Managers often receive the same announcement as their teams but are expected to explain it immediately. A separate briefing should prepare them for the conversation they will actually lead.
Commission a manager-only framing film with clear boundaries for local explanation and escalation.
Give the manager a different resource from the employee
The manager briefing should answer what the manager must do with the message. Repeating the employee film with a longer introduction wastes the separate opportunity. Ask the communications owner to identify the discussion the manager is expected to lead and the information they are authorised to add.
A useful briefing distinguishes the shared explanation, local implementation details and questions that require referral. The manager may be able to describe a team’s current work without interpreting an unresolved employment issue. Make that boundary visible in the example rather than leaving it to a footnote.
Rehearse a question that cannot be answered immediately
Choose a plausible question from the intended team context, not a hostile caricature. Show how the manager acknowledges it, states what is known and identifies a route for a response. Avoid a scene in which an executive supplies a perfect answer that ordinary managers will not have.
The briefing also needs an information handoff. Decide what managers should record after the discussion and where that material goes. Collect themes and unresolved work questions without encouraging the submission of personal details through a general communications form.
Release timing matters. Managers need a reasonable opportunity to understand the material before they are expected to use it. The production schedule should include factual review and a chance to clarify the briefing, rather than assuming that sending the link immediately before the team announcement is sufficient.
For acceptance, ask a manager unfamiliar with the production to outline their first conversation. Listen for invented assurances, missing referral routes or an assumption that the film replaces discussion. The briefing is ready when it supports a truthful, bounded conversation that the manager can actually lead, not when it merely reproduces the executive message with matching branding.
Commissioning checks
| Input | Why it changes production |
|---|---|
| Approved common message | Explain what managers can clarify |
| Likely team-level questions | Separate known answers from open issues |
| Questions requiring private referral | Provide a practical referral route |
An illustrative application
Imagine an organisation changes how requests are allocated. Managers receive a short briefing that explains the reason, rehearses a fictional team question and identifies matters they must not speculate about. The employee-facing film remains simpler. This example is hypothetical, not a Live Images project.
Ask a manager to explain what they would say when they do not know an answer. Do not equate repeating the executive script with having completed a meaningful discussion or any required consultation.
Discuss the production brief
For a production conversation, contact Live Images with the audience, central question and proposed evidence. The services overview is a starting point, not confirmation that every specialist element described here is available.
Source and scope
Australian Government Style Manual plain language is relevant background, checked 30 October 2026. This is original commissioning guidance, not legal, employment, safety or regulated professional advice. Prepared with AI assistance for Live Images.