1. The Twist and Shout
Guide to Employee Engagement
All images and content © Copyright Twist & Shout Commuications Ltd. 2013
Web: www.twistandshout.co.uk • Email: anyone@twistandshout.co.uk
Blog: tandscomms.blogspot.com/ • Tel: +44 (0)844 335 6715

2. Contents
All images and content Copyright Twist & Shout Commuications Ltd.
Web: www.twistandshout.co.uk • Email: anyone@twistandshout.co.uk
Blog: tandscomms.blogspot.com/ • Tel: +44 (0)844 335 6715
Page Content
2 Introduction
3 Measurability
4 Branding and creativity
5 Campaign based approach
Fireworks: Video
Fireworks: Roadshow and Café Society
6 Training Reference materials
7 Ongoing engagement
8 Case study: Barclays ‘The Risk’
9 Case study: TfL Department Day Film
McAfee ‘Heroes’

3. Twist & Shout
are
STORYTELLERS
for
BUSINESS

4. However these behaviours can’t just be demanded from
employees, in return for their engagement they need to feel listened
to and valued, in short a real part of the company. Achieving this
takes both time and an understanding of the building blocks that
promote this kind of two way communication, but the rewards for
companies who make this effort can be astounding.
The benefits are huge for any organisation that manages to crack the
complex and sometimes black art of employee engagement. Qualities
such as loyalty, willingness to go that extra mile and even something
as simple as helping out a colleague without needing to be asked,
can all have a surprisingly positive impact on your companies’ bottom
line.
Introduction
Employee engagement : a definition
‘a positive attitude held by the employee towards the
organisation and its values. An engaged employee is
aware of business context, and works with colleagues to
improve performance within the job for the benefit of the
organisation.
The organisation must work to develop and nurture
engagement, which requires a two-way relationship
between employer and employee.’
Institute for Employment Studies, april 2004

6. Measurability
For example, an online
questionnaire of between 10 and 15
questions would be sent to named
employees (generating a higher
take-up than a blanket email), offering
them something in return, some
entertainment for instance.
A minimum sample size of 400 is
generally required for a meaningful
research exercise. Response rates
vary significantly depending on the
subject mater and audience, but
assuming an average uptake of 10%,
a minimum distribution list of 4,000
employees would be required.
Before embarking on any awareness
campaign, it’s important to establish
how its success will be measured. It
could be a simple as comparing the
number of registered hits on your
intranet before and after the campaign;
or the number of staff who have
completed the training course
modules. Equally it could be as
complex as measuring your business
performance pre- and post-campaign.
We’d recommend following up with
post campaign research to assess if
and how your campaign has affected
the behaviour of employees.

7. Branding and creativity
Our most successful campaigns have been creative in their concept and
implementation, whilst supporting the employer brand values of the
organisation. An interesting, engaging and entertaining message is most
likely to be noticed and remembered.
Equally, to produce truly effective communications, there needs to be clarity
of message. There is an urge to clutter what we say with lots of information so
that nothing is missed. The detail can and must remain – but should be saved
for the training course or the reference document or the intranet. To stand out,
your campaign should have a simple, overriding concept and consistent ‘look
and feel’ on which all materials, activities and courses are based.
‘’The thing about Twist & Shout is that they really know how to create and
“sell” a story. It’s stories, not data or process that will engage employees.’’
Dave Leighton, Siemens

8. Fireworks: Roadshow and Café Society
A roadshow could also act as an effective launch to the campaign. It
would enable you to introduce representatives of your team and
present the key messages in person. Interaction is key to making a
roadshow interesting and relevant and this could be achieved through
quizzes, games or competitions.
Smaller, single-site organisations could consider a café society
approach, which involves a series of informal sessions that allow
members to discuss the key information security issues. At the end of
each session, you move to the next table ‘café style’ to participate in
the next discussion. Each session begins with an introduction from the
session leader and then moves on to open discussion, with progress
on the issue noted by the leader. These types of sessions create an
atmosphere that fosters an honest and open exchange of ideas.
A live event also provides you with the opportunity to capture content,
in the form of soundbites recorded by an interviewer, who asks
attendees what they see as the key benefits of the awareness
campaign and their impression of the roadshow or café society.
This content could then be included on your intranet pages as a
reference and reminder.
Experience tells us that a rolling programme of activity will
keep the campaign firmly in the collective psyche. When the
key messages have been established, they need to be
repeated across different media, online, in the training
environment and in the main workplace. Our most successful
campaigns contain a combination of the following elements:
Fireworks: Video
One compelling way to announce the campaign is through a
video or series of videos. There is no better method to
promoting a reaction from an audience and ensuring that a
message is understood and retained. The key campaign
messages should be distilled and broken down into
manageable chunks of less than 5 minutes per film or module.
It’s often tempting to promote something based on facts and
figures. We’ve found that we have much more success with a
dramatic approach. We’ve also found that that humour works
incredibly well to make your message ‘sticky’, as does
referencing the everyday lives of your employees.
It seems obvious to point out but the videos should be easily
accessible to all employees: shown at an appointed time in
the boardroom, available on the company intranet and
promoted through a variety of channels (a theme expanded in
on-going engagement below).
Campaign based approach

9. Training
Whilst the fireworks announce the campaign and introduce the main
themes, training provides the detail. Allowing users to customise their
workspaces and their course requirements will help them to engage fully
with the training, reducing the ‘chore’ factor. Call it ‘permission training’ if
you will. We’d also recommend turning the spotlight firmly on the business
benefits – contextualising the training and giving users the ‘why’ as well
as the ‘how’. The training should be SCORM compliant to ensure that you
can review exactly who has received each of the training modules.
Reference materials
All of the relevant information about the policy should be stored on the
company intranet, including video, CBT and full policy details to provide
an easy-to-access reference point. In addition to this portal, we’ve found
that a print-based and pocket-sized document can be a useful reminder.
A Little Book would contain the key messages presented in
a conversational style, with images from the video to create a direct
association. These Little Books tend to stay on desks or be carried around
by those who received them; and should also be made available for
download from the intranet.
‘’It needed to capture the attention of a global audience and stir up
interest in working for us. To say we are happy with the videos is an
understatement. We are ecstatic!”
Stewart Brookes, McAfee

10. On-going Engagement
Quarterly emails
Regular reminders of the awareness campaign are crucial to maintain
momentum. Quarterly email alerts can provide details of how to access the
video content and intranet, when the roadshows are taking place and how to
download the Little Books amongst other things.
Ambient media
We’ve used ambient media with great success in the past and have found
that strategically placed posters and postcards are effective support
materials. For example, there could be a series of collectible postcards each
carrying one of the key messages that employees should remember and
relating to the video and Little Book.
Blog
A blog hosted on the company intranet would be a means of updating
employees on policy initiatives. It could be penned by the head of
department or trusted representative, or you could take a creative approach
and base the blog on a ‘character’ from the campaign. Blogs are relatively
easy to create and maintain but must be regularly posted so that the
audience knows what to expect and when.
Blogs offer you the option of enabling a ‘comments’ field after your posts
where employees can discuss issues with you. This means that they will not
only be more inclined to return to the blog, but you will have at your disposal
an effective and inexpensive way to get to know your employees better.

11. Case studies
Barclays ‘The Risk’
Tasked with finding new and innovative ways to raise awareness of
Information Risk Management for Barclays, we wondered what would
happen if a ‘visionary’ film Director was let loose on a training video.
Five ‘genre’ films were released independently on their intranet, alongside
the main feature, an ‘Office’-style mockumentary of the production process.
To promote the core films, there was a small teaser film, posters and
postcards and even a mock Film Premiere featuring two of the main
characters of the film, the Director and Client, appearing in character
throughout. The campaign has proved a resounding success that has seen a
tenfold increase in traffic to the intranet. It has also been recognised
externally, named ISE Project of the Year at the Infosec Awards ‘08 and
gaining a Discretionary Award at the Real IT Awards ‘08, with further
nominations for the SC and IVCA awards.
‘’The end result is an innovative, exciting and holistic campaign that is
beginning to have real traction across the business.’’
Stephen Bonner, Barclays

12. Case studies
TFL Departmental Day
The TFL ‘Department Day’ film was shown at an internal event as a means
of sharing knowledge about each central service within the same building.
Whilst employees on each floor were well acquainted, there was a gap in
knowledge of what other departments – and other floors – actually did.
We recommended to take the filming outside the workplace for interest and
concentrated on the employee personalities, not just their job role.
McAfee Heroes
The film was created to differentiate working for McAfee from the standard
Technical, Sales & R&D jobs that exist. The aim was to show that at McAfee
you are making a difference and to reset the perceptions of potential
employees. It was produced as a standalone item to be shown at McAfee
recruitment events and as a part of the McAfee revamped recruitment site;
and was premiered at McAfee’s 2008 Global Sales Meeting in Las Vegas to
boost internal morale.
McAfee has seen approximately a 10% increase in employee referrals
globally and significant increase in direct applicants from their careers site.
The film has been a focal point of the McAfee recruitment campaign
generally, spawning posters and other collateral.
McAfee Heroes
9
Case studies
McAfee Heroes
TFL Departmental Day
9

13. Web: www.twistandshout.co.uk • Email: anyone@twistandshout.co.uk • Blog: tandscomms.blogspot.com/ • Tel: +44 (0)844 335 6715
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