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Video is nothing new to employee communication but few internal communicators have embraced the trend of short news videos that can be consumed without audio. NowThis and AJ+ are among the early adopters of this format, designed to allow people thumbing through Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and other channels to watch the short video without disturbing people around them with blaring audio. (The default audio setting for videos on Facebook is off.) Now even CNN and other mainstream media organizations have embraced the format.

So has Peter Vogt, global head of Employee Communications and Experience for Madrid-based financial services company BBVA. Inspired by NowThis and AJ+ — along with the employee-focused Paypal in 90 Seconds (the subject of an episode of TV @ Work back in October 2013) — Vogt led the effort to create “What Just Happened,” a weekly video news brief that never exceeds 2-1/2 minutes.

In this FIR interview, Vogt discusses the video and a new initiative to engage managers in addressing stories covered in the video with employees. He also explains the broader responsibilities of his job, which go beyond traditional employee communications by addressing the end-to-end employee experience.

UPDATE: Here’s the sample of “What Just Happened” Peter promised to share when he returned to Madrid:

About our conversation partner

Peter Vogt  is helping drive BBVA’s cultural transformation through the creation of its Employee Value Proposition, defining an end to end employee experience, and driving an exceptional conversation with our people everywhere. There’s nothing better than creating a company of 138,000 brand advocates who truly believe in the power of the company’s purpose. Before joining BBVA (and moving to Madrid), Vogt was CEO of Keystone Richmond Communications, based in San Francisco. He was also vice president of Employment Brand for Visa and senior director of Employee Brand Strategy for eBay (where he progressed through several employee-focused positions). Peter was Internal Communications Director at Microsoft and the Asia Pacific Communication Practice Leader for Watson Wyatt.

About Shel Holtz

Shel Holtz, ABC (Accredited Business Communicator), is director of Internal Communications at Webcor, a commercial general contractor headquartered in San Francisco. Before joining Webcor, Shel spent 21 years as principal of Holtz Communication + Technology. In addition to integrating technology into communications strategies, his expertise includes strategic communications planning, change management, organizational culture, business initiatives and communications research. Full bio