If there is one truism from the practice of law that translates to the practice of compliance, it is that you are only limited by your own imagination. This holds in the 360-degree realm of communication in compliance, as communications obviously come in many forms. Many compliance practitioners well remember the 2012 Morgan Stanley declination. In this first declination made public, the DOJ recognized Morgan Stanley for emailing 35 compliance reminders to Garth Peterson over a seven-year period. Consider the power of 360-degree communications in the context of compliance reminders. Now imagine the power of short ethics and compliance video training clips being distributed over the same period and the effect it would have on both your employees and regulators.
Podcast Storytelling
Why not tell the story of the compliance program through a podcast? I call it podcast storytelling, and it can be a powerful tool. Each podcast series is a 5-part series and constitutes one story arc. The podcasts are about 10–15 minutes in length. The podcast-storytelling series can feature a variety of interviews led by a noted podcast host, such as the Voice of Compliance, yourself as the CCO, or other key individuals from your organization. It can be an interview with one or more people, or it can be a solo podcast.
While there would be a fully integrated storyline, each podcast and accompanying text would be stand-alone compliance training and communications that anyone at your organization could use. The podcasts can be distributed both internally and through your organization’s social media channels. There is a wide range of podcast sites available, including iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, and Amazon. From each podcast, you can create multiple short audio clips or other forms of social media-sharing materials with key quotes and lessons learned that can be made as podcast cover art.
A series like this allows your organization not only to tell a story more effectively but also to reach a much larger audience than in any other format—live, audio-video, or in-person. Yet, there is another reason why you should consider this type of approach for compliance training and communications. It will provide you with the equivalent of market research and feedback. The number of listeners and downloads will provide a reliable source of data that you can use in other communications and training sessions.
Compliance Department Branded Podcasts
Want another option? How about a fully produced, branded podcast series for your internal compliance function? It could be two 25–30-minute episodes per month, with the guest selected by your compliance team. This format enables your corporate compliance function to tell the story of its greatest asset—its people—through interviews. Cannot get out of the country to travel? Still working remotely? Your branded podcasts offer a way to connect with your employees as we continue to navigate the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can use the branded podcast to tell the story of compliance successes in your organization. You can also include other departments to share their accomplishments. As with the podcast storytelling series, it would be done collaboratively, working with your communications team.
Compliance News of the Day
Want to create concise and effective compliance communications? How about “Compliance News of the Day”? Have a daily curated news show featuring 3–4 compliance stories, accompanied by a summary of the series and its relevance to a compliance perspective for your organization. Make it fun so that your employees want to check in daily. When the DOJ comes knocking and asks how often you send out compliance communications, you can point to your Compliance News of the Day as a great starting point.
As a compliance practitioner, you should bring more storytelling into your compliance messaging, training, and communications. If you put the employee in the shoes of the person they’re watching, they will remember it because they will see how it applies to their own lives. Such training and communication experiences will last much longer than if you drone on over a written policy or show a PowerPoint slide. Marc Havener has described this storytelling as “expanding your classroom.” Ronnie Feldman calls it bringing memorable storytelling to your compliance communications and training.
Since you are only limited by your imagination in addressing compliance, why not use some of that imagination to be creative in your compliance training and communications?
Using Podcasts to Improve Corporate Culture
One of the biggest benefits of podcasting is that it allows a compliance function to connect with its audience on a more personal level. Unlike traditional forms of advertising, which often come across as impersonal and sales-driven, podcasts enable businesses to build a loyal following by offering valuable and engaging content. This can include interviews with industry experts, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the business, and informative discussions on relevant topics.
Now, apply the same concepts of audience engagement internally to an organization. What do you have? A mechanism to engage your employees, to engender trust, and to improve your overall corporate culture. Do you think this is a crazy way to improve culture? Consider all the advantages podcasting already offers. Podcasting is one of the most intimate forms of communication, and this concept holds for a corporate compliance podcast.
A major U.S. consumer product company launched a podcast featuring corporate executives. Who were the biggest fans of the podcast? It turned out it was the company employees, many of whom had never met their corporate executives. This allowed the executives to be humanized in a way no number of town hall meetings or other similar corporate events could ever achieve.
