Whether your company includes ten people or ten thousand, a successful year-end message makes each person feel like an audience of one. This is hard to achieve. Year- end messages can read like form letters, full of recycled content. Pay attention to voice, tone, and delivery format to reach each member of your team.

Look Back and Launch Ahead

Because it’s a long-practiced and formal exercise, you may worry that the lofty tone of a year-end letter sounds like the greeting card version of your corporate message.

But this content does matter. Repeating part of your mission statement engages the audience by sounding familiar, while also making your greetings stand out from the many others that are sent out. From Hervé Helias CEO & Chairman, Mazars Group “We reaffirm our commitment to building a fair, sustainable and caring environment.” As his statement continues, Mr. Helias thanks the “teams around the world.” A 30-second video follows the letter and includes a series of diverse faces. The final title card says, “best wishes” and is translated into many languages. Because of these inclusive choices, each audience member is more likely to identify with the CEO’s message and remember the content.

A year-end message thanks the team for hard work. Specific feedback is more meaningful than a global comment. Consider this message from LEAP CEO, Steve Owens. He points out explicit qualities of the team, “patience, adaptability and trust,” that contributed to the company’s success during a “turbulent year.” The LEAP statement also includes a short list celebrating specific departmental results. Bill Carmody, Trepoint Founder and CEO, explains why it is effective to share achievements: “As you celebrate your wins, others look for ways to participate in what you have successfully built.”

There is no ‘I’ in TEAM, or is there?

Remember, you are both an individual and part of the team. Speak or write your message in the first person. YouTube takes this a step further and distributes letters from CEO Susan Wojcicki as, “A Letter from Susan.” In this case, using your first name creates familiarity. It distinguishes your year-end message from other CEO- level communications.

Each recipient needs to feel like they are receiving an individual message from the CEO. Depending on the size and global scale of your company, audience members may never have direct contact with you. And, tone naturally changes across settings. Finding one official tone that strikes the right note under all these conditions is impossible. Bridge the gap between you and the audience by being authentic. Use your own voice.

Consider Toyota President Akio Toyoda’s 2022 New Year’s Message, where he reflects on the milestones of 2021.

He engages with the audience directly, without any background graphics. The message includes corporate and personal achievements and goals for the future. While English may be a secondary language for Mr. Toyoda, his smile and phrasing “How awesome is that?” cement his authenticity with the audience.

Keep it Short and Simple

Keep in mind that people will remember how they felt about your message more than they recall what you said. In a 90-second video, former CEO of Merck, Stefan Oschmann, aligns himself with the audience immediately with a universal statement about 2020. “I’ve never spent so much time alone in my office as this year.” The highly stylized video captures a very personal tone, even though Mr. Oschmann does not speak directly to the camera until his final remark. “I’m incredibly proud of all of you…Thank you for your dedication and for truly shining in these times.” The video itself is shot at night, under low lighting. In this final moment, he credits his team as being the light—as the Merck campus is gradually illuminated. That is surely memorable.

Explore Different Formats but Stay Authentic

There are many formats available to reach your audience at year-end, anchored interviews, motion design, narrated images, GIFs, digital flip books and more. While both Toyota and Merck chose video production, the two examples could not be more different in terms of style. Above all, the choice of format should ring true for the organization. Otherwise, you run the risk of distracting from the content of the message.

In the next month as you prepare to close out the year, take time to connect with your team. Across your corporate communications, and regardless of format, the goal is always to engage the audience. Your year-end message is no different. You may include more repetition than usual in order to achieve a celebratory and grateful tone. Similarly, you may reach for symbols to capture images instead of relying solely on plain language. In all cases, a short, crisp message respects the audience. When delivered through an authentic voice, you provide continuity for your team and an effective transition into the next year.