As MidPen navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, it was important to remain consistent with quarterly All-Staff updates—but the team quickly discovered that the “Zoom webinar/senior leadership-only presentation” wasn’t a very engaging tactic. MidPen’s mission to provide affordable housing in the Bay Area is considered “essential work,” and there are amazing stories happening in all areas of the business. So the challenge–and mission for internal communications–was to figure out how to incorporate more voices and bring those stories to life during All-Staff meetings to make the experience more engaging and inspiring for the 500+ MidPenners.

You will hear lessons-learned with practical tactics you can take back to your organization, including:

• Creating videos to show at All-Staff events to address the lack of face-to-face interactions and bring employee stories to life, as well as remind folks of why their work is truly essential
• Providing optional “Zoom rooms” after each All-Staff meeting so people can share thoughts and feedback on our various topics
• Conducting a pulse survey after each All-Staff event to constantly solicit ideas and get important feedback (and the results have definitely shown an increase in employee interest!)