I first wrote this piece a few years ago. This week is half-term at my daughter’s school. Although she’s now older than when I wrote this and our activities are different, I think a day like this is a great way to illustrate the comms skills we all use, often without realising it. I was trying to think of a …
Comms checklist for trustees
Trustees’ Week 2020 takes place 2-6 November. Apparently there are 700,000 volunteer trustees in England and Wales, so I am part of a very large group! As trustees we have a lot of different things to keep an eye on. This is particularly true during difficult times, for our own organisations, for our sector and, most importantly, for the very …
Lessons in communication from a head teacher
I first published this analysis of the communications I receive from my daughter’s head teacher back in May, on my LinkedIn feed. Since then she has continued to provide updates, information and reassurance to parents, under incredibly difficult circumstances. I’m featuring blogs on the topic of comms, leaders and direction during October. So as we approach the half-term break, this …
Aligning communication with overall direction
2020, as we are all painfully aware, is a year like no other. Many business strategies and plans written in January have long since been abandoned or postponed. The ongoing uncertainty of where we are headed means many organisations are re-evaluating what they can realistically achieve in the short-term and what might need to change in the medium or longer-term. …
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 at the right time? Despite …