š„½ Comms and the Metaverse. Also, I'm Hiring!
The authority on mixternal comms
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Comms and the Metaverse: Be a Pioneer
Itās too early to work effectively in the metaverse, but itās not too early to experiment with comms in the virtual world. Microsoft and Meta are pushing the metaverse as the next frontier for companies (each has $$$ at stake).
Meta recently unveiled the Meta Quest Pro headset, a VR headset ādesigned with collaboration and productivity in mind.ā
Microsoftās COO touted the āindustrial metaverseā in a speech last week.
Experiments with working in the metaverse are happening. The earliest adopters are, of course, Metaās own employees. Vishal Shah, Metaās executive in charge of āthe spatial co-present version of the internet,ā sometimes hosts team meetings in the metaverse.
āIf youāve been on a big Zoom call with, you know, a bunch of faces, this is awkward,ā Mr. Shah said, describing the who-goes-next roulette many remote workers know well. āBut, we were all in a Workroom. I told my story. I looked to my left. The next person went. And then there were head nods and acknowledgment. And then we just kept going around the room.ā (NYT)
Why not be a pioneer with comms in the metaverse?
Iāve previously argued šā¦
The pace of progress in communications that employees demand or can absorb may be different from the progress offered by technology and innovation. This means that communications efforts that do not appear to be useful to employees today (i.e., a disruptive innovation) may squarely address their needs tomorrow.
Just like telephonic and music consumers did not demand the yet-to-be-invented iPhone from Apple, we cannot expect employees to lead us toward innovations they donāt need right now.Ā
Consider some of the technology that is available to us today that we arenāt seriously considering for comms: robots that can wander through offices, audio chat platforms like Clubhouse, multiplayer video games, and Roku.
Who's to say that any of these technologies canāt one day be used to further corporate communications?
The fact that your audiences donāt need metaverse comms to get company news is the reason you should explore this option...because someday they will.Ā
For comms to succeed in the metaverse you need a massive audience, which does not yet exist. Internal comms needs a large number of employees participating, which is cost-prohibitive (for now).
Go deeper: On the gap between technological possibilities and employee needs (Mister Editorial membership)
Organizations are using non-traditional meansāinstead of trusty press releasesāto make major announcements, such as tweets, Instagram posts, or YouTube videos.
Why not make your next major announcement in the metaverse?
You can (and should) also send the traditional press release, but be sure to mention that the announcement originated in the metaverse. That factoid might make more news than the actual announcement.
Try comms in the metaverse. The outcome will likely be negligible and the experience lonely. But one day the metaverse will be a common experience. Youāll probably have to engage with it at some time. Soā¦
Why not be the metaverse comms pioneer? You have nothing to lose!
Holograms Are Real-er
If the metaverse is a virtual bridge too far, holography is an emerging technology thatās gaining traction in workplaces and is getting more affordable.
A year ago I interviewed Andrew Dorcas, SVP of Global Sales and Marketing for ARHT, about the companyās hologram technology, its uses in corporate settings, and additional benefits to beaming busy execs around the world.
DHL, NATO, and Moneris are using ARHTās hologram technology for internal communications.
According to Dorcas:
Town halls are a great means of getting top brass closer to regular employees because employees get to ask questions in a much more compelling and meaningful way. Body language is over 50% of communication, after all. Our technology allows that realism to come through. You canāt hide from someone who is standing in front of you.
DHL is a great example. Their CEO hosts a quarterly town hall with employees using our technology where he also makes time for Q&A. They have also used HoloPresenceā¢ for annual meetings and an Americas conference. All of these events were internal only. Another company, Moneris, has used our technology for their sales conferences.Ā
šŗ See how DHL uses holograms for town halls.
Go deeper: How Holograms Are Being Used for Internal Communications (Mister Editorial; membership)
Hologram technology exists and itās affordable, which means it has the potential to be a disruptive comms channel.
In Hologram Technology and Internal Communications: A Hypothetical Case Study (Mister Editorial; membership), I show how an internal comms manager could explore holographic tech, from ideation to execution. (This article is the closing chapter in my mini-book, Innovation in Internal Communications.)
Quick Hits
š³ļø A growing number of workers feel the effects of political affiliation bias and would benefit from greater inclusiveness, according to a recent study. (SHRM)
Moderate (73%) and liberal workers (70%) are more likely than conservative workers (60%) to say employees in their org are inclusive of differing political perspectives among other employees.
š„ Geopolitics and the war in Ukraine is the number one issue that keeps CCOs up at night, according to the Ipsos Reputation Council Report. The survey examines whether the risks of posting on social media outweigh the rewards for an organization, crisis management, regulation, ESG, and more. (Ipsos)
š Is your comms team prepared to talk to employees about a recession? 98% of CEOs predict a U.S. recession and 99% predict an E.U. recession. (The Conference Board)
Iām Hiring!
Iām looking for someone to help drive storytelling across internal and external (mixternal!) channels at Lam Research, a $50 billion dollar company thatās critical to the ever-growing global semiconductor (microchip) industry.
This position reports to me.
You can work in-office, hybrid, or remote (U.S.A. only)
Communicators with a tech or semiconductor background have an edge.
This is a rare opportunity to be a pioneer in mixternal storytelling. The work is creative, demanding, and rewarding.
Click here to learn more and to apply. Feel free to forward this to qualified candidates!
Reach out with any questions.
You would never cook a gourmet meal and serve it in a dog bowl. Thatās basically what youāre doing when you try to get someone to pay attention to a well-crafted thought but lose or confuse them with your teaser.
āfrom Smart Brevity by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz
Interesting Opportunities
Citi - VP, News and Storytelling (NYC)
Deutsche Bank - Communications Lead (hybrid, London) - The role is in the CIO department - Kiara Ramlakan is the recruiter
Loweās - Manager, Executive Comms (Mooresville, NC; i.e., corporate HQ)
Alumni Is an Audience for Mixternal Comms
BlackRockās corporate comms teamānot HRāruns a pretty sophisticated effort to keep alumni warm and to keep the company top of mind for those considering a career change (i.e., a boomerang).
Mixternal comms is on full display in a recent email š where an internal memo was given a new top and flipped to the external alumni network.
š Why not take it a step further and post the memo on the corporate website?
Related: How Companies Can Turn Former Employees Into Faithful Alumni (WSJ; subscription)
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Disclaimer: Besides running Mister Editorial, I am the editor-in-chief of Digital Publications at Lam Research. The views in this newsletter are my own.
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