Patrick's Podcast

Video Used For Internal Communication In Government Agencies

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SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the deep dive. Today we're uh digging into something really important but often overlooked. Internal communication inside government agencies, federal, state, local, all levels.

SPEAKER_01:

That's right. We know good internal comms matters for getting the job done for morale.

SPEAKER_00:

But the sources we've got argue it's not just the message anymore. The method, how you communicate. Well, that's changing everything.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Think about government agencies often massive, sometimes spread out everywhere, different departments barely talking. They face, you know, the same challenges as big companies.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, usually with tighter budgets, right? Mm-hmm. And way more red tape. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. And in today's world, everything's digital, everything's fast. Our analysis shows video isn't just a nice to have for internal stuff anymore. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00:

It's being positioned as it's like essential, the main tool.

SPEAKER_01:

Pretty much. The most powerful tool to actually connect with all those employees, no matter where they are or what they do.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell Okay, so let's unpack this. Our mission here is to pull out the really actionable stuff from this material. We've got eight key arguments, basically, for how agencies can get a real edge using video internally.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we're looking for the insights that should make communication leaders maybe uh rethink things.

SPEAKER_00:

Right now. Let's jump in. Where do we start?

SPEAKER_01:

I think we have to start with the most basic value prop. Does the message actually stick? What happens after you send it? Uh, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Because this first fact really underpins everything else, doesn't it? It does. The sources hit this hard. Multiple studies show people remember up to get this, 95% of a message when they watch it on video.

SPEAKER_01:

95%.

SPEAKER_00:

Now compare that to just reading text. Retention there, it dropped to a dismal 10%.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell That gap is just huge, 95 versus 10.

SPEAKER_00:

It's staggering. Especially when you think about what's at stake in government work. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. Think about the real world impact of that. Misunderstanding government procedures or policies, the consequences can be serious. Aaron Powell So when you're rolling out something critical, like um new cybersecurity rules across the entire agency, or maybe updates to ethics guidelines, or explaining a complicated new benefits platform.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell You just can't afford for 90% of your staff to basically miss the memo.

SPEAKER_01:

Trevor Burrus, Jr. Exactly. 10% retention. That's almost asking for trouble legally or security-wise. But 95%, that's probably the best ROI you can get for your training budget.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell It kind of solves that manual problem. We've all got that huge PDF manual sitting unread somewhere.

SPEAKER_01:

Guilty as charge.

SPEAKER_00:

Who really reads the whole employee handbook or the full ethics code, let's be honest.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell A good video though, maybe a short one. It makes sure people actually absorb the crucial dits without having to wade through 50 pages of dense text they'll probably just ignore.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell Okay, so people actually remember it. That leads straight into the next big challenge.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Scale and consistency. Yeah. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01:

Precisely. Because agencies, while they operate across different states, tons of offices, people out in the field.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell Yeah, keeping everyone on the same page across that kind of spread, it's almost impossible with just emails or even live briefings.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell Because the minute you have different managers explaining things or someone trying to summarize a complex document.

SPEAKER_00:

The message gets warped, diluted, misinterpreted, especially as it travels further from HQ.

SPEAKER_01:

But video, it's like a single source of truth. It guarantees every single employee gets the exact same information.

SPEAKER_00:

Delivered the same way, same emphasis, same tone.

SPEAKER_01:

Every single time. Doesn't matter if they're watching it during onboarding in DC or on a tablet out in a California field office. The core message, perfectly consistent.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, hold on. If we're talking that level of scale, perfect consistency. Are we swapping one problem for another? Isn't producing like hundreds of slick videos for everything incredibly expensive up front?

SPEAKER_01:

That's a fair question. And the source material tackles it directly. It actually argues this approach saves resources in the long run. Oh so think about all the mandatory training government needs compliance stuff, onboarding, how to use internal systems, emergency procedures.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell Right. Normally that means flying trainers around, holding the same session over and over, updating endless PowerPoint decks.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. Instead, you create one really good authoritative video, that single asset.

SPEAKER_00:

Trevor Burrus It's instantly available everywhere, reusable. People can watch it when they actually need it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. And cutting out all that repeated travel and trainer time, that translates directly into significant savings, which for government agencies is obviously critical.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell Okay. Efficiency, consistency, retention, that's compelling.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

But doesn't scaling communication like that risk feeling cold, impersonal.

SPEAKER_01:

Trevor Burrus That's a potential pitfall, yeah. Just a stream of standardized content could feel bureaucratic.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell So how does video tackle the human side of things?

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell Well, this is where video has this uh unique power. It can genuinely humanize the agency, boost engagement in a way tech just can't.

SPEAKER_00:

Showing leaders.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. You unite the agency not just with data points, but by actually seeing leaders share their vision, their thinking. In huge agencies, most employees never meet the top brass.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Ross Powell, so video kind of bridges that gap, makes leadership feel more visible, more real.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. That visibility builds trust. Think about the specific examples mentioned in the sources. Like what? A monthly or quarterly state of the agency video. The director speaks directly to everyone, reports on progress towards goals, not just in a memo, but looking into the camera.

SPEAKER_00:

Or maybe featuring employees who've done outstanding work, sharing recognition.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Those things foster a really connection. They make abstract goals feel more human, more shared.

SPEAKER_00:

I also like the point about including, you know, authentic employee voices in training videos.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, definitely. Instead of just policy points, you hear from a colleague, maybe someone in the field, explaining how a new process actually helped them.

SPEAKER_00:

That relatability is huge. Yeah. And what about complex stuff, like trying to explain intricate regulations?

SPEAKER_01:

The sources mention animation there. Using animation to break down really complex or abstract ideas visually makes them easier to grasp.

SPEAKER_00:

So humanizing, making things relatable, which feels even more important when we circle back to the budget reality.

SPEAKER_01:

Let's talk brass tacks, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

We have to acknowledge it. Lots of government budgets, federal, state, local. They saw cuts in 2025. Some places might have lost comms, teams, media folks.

SPEAKER_01:

The pressure is always do more with less. Always.

SPEAKER_00:

So how is video the answer then? It sounds expensive.

SPEAKER_01:

That's the counterintuitive part. The sources frame video not as a high cost, but as an affordable, efficient necessity. The key is smart reuse, repurposing content.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, repurposing. If I'm a comms lead, maybe I just lost staff, I don't have a big production budget. What does that actually look like? How do I reuse stuff?

SPEAKER_01:

It means you don't always need big, expensive new shoots. You can take existing footage you already have. Like from maybe old town hall recordings, agency outreach events you filmed, bits from archive training sessions. You take good quality clips from those.

SPEAKER_00:

And stitch them into something new, like for a current internal update.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. You're building a new story from pieces you already own.

SPEAKER_00:

Does it have to be actual moving footage?

SPEAKER_01:

Not necessarily. The source of stress, you can use still photos, graphics you already have, even simple screen recordings like showing how to use a new software interface.

SPEAKER_00:

Ah, so you can create video-like content without a camera crew.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Quick to make, minimal resources needed, or say a policy change is slightly instead of reshooting the whole explanation video.

SPEAKER_00:

You just update the voiceover.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Or change the on-screen text or captions.

SPEAKER_01:

Precisely. It's about being clever, being an editor, a curator of existing assets, not always needing to be a full-on filmmaker.

SPEAKER_00:

That idea of reuse, of being efficient, it leads nicely into the next point about video as a long-term asset, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Shifting the mindset, it's not just about one-off messages. It's about building a resource that supports the workforce continuously. Available learning.

SPEAKER_00:

Like boosting professional development.

SPEAKER_01:

For sure. Video eLearning lets employees build skills at their own pace when they need it. The goal is to see video content as a permanent knowledge base for the agency.

SPEAKER_00:

So the sources suggest building like a dedicated video library that people can search.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly, a central repository.

SPEAKER_00:

What kind of stuff goes in there?

SPEAKER_01:

All sorts. Job-specific tutorials, how-to guides for systems, refreshers on workplace culture, deep dives on policies, even quick QA sessions with experts on tricky topics.

SPEAKER_00:

It becomes the agency's sort of institutional memory on demand.

SPEAKER_01:

That's a great way to put it. And the strategic part is designing content with reuse in mind from the start.

SPEAKER_00:

How do you mean?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, that 10-minute mandatory training video you created, don't just think of it as one thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Break it down.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Slice it into five snappy two-minute refreshers. You can drop those into weekly emails, use them in team meetings, keep the key points top of mind.

SPEAKER_00:

And that video you made for, say, an internal project launch.

SPEAKER_01:

Once the internal launch is done, maybe tweak it slightly, change the intro outro, and boom, you've got content for external outreach too, maximizing the value.

SPEAKER_00:

So you produce it once, but it keeps working for you across different needs, maybe even for years.

SPEAKER_01:

That's the idea. These become durable assets supporting communication across the board.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow. Okay. We've covered a lot of ground. Let's try and wrap this up. The key takeaways for you listening seem pretty clear.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, first, video massively boosts clarity. That 95% retention figure is hard to ignore.

SPEAKER_00:

Then there's trust and unity video. Helps ensure everyone gets the same message. Plus, it humanizes leadership, makes the agency feel more connected.

SPEAKER_01:

And critically, in this budget climate, it's efficient. Smart repurposing lets you do more with less. It's the shortcut to a well-informed workforce.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Government work is complex, layers of policy, bureaucracy.

SPEAKER_01:

But the communication doesn't have to be complex. The sources show video can cut through that, delivers important stuff engagingly, consistently at scale.

SPEAKER_00:

Meaning everyone, from the agent out in the field to the analyst back in DC, they're literally on the same page. They know the priorities, the direction.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

So thinking about all this, it does raise a final question for you to consider. Given that 95% retention rate, that power, what existing text heavy, maybe compliance focused internal policy document in your organization is crying out to be turned into video right now?

SPEAKER_01:

Which document carries the biggest risk if it's misunderstood?

SPEAKER_00:

Something to mull over. We'll see you next time on the deep dive.