With the London 2012 Olympics just over a week away, it is impossible to pick up the paper, turn on the TV or even talk to a colleague without the topic coming up. So I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and give in to the temptation to mention it myself. But with such a huge event, with so many angles and aspects, over-loaded with communication about every tiny detail, what should I actually talk about?
Primary schools up and down the country have been involved in Olympic-themed activities for weeks. One of them ‘Be the best that you can be’ is all about inspiring personal excellence. In my daughter’s preschool class, children have received stickers and recognition for tidying the classroom, helping younger children and singing enthusiastically.
Personal growth and development is an area that has always been important to me. I want to learn as much as I can and be the best communicator I can be. With the world of the internal communicator in particular changing so quickly these days, I’m keen to keep up. I recently read an interesting article about how we all need a mix of confidence in our abilities and humility to know that we can always learn more. This struck me as a useful mix.
As a member of the Institute of Internal Communication (www.ioic.org.uk) I’m delighted with all the work that is being done to raise standards in our profession and develop rigorous qualifications that demonstrate the quality we can bring to any organisation. With the vital importance of engaging staff and communicating well with each other to make a difference to our organisations and our world, I believe we have a responsibility to strive to be the best we can be at all times.
And if there was an IC Olympics, what would the events be? We certainly need the stamina of the marathon runners, the fast reactions of the tennis players and the accuracy of the archers, and much more besides….
Until next time
Sarah