How to easily breathe life into your internal communications strategy
Need to add some sparkle to your internal communications? What could you learn from the art of Origami?
Will, one of our creatives, had us scrambling for scraps of paper squares this week. We learned this paper-folding wizardry can be a go-to for stress relief.
The single-mindedness needed for the task means you can’t focus on anything else.
Although introduced as a great tool for wellbeing, it got our noggins whirring in a different direction, too. What can the world of employee engagement learn from Origami?
The humble piece of paper is a resource like no other.
Capable of many things and with the help of an Origami technique, paper trays can become works of art. It can transform a napkin into a swan, a Post-It note into a dog, an old receipt into anything our imagination likes.
Pieces of paper serve their purpose, to be written on, drawn on, printed on – but when we get a little crafty, they can become an eye-catching, conversation-starter.
What if we were to assign the same kind of thinking to communications?
Could we take our current methods of connecting folks and turn them into something more imaginative?
Throw a pot of pens next to a perfunctory office wall poster – and you have a quick and dirty tool for feedback. Make Yammer updates more engaging by asking colleagues to reply with gifs. Help strategic updates get their game face on by introducing gamification.
You don’t have to start from scratch. Just use what you’ve already got but mix it up to encourage people to tap into their unlimited reserves of imagination.
With Origami, those first few folds need to be spot-on – so the paper can actually stand up.
Isn’t that the same for internal communications? Forget the fiddly, pretty bits at the end. Ask – are the channels and support structures going to stand the test of time?
We think Origami tells us a lot about finding balance between having a clear strategy, and also allowing for sparks of creativity to be woven throughout the process. It’s comfortable and reassuring to follow predetermined steps for communications strategies, for sure.
But getting innovative – and daring to create something new and different – allows the mind to spark ideas in different ways.
Cultivating engagement takes skill, practice, determination and potentially a few ‘paper cuts’ along the way.
There were a few ‘flat as a pancake-looking’ paper butterflies when we had a go, but that didn’t stop us trying again.
Delivering impactful and diverse comms is only a few folds away. What are you currently working on that could do with a little magic?
In Taoist philosophy, the square is the First Form, the undifferentiated void from which the opposing Yin and Yang forces arise. Where others see only the void – dull, blank meaningless – the folder sees a world already overflowing with possibilities.
The Spark of an idea, a feeling, a sense, a curiosity.
It’s the best catalyst for creativity, connection and breakthrough thinking.
This is your weekly spark – who knows what it might ignite for you.
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