The comms blog

Guest post: Personal communication skills

As we near the end of 2020 (thank goodness!), we all face continued uncertainty. As well as being unsettling, this also makes the communication we can plan for uncertain. In my last guest blog of the year, trainer Rhian Morallee shares her thoughts on the personal communication skills we will all need next year, no … Read more

Guest post: Communication is the real work of leadership

My guest this month, leadership comms manager Shalini Gupta, shares her top tips for being our leaders’ trusted partners and supporting them to communicate well. She also describes us as unofficial ‘key workers’. Wouldn’t it be easy if our leaders could just push a button and say the right thing in the right tone and … Read more

Your perception is your reality

One day some time ago when my daughter was much younger, we were discussing colours on the school run – to be more precise, we were discussing the colours of the autumn leaves that we kicked through on our way to the playground. Soggy weather had really highlighted the bright colours of the leaves and … Read more

Guest post: How to check in with your employees when working from home

Now more than ever your internal communications need to connect with the day-to-day experiences and feelings of your people. This month’s guest, Teresa Gandy, shares her thoughts on why – and how – you should check in with your employees on a regular basis in order to make sure that you understand and support them … Read more

Guest blog: What to do when leaders don’t listen

This month, internal communications consultant, Martin Flegg, shares his advice for getting your voice heard by the leaders in your organisation. If you like what he has to say, you might also like to join him and many other internal communicators at the ‘Changing the Conversation’ conference – details at the end of his piece. … Read more

8 great tips for conversation and listening

Last week I enjoyed having conversation with a room full of my fellow internal communications professionals at the Public Sector Internal Communications Conference. I came away inspired with ideas and tips to use with my clients. I liked this quote from Mandy Dryden, Head of Internal Communications at the Department of Health and Social Care, … Read more

Guest post: The power of listening

In this month’s guest post, we learn from trainer and coach, Stephanie Smith, about the powerful, but often under-rated, communication skill of listening. One of my favourite workshop exercises uses a picture. It’s a complex image; one of those where the longer you look, the more you see. I show participants the picture for 3 … Read more