I’m a fan of GIFs.

They’re mostly low bandwidth, can demonstrate a series of screenshots with added text, and sometimes work just as well as a video.

I’ve used one in learning, for example, to show people how to log into an HR platform and register sickness absence. It was shared more than 1,000 times across the organisation and led to a substantial increase in sickness reporting.

Or you can use them simply to thank or recognise people in chats, messages and correspondence.

Yes, they’re perhaps one of my idiosyncrasies as a ‘Boomer’, but I don’t particularly care. We’ve posted a thank-you list every week on the corporate Llarn page, and the GIF is what people come for.

Don’t be afraid to use tools outside the norm. Different formats resonate with different people and, in some cases, something as simple as a GIF can be part of shifting how people communicate and engage.