We all know that current economic conditions have resulted in fewer large internal meetings-events where companies gather their employees to teach, train, inspire and celebrate.  It should not surprise us that in difficult times, travel costs and internal communication are some of the first budgets to be trimmed.

  But basic human needs have not changed.  We hear from employees at every level that they still desperately want to stay connected.  For some, large meetings used to serve that purpose.  Sales conferences, recognition programs, and various other internal events provided a lifeline of inside information.  The meetings themselves delivered huge amounts of specific information from management, while informal conversations helped all employees feel grounded and connected to the company as a whole.

  Now that many of those meetings are gone, how do employees stay connected?  How can they better understand why their jobs are important and what they can do to contribute to the organization?  How can they be energized?

  Some of our more progressive customers have found answers to those questions.  They have transferred valuable communication messages to a different medium, their own intranet.

  These corporate messages come from a variety of sources, including product managers, benefits personnel, legal, sales and marketing, division heads, and quite often by the CEO.  The old information platforms of large sales meetings (a podium or a social hour) are being replaced by today’s medium of choice: company messages delivered via computer or Blackberry.

  Mainstream has produced a variety of intranet video and Flash modules that communicate corporate messages right to employees’ desktops.  Sometimes these messages are topical, such as a new product release or a one-time circumstance.  Other times they are part of a series, like a monthly or quarterly update from management.  Either way, employees stay connected.  They have the opportunity to watch on their own schedule.  They can easily go back and review critical information, or catch up on past messages (sort of a corporate TiVo).

  We believe the next phase of this evolution will incorporate two-way information sharing (just like the conversations at a social hour without the finger food).  You know what they say: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

  But one thing has changed; the cost to communicate these messages to employees is drastically reduced from the old days.  Here at Mainstream, we continue to stage large corporate events, and many of these meetings are invaluable communication vehicles that are here to stay.  But for anyone interested in getting a message across in a more cost-effective way there is a new solution.

Want to explore new ways to communicate with employees in today's environment? Just Ask Mainstream.

For more solutions to your communications questions, click here:
 
http://www.mainstreamcom.net/AskMainstream.html