Enhancing HR Functions with Unique Audio Content

Human Resources professionals are always searching for new and effect ways to better communicate, train and retain key constituency groups inside and outside of their organizations. Whether they are conducting training sessions, creating onboarding procedures, or recruiting new hires, HR pros are keenly focused on motivating, activating and retaining employees to drive corporate performance.

Audio is an often overlooked, but compelling and cost-effective way to create content that can be successfully integrated into all HR functions. Audio content helps streamline processes and enable more impactful communication across businesses of all sizes. This article highlights some of the benefits of audio content and a few simple strategies for incorporating audio into your key HR initiatives.

Benefits of Audio for HR Pros
Some of the most notable benefits for HR professionals:

Simplify content creation. Existing Web-based tools enable HR professionals to simply create interactive audio content at their desks or on the go using a phone, your computer, a Web app, or service like Skype. The ability to create content from anywhere enables global teams to collaborate and contribute to content from disparate locations.

Provide multiple options for consumption. Live and recorded audio content can be streamed by internal and external audiences over any phone, on a computer, or using any Web enabled device. This means content can be consumed in the office, at home, in the car, or on the go.

Increase engagement. Employees and potential employees can participate in a moderated way by calling-in or participating via integrated chat or social sharing.

Share easily. The portable nature of audio content makes it very easy to share. Audio players can be embedded on any website in front of or behind the firewall. To support and enhance external communications and social recruiting efforts, content can also be shared to Facebook, Twitter, and iTunes.

How HR Pros Can Leverage Unique Audio Content
Below you will find a few practical and effective applications of audio within the enterprise:

Onboard New Employees. Create an on-demand audio content series for new employees that features interviews with top executives who can share the strategy, vision, and voice of the company. It can also include interviews with current employees in similar roles to help them better understand their roles, key resources, and tips on how to ramp up quickly. All of these interviews can also be transcribed and shared on your intranet or in other onboarding materials.

Train Teams. Broadcast live or record and archive valuable product or professional development training. Audio content creation tools like Cinchcast make it easier to engage instructors, trainers, and thought leaders from across your organization in the content-creation process because content can be created conveniently using a landline phone, mobile phone, or computer. Students can stream training online, call-in to ask questions, and download content on any MP3 player for later listening.

Enhance Communications. For large organizations, it can be difficult to communicate and collaborate across multiple locations. Use live call-in webcasts or town halls to create a sense of unity among diverse teams that are unable to meet face-to-face.

Recruit. Record testimonials from satisfied employees to share for recruitment purposes across social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and your company blog.

Audio content can engage employees, optimize recruiting efforts and encourage effective communication across an organization. The opportunity to easily record, archive, and share unique and interactive audio content can streamline internal processes and empower HR pros to do their jobs more effectively.

Dan Kashman is president of Cinchcast. He is a startup business leader and senior digital media executive with a solid track record of developing and growing successful entrepreneurial ventures. Cinchcast provides solutions that allow companies to create, share, measure and monetize audio content to reach and engage the people that are most important to their business. For more information, please visit www.cinchcast.com.

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Richard Blanchard
Rick is the Managing Editor of Corp! magazine. He has worked in reporting and editing roles at the Port Huron Times Herald, Lansing State Journal and The Detroit News, where he was most recently assistant business editor. A native of Michigan, Richard also worked in Washington state as a reporter, photographer and editor at the Anacortes American. He received a bachelor of arts from the University of Michigan and a master’s in accountancy from the University of Phoenix.