I'm a big fan of working with my clients to develop creative approaches and themes that will not only stand the test of time, but leverage a multitude of distribution opportunities beyond the initial premiere.
For example, have you been to a conference themed around teamwork lately? Have you seen the fast paced video clip with the sponsoring executive extolling the virtues of working together? Did you read the words "collaboration", "stronger together", and "team" pulsing to the beat of a popular music track as you stare at a seemingly endless collage of photos of a politically correct mixture of employees hugging and high-fiving. Oh wait, was that Fred from accounting in that picture?
Now, really. Does that really inspire teamwork?
I've found that you'll earn way more brownie points from your audience if you go out in advance and capture tangible examples of teamwork already occurring in your organization.
By theming your event around these "front-line successes" you not only demonstrate that it's achievable, but you recognize the people who are already doing it. You will be amazed at the rise in employee engagement when you start profiling company success stories based on teamwork.
In developing a strategic, story-based approach, you can explore in greater detail the techniques and best practices being applied, personal perspectives from those "in the trenches", and inspire your audiences to take ownership and do the same. You can edit the stories into engaging 120-second success stories for your company Intranet, or dissect the content and use the components as training resources.
Whether you roll it all into a punchy 90-second video, or spread your long-form teamwork stories throughout the organization, its up to you. One thing is for sure, the teamwork stories you produce today will have value to your organization for months and years to come.
