How to build connection through communication

With Covid-19 cases on the rise once again and remote work becoming more and more the norm, it’s a new dawn for communications. It’s a time for re-evaluating the ways of the past and innovating the ways of the future for a more connected organisation. In marketing departments, we always start with putting the consumers’ needs front and centre; that means continuously running research to understand those needs and adapting our messaging to be as relevant as possible. Well, it’s really no different for internal communications, but in this case, the consumers are our employees. In fact, our latest initiatives in internal communications have started with just that, taking the pulse on how our employees are feeling and what they need more of, or less of, to feel connected and aligned. Since transitioning to remote working in March, we introduced various new communication cadences; we started with weekly wrap-up blog posts, rolled out a monthly newsletter and took our CEO’s quarterly strategy meetings to the virtual stage. And although our internal comms tooling provides loads of additional transparency, the message was clear: our employees wanted more. Last month we introduced ‘Casumo Talks’, a new series of live-streamed sessions by leadership, external partners and thought leaders to educate, elevate and align our people. Our first Talk in the series couldn’t have been more timely – our guest speaker, Rhaddima Kowley from MindBeat, presented ‘Surviving and Thriving in Unprecedented Times’. Nearly 100 employees joined into the 90-minute session, which incorporated short exercises and interactive voting to gather input from attendees throughout the Talk. The same week, our director of gaming, Jacqui Gatt, took us through ‘What’s New in Gaming’, sharing her expertise and inspiring employees with great examples of teamwork that are taking our casino and sportsbook products to the next level.

Going interactive

Over the next few weeks, several members of our leadership team will present a Talk on their areas of the business and host an interactive Q&A panel. Indeed, interaction is an important part of the sessions. We don’t want to make sacrifices to experiences because we’re broadcasting remotely, that’s why we’re testing out new features and tools that allow for engagement to be a seamless and natural part of our Talks. With the remainder of the year mapped out with over a dozen Talks, the series gives our senior leaders a chance to introduce and share the work and advancements of their teams while also introducing guest speakers who will upskill the organisation on the most timely of topics. In addition to the more ‘mainstage’ Talks, we have just rolled out a mini-vlog series called, ‘Let’s Talk Business’. These bi-weekly episodes will provide the business with a fun, quick snapshot of the latest Casumo news, as well as what to expect and keep focus on over the coming weeks. To make our new initiatives ‘stick’ and ensure that they are easily recognisable as a series, we did what we do best – we created distinctive branding for both our Casumo Talks and our Let’s Talk Business vlogs. We wanted each series to be something that employees recognise and look out for. Having specific trailers and intros for both helps convey that these are the main broadcasts for our internal community. In these challenging times that naturally incite disconnect, we’ve sought new ways of fostering a community of connection. We’ve become more tuned-in than ever before to our employees’ feelings and needs, drawing on input and signals to inspire new initiatives. We believe that by keeping the communication flowing, we can drive and maintain a united momentum across the business, while also keeping every valued member of our team feeling safe, secure and fully in-the-know. Heather Cooper is the director of brand and communications at Casumo, where she’s also held senior leadership positions within operations and marketing. She is a communicator and a connector – connecting brands with customers, leadership with individual contributors and businesses with people.