlessly transitioning into breakouts or small group discussions. Or perhaps there’s a myriad of media elements integrated into dynamic presentation(s).
Beyond what we refer to as Live Streaming 2.0, there are endless possibilities to connect and engage with your target audience. T!LT has plenty of experience producing podcasts, video campaigns, designing and developing internal engagement strategies, and Virtual Reality meetings (yes, this is a real thing and will blow your mind!). As a key takeaway during this time of heightened travel anxiety, please find comfort knowing you have a partner in T!LT to help facilitate, manage and drive connections with your workforce; we have proven success developing full-blown internal communication strategy and planning, and we would love to lend you our expertise.
