A newsletter for Canadian communications pros navigating modern news media

Focus where trust is high 

Shouting reporters push back at Pearson plane presser

Canadian Medical Assocation study shows Gen-Z's top source of news is social media, but that doesn't mean they trust it

A recent report from Gallup found that only 21% of Canadian employees consider themselves engaged at work. 66% say they’re not engaged, and 13% say they’re actively disengaged. The numbers might seem grim, but they’re actually only slightly below the global average. We’ve all heard how higher engagement leads to better retention, higher productivity, lower absenteeism, and higher wellbeing, but as anyone who has led a large team knows, increasing engagement scores is a really hard thing to do. Often direct managers score pretty well with employees for their direct leadership, but the disconnect in engagement is found at the broader company level. Is there a better way for the broader organization to engage the team and build trust with senior leadership? A couple of things to consider: 🔶 How are we currently communicating? Is most of it in written form? How is that working for us? 🔶 Is there an opportunity to explore other ways to communicate to make our senior leaders seem more “real”? With video and audio, you’re looking into their eyes and hearing their voices creating a connection that’s harder to do in print. 🔶 If we were to explore other ways to communicate, how could we tell our stories in a different way that would build trust and motivate engagement? Is there a less formal, more natural way we could communicate? Often organizations tell their external stories through compelling video and audio – the opposite of an internal email to staff or a scripted townhall. Perhaps it’s time to try approaching internal stakeholders in a similar way as external ones? With the importance of engagement, the scores being so low, and the challenges of getting the needle to move, it might just be worth a shot.

It’s no secret that the way people get their news & information has changed drastically over the last few years. By 2026, half of Canadians won’t have TV subscriptions according to a report done this year by Convergence Research. The 2023 Reuters Digital News Report found that only 11% of Canadians pay for online news, and only 37% of English Canadians trust most news, which is down by a third in 7 years. As patterns continue to shift, individuals and organizations with a story to tell need to start going directly to audiences to get their point across. They need to tell their own stories, or they won’t be heard. There are a couple of things to consider when looking at how best to do this: What’s the best format to connect with people and build trust? There’s a lot to be said for the speed and simplicity of written content, but video and audio can lead to super rich storytelling. Pictures and sound can do amazing things. How do you tell your story like “a story”? There’s a big difference between distributing information and telling an actual story that motivates and engages your audience. How can you distribute your stories to get to your stakeholders? Social media, your website, emails, the options are many. What systems and infrastructure are you putting into place? Execution is everything. It’s vital to determine the optimal way for your organization to deliver in a fast, and cost-effective way with the right technology and solutions. What skills do you need, and where can you get them? Can your internal team learn how to do this, and if so, who can train them? Does it make sense to get some components from an external team? Taking control of telling your own story is exciting. You can ensure it’s delivered with context and with care. If done right, your storytelling strategy will fit perfectly with your overall organizational strategy getting your message across, building connections with your team, and trust with your stakeholders.

Thoughts on what interests an audience