Regular TV set can do more than we think.

Communication is always one of the most important parts in every organization. We can't live without it any more. It gets us to connect and communicate with each other effectively and efficiently. I probably appreciate all technological evolvements of communications the most since most of my work is in a communication and technology sector.
What is communication? Communication is a method that conveys or delivers message(s) from sender to recipient. That's it. Regardless what kind of methods or how complicated methods are, the idea is an ability to deliver a form of messages. Having a good communication often requires well-thought of design, infrastructure, execution and backup plan. Then, with the right messages and information, communication can reduce cost, increase productivity and save lives.
In recent years, the inability of government agencies to respond immediately in certain situations suggests that we need to be ready in case of emergency. When asked, how ready is your organization to cope with an unforeseen situation? We usually think of emergency training and class to deal with situations, or capability of connecting and getting information across either thru alarm, cellphone, telephone, radio, computer etc. We want to make sure we can connect and deliver messages or information to whom we are trying to help. In emergency situations, most people might be losing their focus. Information does not help them unless it can be delivered dynamically and proactively in real-time at the moment it is needed. Most technologies fall short by just delivering and informing people with a message.  During crisis, there could be a million things occurring despite well-trained. Corporate needs a tool that can take an emergency communication to the next step. Workplace TV can conveniently be used as a communications tool to enhance and maximize corporate's communications. TV medium is naturally capable to be seen and heard. With dynamic communication platform, it can inform, direct and suggest audience in real-time with both visual and auditory information based on circumstances. In a horrifying situation, people need a clear guideline what to do next and in what they can understand while waiting for someone to rescue them!!!

Creating a positive workplace culture everyday.

With globalization and technology, big companies are seeking for an innovative means to connect with a diverse culture of their employees. A company, for example, with a size of 1,000 -  50,000 employees and contractors at multiple facilities across the country or international would need more and better approach to improve corporate culture. Conventional communications and strategies are totally inadequate. Unless corporate executive can meet and greet everyone in person, employees may not feel their existences. What kind of approach do corporate need to create a positive workplace culture everyday? It is not unusual to learn that employees feel isolated or disconnected with their management. People ignore emails. People throw away handouts and flyers. Time is money. A miscommunication could significantly impact the company's bottom line.

Conventional usages of TVs at a workplace is typically meant for marketing, news and information.  How about using TVs as a cost-effective marketing and communications tool? Can TVs enhance and add another dimension of corporate communications? Simple recognition and appreciation of jobs well-done on screens can immediately bright up everyone's day at work!

• Thank you ...
• Congratulation ...
• Employee of the month
• Teamwork achievement
• Volunteering 
• Project success
• Open enrollment
• Corporate news and updates

Centralized and decentralized communications become a challenge for corporate's public relation, human resource, marketing, safety and risk management departments to deliver company's messages effectively. With dynamic TV platform, corporate headquarter can simply deliver global messages while local manager can easily deliver more specific and relevant messages and information to his or her facility.

What not to post on TVs at a workplace.

Another crucial part to maximize your TVs in working environments is content! Based on my professional experience in communications, here are a few things we should understand about turning those passive TV sets to a dynamic communications tool.

Content and Message:

• If Google or Siri can answer, don't post it.
• If it can be found online, don't waste your time.
• If it takes you more than 5 seconds to understand, don't post it.
• If reading is required, try to avoid them.
• If it is important to read, dedicated screens and different approaches should be considered.  

Nobody reads anything any more, it is fact. People are on the move. Putting messages that are relevant to audiences can create a positive impact. Be more creative about your messages can certainly improve corporate culture in many ways. Customers, visitors and guests can learn more about your business and services. Employees, and staff can be informed and directed effectively. Furthermore, corporate can deliver their messages cost-effectively.

Make it positive! 
Make it lively! 
Keep it simple but informative!        

Placement of TVs in working environments.

Probably this might be a topic that most people rarely discuss about in details. And we wonder why nobody likes to look at TVs in a working place regardless what's on it. Instead of discussing broadly about where physically TVs are installed in any working environments. I wanted to discuss how those TVs should be embedded into corporate's environment. After decisions are made to install them where at and what for, a final appearance of those TVs can affect an outcome of  corporate's goals. How to install those TVs architecturally and pleasantly in working environments. Can we think of it as if we hung a piece of art? Whether TVs are installed at an elegant lobby, office hallway, executive boardroom, industrial warehouse or locker room, these TVs are a part of design elements that could psychological influence audience's behavior. If a height of screen position is higher than natural eye level, it is uncomfortably to look and usually undervalues its own messages. If it is important to audience, it should be presented in a way that intends to get people's attentions. I will discuss about what on screens itself later.

Recommended considerations: 

• Portrait look makes it more interesting.
• Customized frame on TV compliments a surrounding.
• Typical TV bracket can be replaced by other options. 
• A height of TV should be at eye level.

Think about Feng Shui, a good placement of objects can bring a positive energy to a surrounding. If it is positioned properly, those TVs could be more interesting to be looked at. Because it is technology, it can function and look pretty too. 

How corporate deploy TVs at their working environments.

Everything is so complicated nowadays. Nothing seems to be easy any more. To deploy TVs at a workplace is no exception either when it should not be. Because it looks and sounds very technical, first thing comes to mind is that IT department must take a look on this. Keeping it simple is always the best way to deal with something that there is nothing related to main business. By treating and using  TVs in working environment as a communications tool, it can give corporate with a viable approach for deploying them.
Typically, corporate's IT department will seek for software, hardware, infrastructure and make sure technological aspects are taken care of. Then, it is up to other departments to provide contents or manage those contents on TVs. If not, IT department is on a hook. Unfortunately, this has become a common problem for almost every organization where TVs were deployed. Like everything else, devil is in the details. Attentions in details are required to achieve a greater result that corporate is expecting. Some might say that content is king. However, if corporate cannot manage those contents effectively and efficiently, all they have are a bunch of TVs hanging and nobody appreciates it. Crisscrossing processes create a burden on personnel and staff. As a result, all those TVs frequently are left out with no use, stale, outdated, and stagnant information instead of display informative, useful and attractive messages.

Instead of going such an extent, corporate might be better off with managing services that can take care of every aspect of those corporate TVs. IT department in today's world is bombarded by technology issues that come to its department from every direction. If we think about it, most contents will come from PR, marketing, communication, or safety departments. Outsourcing of management and coordination of everything needed to be done on those screens might be worth of time and resource.

Content management is the most important element of executing and utilizing those TVs. I usually recommend clients to minimize and avoid everything unnecessarily in deployment process. And, turning their focus on what corporate want to get across since managing all contents on TVs can be a pain. Can a tool provide value-added for what you already have? And, what value is it? Or, what kind of contents on it to benefit and attract both corporate and audience respectively?

By efficiently allocating available resources, corporate can reduce cost and time while benefiting from using TVs as their communications tool. Managing services can give a new light to TVs in working environments such as making them more engaging, attractive, informative, useful, and exciting, which everybody can take advantage from.