Modern Communication in the Modern Workplace - Essay

Introduction

Modern forms of communication possess a plethora of technologies and attitudes within its meaning. However, when placed into a workplace context, the forms of which it takes becomes all the more imperative to maintaining efficiency and the spread of accurate and current media.

Cambridge defines communication in a business context as:

“...the process of sharing information, especially when this increases understanding between people or groups” ~ Cambridge Dictionary

In regards to the Cambridge definition of communication, can video be considered to be an accurate process for sharing information? With the widespread use of video, it has come apparent that this form of media would be an effective tool within the modern workplace. Furthermore, the use of printed media may be a thing of the past as digital takes full control of the distribution of media and information.

In Better Green Business: Handbook for Environmentally Responsible and Profitable Business Practices (Olson, 2009, p.3) it is clarified that if a business is to succeed greatly, then an environmental approach becomes a requirement, this includes the consideration of how the company’s media and information are distributed.

Vlogging (or video blogging) may become an essential internal communication method for the modern age, according to Atlassian (2019), whereby it is considered an adequate method to share information on the company’s culture and even employee’s personal lives.

How would such an intensive and time-consuming project be managed? According to The New Normal of Working Lives: Critical Studies in Contemporary Work and Employment (Taylor, S., Luckman, S., 2017., p. 149), blogging and video blogging have become a career of its own, suggesting that such a project could be managed by the company’s own creative team.

Furthermore, this report will explore the possibility that vlogging in a company’s internal online management system could become the most efficient way to communicate and distribute information.

Vlogging as a Digital Media

As expressed earlier, vlogging is as simple as a video blog. However, other forms of digital media that could become beneficial to a company’s internal communications could include written blogs, and podcasts. An article by Hubspot (Hayes, 2020) claims that marketer's choice of media is video and is a key priority in the marketing world.

Vlogging requires specific planning and even expertise for a successful project as it is not as simple as some consider it to be, with extensive effort to produce and share (Ashton., Patel., 2017., p. 148). As vlogging or being a vlogger is considered a career, it is then accurate to say that video is a successful medium of communication. Video blogging is communication and communicating ideas in a visual format far differing from its written blog or audio blog (podcast) counterparts.

In regards to employee communication Investigating Business Communication and Technologies details how vlogging is a successful method of promoting a business/work but also sharing news and information (Rasmussen, R., Mylonas, A., Beck, H., 2012., p376). However, as there is limited resources for dedicated Information Technology departments and facilities, there would be an issue with the management and dedication of a vlog for the internal communication base for a company (Fenton, A., Fletcher, G., Griffiths, M., 2019).

What are Progressive Tools for Successful Communication in a Business?

Internal blogging is known to be a successful communication tool for employees to post and share ideas and opinions regarding their personal or professional lives. An article published through Atlassian If you want an open company culture, start this one habit (Lynn, J., 2018) claims that a company’s culture can have dramatic positive changes to just a few alterations in internal communication.

This progressive approach has been known to promote the sharing of not only information but knowledge, increase in productivity, building connections between employees, and encourages individuals to be more vocal (Lynn, J., 2018).

Aside from this, Atlassian has produced a platform for companies that differs from a regular intranet. If we are to look at progressive tools (as video is a progressive tool), then the platforms at which they are distributed must also be considered. Confluence is such a platform, created by Atlassian, and is a tool used for teams to collaborate through an internal space (Atlassian., 2020).

Looking beyond this, however, other video-type mediums could also be found to enhance the progression of a company. Such a platform includes a video streaming service which can be found through Microsoft 365’s package. Microsoft has developed its own streaming platform designed for workplaces to communicate effectively (Microsoft., 2020). Its primary purpose was for sharing ideas and providing convenient training.

Why is it Important for Businesses in the Modern Age to Go Eco Friendly and How does Video Help?

An essential feature of any successful company has come to be how efficient and economically friendly its operations are based upon their consideration of the environment. Better Green Business: Handbook for Environmentally Responsible and Profitable Business Practices (Olson., 2009) explores the idea of how using a systematic method such as updated technologies, will continue to improve the sustainability of a company. As mentioned previously, Information Technology departments fall short on resources to manage and maintain their projects, which inevitably leads to a lack of sustainability within the company (Olson., 2009., p. 5).

“...the idea that goods and services should be produced in ways that do not use resources that cannot be replaced and that do not damage the environment” ~ Cambridge Dictionary

Progression requires development and for a business to maintain its viability it is imperative to allow for technological implementation (Fenton, A., Fletcher, G., Griffiths, M., 2019). In regards to video, allowing for a segment within a company’s internal collaborative space to explore vlogging to distribute information becomes a sustainable source. This would also include the Microsoft streaming service. These services are convenient and efficient which are the top qualities that Olson claims that a company can demonstrate its durability (Olson., 2009., p. 5).

Conclusion

To summarise, there is no use for print media within a workplace that would be used to distribute company information when there are efficient and convenient tools that can be integrated into the company’s intranet. Small businesses are also able to use these tools to manage customers and clients, but also communicate with other employees and contractors.

However, video is a flexible tool which can be clearly implemented, each collaboration tool providing space for either pre-recorded or streaming for live training. Vlogging is a successful form of digital media due to its useable variety and its continual growth within the marketing world. It is sustainable, proving its viability as a leading form of communication, and therefore a successful tool for overall communication within business.

Recommendations

Issues that should be addressed in regards to video as a form of communication, would mostly be the resources required to manage such a project. As discussed earlier, IT departments already have a shortage despite being an essential part of any business. Why would video take precedence for resources?

The solution would be to dedicate a section of a creative team to manage this, allowing for a single person with skills in video production to produce and manage this project, including acquiring subjects for potential interviews. This would also likely require collaboration with the IT departments, therefore providing more required resources.

The next issue would be the attention spans of the audience and video length. In an article published by Hubspot, we are made aware of the preferred length of digital media published on the internet. In 2018, it was recorded that 56% of videos uploaded onto the internet were less than two minutes long suggesting that short videos are more palatable for audiences (Chi., 2018).

The solution for this issue would be to keep any vlogs uploaded onto the company’s intranet short (preferably a maximum of two minutes in length) but still providing useful information to employees. The video can also be distributed by email or announced on the intranet as well.

References

Rasmussen, R., Mylonas, A., Beck, H., 2012., Investigating Business Communication and Technologies., Cambridge University press

Fenton, A., Fletcher, G., Griffiths, M., 2019., Strategic Digital Transformation: A Results Driven Approach., Routledge

Olson. G, E. PhD., 2009., Better Green Business: Handbook for Environmentally Responsible and Profitable Business Practices., Pearson Prentice Hall

Taylor, S., Luckman, S., 2017., The New Normal of Working Lives: Critical Studies in Contemporary Work and Employment., Springer

Lynn, J., Atlassian., 2018., If you want an open company culture, start this one habit., https://www.atlassian.com/blog/inside-atlassian/internal-blogging-knowledge-sharing

Atlassian., 2019., Intranet software that connects people and ideas., https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/social-intranet-software

Hayes, A., 2020., The State of Video Marketing in 2020 (New Data)., https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-video-marketing-new-data

Chi, P., 2018., How Long Should Your Videos Be? Ideal Lengths for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube., https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-long-should-videos-be-on-instagram-twitter-facebook-youtube

Cambridge Dictionary., Communication., https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/communication

Cambridge Dictionary., Sustainability., https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sustainability

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