This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. It is fantastic that conversations about this important area of wellbeing are becoming more and more open. With increasing recognition of the impact of our mental wellbeing on all areas of our lives, our workplace communication has an even greater significance. We would not be able – or expected – to leave a …
How to handle CAVE dwellers
Every organisation has its CAVE dwellers. You know, those people who greet every new initiative, improved process or attempt to build excitement with snorts of derision. “We have seen it all before!” “What a lot of tosh!” “That will never work here.” They are, in short, Constantly Against Virtually Everything. CAVE dwellers. I first came across this term at an …
The story of a hot-desk and other ideas
Earlier this week I facilitated table discussions at the CharityComms Internal Communications Special Interest Group. The topic was story-telling and we heard from a range of speakers, giving us first a framework for stories and then real-life examples from charities St John Ambulance, Mencap, World Animal Protection and Scope, who have used story-telling to engage their people. Armed with this …
Guest post: comms lessons from an 11-year-old
Thanks to the Easter school holidays I’ve spent much of the last couple of weeks hanging out with my daughter. Like many 11-year-olds she’s very wise and tells it like it is, so I interviewed her about her views on communication for this month’s guest slot. Listening to young people more is something we should all do. Why is communication …
3 steps to spring clean your communications
Spring is definitely in the air and today I have been having a spring clean of my home office. I’ve put up new lighter, brighter curtains, tidied away some clutter and put a lovely bunch of flowers on the window sill. I find that I immediately feel more energetic and creative myself, ready to meet the challenges of current and …