How can video improve internal communication?

You know that feeling when yet another all-staff email lands in your inbox, all 1,200 words of it, and your soul quietly leaves your body? That’s traditional internal comms at its worst: long, lifeless, and about as a webinar on data archiving.

Meanwhile, video is out here doing star jumps in the corner, waving its arms and shouting, “Pick me!”

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Why Video Works (And Why Words Alone Often Don’t)

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We humans are visual magpies. According to Forrester Research, our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, and Insivia reckon viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it on video, compared to just 10% when reading it as text.

According to the Journal of Educational Psychology, using both visual and auditory cues (dual coding) enhances recall by up to 68% versus text alone.

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And it’s a similar picture with storytelling. Our brains are built for stories, and video delivers them best.

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Neuroimaging shows that storytelling activates multiple parts of the brain, not just the language centres. This includes the sensory and emotional regions.
(Dr. Paul Zak, Claremont Graduate University, “Why Inspiring Stories Make Us React.”)

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Stories told via video increase oxytocin levels, boosting empathy, connection, and trust – all key ingredients in effective leadership communication.
(Harvard Business Review, “Why Inspiring Stories Make Us React,” 2014.)

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So, when you need employees to really get what’s going on - whether it’s your new strategy, an organisational change, or just a quick pep talk - why on earth are you still sending them a 25-slide PowerPoint that looks like your semi-retired accounts clerk did their best with the ten minutes they were given?

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The Many Faces of Internal Comms Video

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Not all internal videos are created equal. Think of them as a family: some slick and glamorous, others more “caught on iPhone 12 at 7am, but surprisingly heartfelt.” Both have their place.

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1. The Big Showpiece

These are your high-production-number videos, the kind that dazzle at conferences or town halls. Think glossy product or service launches, year-in-review montages, or that “Welcome to the Future of Our Business” sizzle reel.
They’re great for inspiration, motivation, and reminding people that your company can actually be cool.

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2. The Leader-on-Camera Moment

There’s nothing quite like seeing your CEO talking directly to you, especially if they’re not reading off an autocue like a newsreader on their twelfth hour or reporting a breaking story. A simple, authentic, to-camera message from leadership builds trust, boosts transparency, and humanises even the most spreadsheet-loving exec.

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3. The Everyday Explainer

Need to unpack complex data, a new policy, or the latest change project? Video helps you do it with clarity and a bit of flair. Add a few graphics, a sprinkling of humour (optional but effective in the right hands), and boom - you’ve turned “process change documentation” into something humans might actually watch voluntarily.

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4. The Quick & Dirty Mobile Update

Sometimes the best internal comms video is the one that isn’t polished. A quick, self-shot clip from someone on the factory floor or a project lead in the field feels authentic and immediate. It’s the digital equivalent of chatting at the coffee machine.

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5. The Human Story

Celebrating employees, recognising milestones, or showcasing innovation, storytelling through video is what makes culture come alive. It turns “we’re proud of our people” from corporate wallpaper into something with heart.

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Text vs. Video: The Comms Cage Match

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Let’s be blunt.
An email might tell you the quarterly results are “positive, demonstrating resilience and growth.”
A short video, with the CFO explaining those same results in plain English, with a grin, a graph, and a twinkle in their eye shows it.

One feels like homework.
The other feels like a conversation.

And if you’re wondering whether people will actually watch it, here’s your answer: employees are 75% more likely to engage with video than text-based comms (TechSmith, 2024).

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But, Wait Up! Isn’t Video Expensive?

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It can be — if you’re trying to film your internal Q2 update on the set of Oppenheimer. But not every video needs to be blockbuster-level. Sometimes, a well-lit phone clip does the job perfectly.

The trick is knowing when to go big and when to go nimble. That’s where having a solid comms strategy helps, making sure each message goes out on the right channel, in the right way, to the right people.

And if you’re not sure what’s working (or what’s quietly dying in inboxes unread), start with a comms health check. We’ll tell you which channels are worth the effort and which ones should be taken out back and given a dignified farewell.

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Video That Actually Gets Watched

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Here’s the secret sauce: it’s not just about having a camera. It’s about understanding your audience.

• Keep it short. Think pop song - about 3 minutes is the sweet spot.
• Show some personality. Your CEO is a person, not a press release.
• Make it visual. Motion graphics, captions and infographics all help comprehension.
• Use it as a two-way tool. Encourage feedback, reactions, and responses. That’s how you build real employee engagement.

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Real-World Success

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Take Vodafone, for example. They transformed their internal storytelling by introducing short, authentic video updates from leaders and employees across global offices. The result? Engagement scores rose by 23% in one year (Vodafone case study, 2023, Staffbase).

Or Unilever, who used video storytelling to bring sustainability initiatives to life, boosting understanding by 40% compared to text-based updates.

In short: the companies that communicate like humans are the ones whose employees actually listen.

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The Final Cut

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Video isn’t a gimmick. It’s a game-changer. When used strategically, it turns “meh”ssages into moments that move people. Yes, they might even make them care about the quarterly update.

So if your comms still look like an early-2000s PowerPoint deck, it might be time to roll camera. Whether it’s a full-on production or a scrappy self-shot CEO pep talk, the result is the same: engagement, clarity, and a workforce that’s actually paying attention.

Ready to bring your internal comms to life?
We’ll help you script, shoot, and strategise your way to something worth watching.

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