The messages I remember the most have visual components. Whether it’s a television ad that is particularly eye-catching, a print ad, or something I’ve seen on the internet, strong visuals make me pay attention. They make it easier to remember information and often, more compelled to tell someone else about what I saw.
When I think of all the email messages employees receive daily, it makes it challenging to create compelling internal messages that are actually read, let alone saved and/or remembered. What can be done to stand out? Why doesn’t HR incorporate more visual components into our communications?
GET VISUAL
The psychologist Jerome Bruner of New York University has described studies that show that people only remember 10% of what they hear and 20% of what they read, but about 80 percent of what they see and do. (Source: Jerome Bruner, as cited by Paul Martin Lester in“Syntactic Theory of Visual Communication”.)
I’m thinking that Human Resources and Recruiting could come up with their own “branded” messages. The messages could use a logo or picture, something to stand out and be an identifier, so that employees would know right away that this is a message to read or save.
What have you done in your organization to make your internal communications around human resources and recruiting stand out? Do you think having a branded logo or picture would aid in important messages meeting the mark more often? Let me know in the comments.
