The comms blog

3 communication lessons from the CharityComms IC group

Earlier this week I had the great pleasure of chairing a panel discussion at the CharityComms Special Interest Group for internal communictors. This fantastic group of people with responsibility for IC in the not-for-profit world comes together quarterly to compare notes, share experiences and learn from each other. This month our speakers came from other … Read more

Need help with your communications in 2019?

If so, I can help you to solve problems by communicating more effectively and motivating people to take actions. Communication is, apparently, the root of all evil – it is almost always cited in staff surveys and individual conversations at the water cooler as needing improvement. But there are always things you can do to … Read more

Great communications from 2018

Whichever way you look at it, 2018 has been quite a year. There have been countless examples of communications, good and bad, that have influenced opinions and changed behaviours; helped people to live their lives and just plain entertained them; made them angry, made them laugh and made them cry. I asked some lovely people … 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 5 Ps for developing a narrative

I’m delighted to welcome communication specialist, Katie Jones, as my guest blogger this month. Katie shares with us her story of seeing the communication light as a student and her top tips for developing your organisational narrative. In a smoke and beer-filled room in Freshers Week I had a revelation. Angels sang and the clouds … Read more

#YouMadeItHappen – my favourites

This week charities have been using the hashtag #YouMadeItHappen to thank their supporters and celebrate the difference they make. An email from NCVO’s Aidan Warner, sent to members to launch the imitative, said, “When we ask the public what they want to hear from charities, one thing comes through loud and clear. They want to … Read more

Communications masterclass for charities

“It’s useful to have a structure to use for communications.” Charity delegate Today I ran a Communications Masterclass for charities on behalf of the Small Charities Coalition. During the half-day workshop we covered areas such as making the case for effective communication at your organisation, ensuring your communication is effective, how to build a strategic … Read more

Guest post: Workplace communication between individuals

This month’s guest post comes from freelance communicator, Genevieve Etienne-Farrell, and looks at workplace communication from an individual’s perspective. We often overlook communication in the workplace once we have covered the basics such as who to contact, why we need to contact them, and how we can contact them. Whilst this is a somewhat basic … Read more

7 tips for fantastic focus groups

I often help my clients to run focus groups with their employees, volunteers and other stakeholders, which is a role I love. Being a facilitator and enabling people to articulate and present their views is really important. However, running a focus group is not always as easy as it seems and if you get it … Read more

Guest post: 3 tools to improve communication in your organisation

My guest this month, coach for the self-employed Emma Cossey, shares her favourite communication tools for improving communication between colleagues – if your diary is over-run with unproductive meetings, this is the post for you. “Meetings should be like salt – a spice sprinkled carefully to enhance a dish, not poured recklessly over every forkful. … Read more