We work with many large businesses and organisations who use infographics to communicate reports and research in a way that makes complex matters easier to understand. As a result, their audiences, including clients and key stakeholders, are more engaged and interested their activities.
As our relationships with clients develop, we understand more about their cultures and characters. It’s clear that infographic designs that engage and inform external audiences can do the same for internal audiences just as effectively.
Now more than ever businesses and organisations share vast amounts of information and data with staff who may be at different sites in different time zones in different parts of the world, speaking different languages.
Just think of the amount of time and money that you might spend on telling staff about your strategy, reports, projects, performance, results, commentary and news – it’s a long list.
Why communicate with internal audiences?
So why then spend all that time and money? It is widely accepted that effective internal communications can have the benefits of:
- enhancing corporate culture,
- helping define and disseminate strategic and operational goals,
- having a positive impact on productivity,
- supporting staff wellbeing
- and boosting customer service.
All of this communication is carried out in one-to-one meetings, small team meetings, big away days, speeches, addresses using presentations, the intranet, emails, posters, electronic newsletters, printed newsletters even personally-addressed letters – millions of words telling millions of stories.
Five reasons for using infographic design in internal communications
For businesses and organisations, understanding the challenge of communication is not the same as succeeding at it. Infographics and visual information can offer a more effective alternative to those millions of words.
Here are five reasons why you should use infographic designs in internal communications:
1. The wow factor
Colour visuals increase the willingness to read by 80% (source). Infographics and visual information are unexpected within many corporate scenarios and so they attract attention and increase engagement.
2. Understanding
It is widely documented that visuals can aid the processing, storing and retrieval of information (see ‘The science of infographic design’ article for the theory). All this adds up to faster and greater understanding of information, concepts and processes. In turn, this results in more effective communication across an organisation.
3. Memory and retention
People remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read and 80% of what they see and do. When action is required of a piece of information, whether it’s simply remembering it and taking note, or discussing and implementing specific tasks, an infographic-style design can be the most appropriate form of communication. Appropriate internal communications scenarios include:
- company induction material,
- training course material,
- research summaries,
- performance reports,
- business unit updates and more.
4. Flexibility
Designed correctly, infographics can be extremely flexible. Parts or all of the design can be used in different ways across different media and channels. They are ideal to use in one-to-one, board, team and department meetings. They can be distributed electronically to laptops and mobiles, on intranets, added to presentations, sent in newsletters or even printed as office graphics.
5. Unification
Although visual language varies between cultures, there is a wealth of universal imagery which can be used across global organisations to convey information. Infographics are an effective way to share important messages and information across cultures and languages.
Infographic design has certainly found its place in the world of external communications. It is unique, effective, memorable and impressive. But it also offers a great opportunity to be bold, innovative and more efficient in the way you communicate with your internal stakeholders.
Get in touch to find out how visual information design could deliver results for your business.
