Creative12 Aug 2024Simon Druery

Unlocking Authenticity: 10 Essential Tips for Bringing the Best out of your Employee Ambassadors

There's so much power in authentic storytelling. It's relatable, engaging and builds trust quickly. But when it comes to working with employee ambassadors, it's easy to feel uncertain about how to bring out their best. The key lies in building a genuine connection with your talent, taking the time to understand their strengths, and creating a supportive environment that fosters confidence and creativity. Rushing into a photoshoot or videoshoot without proper preparation can lead to stiff, unnatural performances that fail to resonate with your audience. By investing time and effort into your employee ambassadors, you'll capture genuine, compelling content that showcases your brand's personality and values.

10 Tips to Bring Authenticity to Life

Here are some of best tips on how Brand Managers can work with their Brand Ambassadors and get the most out of their performances. If they are not trained actors, it can means they are likely to feel uncomfortable in front of a camera. Therefore the more you can do to support and engage them on the journey so they feel as comfortable as possible can have a big bearing on the quality of your output - whether that be photos or videos to bring your brand to life.

1. Clear Briefing

A thorough briefing sets the tone for a successful shoot. Ensure your employee ambassadors understand the objective, tone, and expected outcomes. Share reference materials, encourage questions, and provide detail on any logistics. This clarity will help them feel prepared and focused.

TIPS:

• Share brand guidelines and example creative to help set expectations

• Encourage questions and clarify anything they are concerned about

• Outline the shoot schedule, timeline, clothing and hair and make-up requirements

2. Purpose and Meaning

Connect the shoot to a larger purpose or impact, explaining how their participation contributes to the brand's mission, employee or customer engagement, or community benefit. Share testimonials or success stories from other employees like them to emphasise the impact that their efforts will have on helping the business meet its objectives.

TIPS:

• Highlight the project's positive impact on both the business and the individual

• Emphasise how their involvement supports company values, goals or purpose

• Share personal anecdotes of purpose-driven work

3. Embracing Challenge

Encourage your employee ambassadors to step out of their comfort zone, helping them to view it as a growth opportunity. Acknowledge that it's okay to feel uncomfortable and offer support and resources for skill development.

TIPS:

• Share personal anecdotes of overcoming challenges

• Focus on progress, not perfection

• Offer support and resources for skill development around speaking or confidence

4. Relaxation Techniques

Help your talent relax with icebreakers, warm-ups, or simple exercises. Reduce nervousness and promote natural expressions. Use humour, breathing exercises, or music to create a soothing atmosphere.

TIPS:

• Use humour to break the ice - ask some 'silly' questions to start to help them warm-up

• Encourage deep breathing exercises - it really helps settle the nervous system

• Play calming music during downtime to create a more informal, relaxed vibe

5. Scripting vs Spontaneity

If script-based, provide cue cards or a teleprompter and conduct rehearsals to familiarise them with the content. However if you are trying to capture more spontaneous, from-the-heart testimony, just provide a general overview of interview questions (not specific ones - as they will try and memorise - which will result in stiff performances).

TIPS:

• Be open to taking on script revisions based on feedback if it doesn't feel authentic

• Record rehearsals for self-assessment (if time allows)

• Help ambassadors think of a 'time when' to demonstrate real examples

6. Direction and Feedback

Offer constructive direction and feedback during the shoot, encouraging and praising their efforts to build confidence. Give clear feedback and celebrate small victories. Leverage your creative agency or Art Director to give performance direction.

TIPS:

• Use specific, actionable feedback - what are they doing well and not so well

• Be kind and offer suggestions to improve - demonstrate yourself what it could look like

• Encourage peer feedback and support

7. Authenticity

Encourage authenticity and genuine expressions, reminding them to be themselves - they are perfect exactly as they are. Emphasise the importance of letting go and showing some vulnerability and how that will help the audience to relate to their story.

TIPS:

• Share brand stories and values that reinforce their personal experience

• Emphasise the importance of vulnerability - it's ok to be emotional if that's what they feel

• Encourage personal anecdotes - rather than tell - can they show us what it looks like?

8. Camera Angles and Poses

Guide your ambassadors on 'flattering' camera angles, poses, and body language, enhancing their comfort and visual appeal. Provide posing tips and tricks, experiment with different angles and lighting.

TIPS:

• Provide posing tips and tricks, like imagine the camera is your best friend walking into the room, or looking away to reset and refresh before re-engaging with the camera

• Experiment with different angles and lighting to capture the best result

• Encourage movement and natural gestures to add authentic energy

9. Positive Reinforcement

Maintain a supportive atmosphere, celebrating their successes and efforts. Sometimes offering incentives or rewards can help, otherwise simply sharing positive feedback from others is enough to bring out a great performance.

TIPS:

• Offer incentives or rewards like a gift, or cash card - or create an opportunity to share their story at a live town hall on launch

• Share positive feedback from others that is motivational and inspiring will often encourage them to extend their efforts even further

• Emphasise effort, not just how they look

10. Reflection and Results

Share campaign feedback and results, asking them to reflect on their experience, what they learned, and how they grew. Conduct a post-shoot survey or interview, encouraging self-reflection.

TIPS:

• Conduct a post-shoot survey or interview

• Encourage self-reflection which in itself can become a great 'behind-the-scenes' story in itself

• Celebrate their contributions and progress along with the wider team or business

By following these 10 essential tips, you'll create a supportive environment that brings out the best in your employee ambassadors, capturing authentic, compelling content that resonates with your audience.

Article by Simon Druery

Simon Druery is Director and Brand Strategist at Belong Creative. What gets him jumping out of bed each day is helping business owners and marketers craft brands that people want to belong to. When he’s not working you can find him travelling Australia in the family caravan and enjoying a tawny port by the fire.