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This is how it starts. A late night WhatsApp to the HR Director. A quick call to the Comms team. A frantic ring around the office by the intern to find some ‘volunteers’. A few iterations of a self-written script later and you’ve got Bob Brisco, CEO of Internet Brands (the parent company of WebMD amongst others) standing in front of the autocue to create this bizarre - and now viral - internal video.

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I have no doubt there were multiple attempts by their Comms team to avoid this kind of crash landing. But as it would seem, the advice either went unnoticed, or it was blatantly ignored. The result? A spectacularly tone-deaf piece of communication, the silver linings of which are the lessons we can all learn. 

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Get out of your echo chamber

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Let’s just put ourselves in Bob’s shoes for a minute. You’ve got an idea, you share it with your fellow leaders who all love it, you can’t hear any objections, so you push ahead with your great video. What you’ve got here is an echo chamber, which is a dangerous place to be if you don’t have a way to get out. 

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If Bob (or any of the Exec team) had a go-to confidante, they might’ve had a heads-up something was amiss. Your confidante doesn’t need to be a colleague, they just need to be someone you trust - husband, wife, daughter, son, gym buddy - and someone who feels comfortable telling you what others won’t. 

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Even better, avoid the echo chamber in the first place by making it safe for colleagues to give honest feedback without fear of retaliation. 

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Understand your audience (i.e. go and ask them what they think)

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Besides cringe, this misguided video screams a lack of audience insight. Bob even says as much: “We aren’t asking or negotiating at this point. We’re informing”. 

I’m not suggesting some painfully overcooked engagement survey, but a few conversations with the actual employees would get you a quick read on how they’re feeling about coming back to the office. Use those insights to create messages and engagement that actually resonates. 

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Prepare for the worst, aim for the best

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The lines between internal and external communication blurred a long time ago. Whatever is internal, is external. Whenever you’re communicating, ask yourself how comfortable you’d be if the piece was shared outside your organisation. If you get a bit nervous, best to rethink that plan. 

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The company has responded since their leadership team went viral. The attention will be distracting and their team morale and employer brand will take a hit. All of which could’ve been easily avoided had they stuck their head up and had a look around.