How to Upgrade Your Internal Communications Strategy With Synthesia

Your internal communications aren’t landing.

Employees skim critical updates, frontline workers miss announcements, and the same questions keep resurfacing, which erodes trust and wastes time.

The good news: with a focused internal communications strategy and AI video, you can turn scattered messages into clear, two-way conversations that drive action.

Clear internal communication can make or break your company culture. When employees understand what's happening and why, they're more engaged, productive, and likely to stick around.

An effective internal communications strategy transforms scattered messages into purposeful conversations that align your entire organization. I'll explore how you can upgrade yours using AI video technology that makes communication both simpler and more impactful.

From my conversations with communication leaders, I hear the same frustrations repeatedly: email open rates hovering around 20-30%, frontline workers never seeing critical updates, and the same questions being asked over and over because information isn't sticking.

One HR director told me their policy updates were taking 40+ hours to produce, only to be skimmed by less than half their workforce. These aren't just annoyances—they're costing organizations real money and engagement.

Here's a quick example from our CEO, Victor (hint: it's actually a Synthesia video made with Victor's personal avatar).

What is an internal communications strategy?

Think of an internal communication strategy as your organization's information blueprint. It's a structured plan that determines how information flows within your company—which messages get shared, when they're delivered, who receives them, and through which channels. But it's more than just a distribution plan.

What separates a real strategy from ad-hoc messaging? Consistency and purpose. While research shows 52% of organizations still rely on generic messaging, strategic internal communication creates targeted, two-way conversations that actually resonate with different employee groups. It's not just about broadcasting information—it's about ensuring understanding and enabling dialogue.

Poor internal communication costs U.S. businesses up to $2 trillion annually in lost productivity. Only 13% of employees strongly agree that their leadership communicates effectively.

Why? Information overload, wrong channels, and lack of personalization mean critical messages get lost in the noise. Unlike ad-hoc messaging, a strategic approach creates consistency, builds trust, and supports broader organizational objectives through planned communication tactics.

Step 1: Audit your current communication challenges

Start by identifying where your current internal communications fall short:

• Document engagement metrics for existing channels (email open rates, intranet visits)
• Map communication pain points across departments and regions
• Calculate time spent on repetitive communication tasks by leadership and HR teams

How to conduct your audit effectively:

• Employee listening sessions: Host focus groups across departments and seniority levels to understand how different groups consume and prefer information
• Channel performance analysis: Compare which channels get real engagement versus which get ignored—you might be surprised to find your expensive intranet has minimal traffic
• Communication journey mapping: Track how information flows during key employee moments like onboarding, role changes, or major announcements
• Time-cost analysis: Calculate how many hours leadership spends recording, editing, and re-recording messages versus the actual engagement they receive

Step 2: Start with high-impact, low-risk content

Transform these common internal communication types first:

• ‍Routine updates: Replace text-heavy emails with brief, engaging video announcements.‍
• Policy communications: Convert complex policies into visual explanations—I've seen companies achieve up to 600% higher engagement with video formats.‍
• Welcome messages: Create consistent executive greetings for new hires that establish connection from day one.‍
• Year-end reviews: Switch from dense newsletters to concise video summaries with key highlights.

I've found that the biggest wins come from replacing the communications that consume the most time but get the least engagement.

I suggest that you pay special attention to frontline and deskless workers—they're often the hardest to reach but need information most urgently. I've seen organizations struggle because their primary channels (email, intranet) simply don't work for employees without regular computer access.

Video works particularly well here because it's mobile-friendly and doesn't require employees to read lengthy documents during breaks.

Step 3: Implement video-based internal communication strategies

Use AI avatars for consistency: Create branded video presenters that maintain visual identity across all communications.

Implement easy translations: Ensure consistent messaging across global teams with automatic video translation in 140+ languages.

Add accessibility features: Include subtitles and transcripts to make communications available to all employees.

Enable quick updates: Make content adjustments in minutes when information changes without recreating entire videos.

Step 4: Scale across different communication types

Apply these internal communication best practices across various message types:

• ‍Leadership updates: Replace long executive emails with personalized video messages that convey tone and build connection.‍
• Change management: Use video to communicate organizational changes with clarity and empathy.‍
• IT communications: Transform technical updates into digestible visual content that non-technical employees can understand.‍
• HR announcements: Make benefits, policy updates, and compliance information more engaging through conversational video presentations.

Remember that effective internal communication isn't just about broadcasting information—it's about creating dialogue.

I recommend including clear feedback mechanisms in your videos: add a Slack channel reference for questions, embed a quick poll link, or direct viewers to a FAQ page where they can see answers to common questions.

The goal is to move from "we told them" to "they understood and engaged."

Step 5: Optimize your content strategy

Keep videos concise: I recommend aiming for 2-3 minutes maximum to maintain attention and improve retention.

Use consistent presenters: Build familiarity by using the same AI avatars for specific communication types.

Create templates: Develop standard formats for recurring communications to maintain visual consistency.

Batch similar content: Produce multiple related videos in one session to maximize efficiency.

One pattern I see consistently: organizations that create 3-4 standard templates see 60% faster production times within a month.

It's all about creating a recognizable communication rhythm that employees come to expect and engage with.

Step 6: Measure and improve results

In my experience, the most revealing metric is often what stops happening: fewer repeated questions in Slack, fewer errors in process execution, and fewer escalations to leadership for clarification.

These signal that your communication is actually landing. Companies implementing these strategies report employees are 6-7x more likely to engage with short videos than text emails.

Having said that, there's a few quantitative and qualitative metrics you can monitor to track your progress.

Quantitative metrics to track

• View rates: Percentage of employees who watched each video (aim for 70%+)
• Completion rates: Percentage who watched videos entirely (target 80%+)
• Engagement actions: Clicks, comments, or responses (good = 15%+ interaction)
• Time savings: Hours saved compared to traditional methods
• Content creation efficiency: Hours per video versus traditional production methods
• Support ticket reduction: Decrease in questions about covered topics (target 30–40% reduction)
• Information adoption speed: Time from announcement to successful implementation

Qualitative indicators of success

• Employee sentiment improvements: Surveys and listening sessions
• Quality of questions being asked: Strategic vs. basic clarification requests
• Manager confidence: Ability to cascade messages to their teams
• Reduction in “I didn’t know about that” moments: During reviews or check-ins

Advanced internal communication tactics

Executive presence: Create custom avatars for senior leaders to scale their visibility without requiring their time for filming.

Department-specific applications:

• IT teams: Visual demonstrations of system changes
• HR departments: Engaging policy and benefits explanations
• Operations: Visual guides for complex procedures

Audience segmentation and personalization

Generic messages fail because they try to speak to everyone and end up resonating with no one. With 52% of organizations still using one-size-fits-all messaging, there's a huge opportunity to stand out through personalization.

The executives I work with are often surprised by how much their visibility increases when they're not spending hours in recording studios. Instead, they can focus on strategy while their avatar handles routine communications.