Like many internal communications professionals, I am on a mission to get the people I work with to put some thought and planning into their communications. It drives me mad when someone comes to me and says ‘I need an e-newsletter’ but they have no idea what they’re trying to achieve or who will read … Read more
In the woods near where I live, the leaves on the trees are now displaying a beautiful array of colours. I always find autumn visually inspiring and it’s fun to collect leaves and compare the different colours and shapes. I also make some great pictures from them, attempting to communicate the beauty of the season. … Read more
With my daughter starting ‘big school’ and a main client in the HE sector, I’m acutely aware that we are now at the start of a new academic year. And amongst the excitement of new pencil cases, new uniforms and moving away from Mum and Dad (that’s the students, not my 4-year-old), a time of … Read more
Once upon a time, in a land not far away, there was a woman who believed passionately in the power of internal communication. She wanted to make a difference to the world we live in and so she worked with charities and not-for-profits to help them change the world for the better. By communicating effectively … Read more
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 … Read more
Apologies that there’s been a bit of a gap on this blog. In truth, I have had a lot of contract work over the last few months and I let things slide. No excuse, really, but there it is! Anyway, I’m back now and will endeavour to bring you my pearls of wisdom on a … Read more
Following on from last time, now we’ll look at what you want to tell your audience. You might have heard this referred to as your key messages. Basically, they are the important points you want to get across. Someone once described it to me as the three things you would say to an alien who … Read more
This week I’m going to give you my thoughts on the content of effective communications. There are two sides to this – what does your audience want to hear and what do you want to tell them. Let’s start with the first one. You may be thinking, what does it matter what they want to hear, … Read more
Often as an internal communicator in the charity and higher education sectors I find myself needing to communicate with diverse groups of people. From fundraisers to policy makers, from researchers to HR managers, from practice staff to tutors. And many more besides! This is one of the parts of my job that I love best: … Read more
As we head towards Christmas and the start of a brand new year, the tendency is to look back over the year that is ending and make plans for the one that is coming up. Personally, I have had quite a year! Setting up Browning York Ltd has been a steep learning curve and it … Read more