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 …
Who’s listening to your not-for-profit story?
Once upon a time, in a land not far away, there was a woman who lived her life to spread the power of 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. Each member of staff grew to understand …
How to avoid misunderstandings in times of uncertainty
One piece of communication can send many messages, some of which may not be immediately obvious to the person sending it. This is particularly true in situations of uncertainty, where your people are worried about the future. They may even be actively looking for hidden meaning behind your words. So as communicators we need to be extra mindful of the …
Your perception is your reality
One day some time ago when my daughter was much younger, we were discussing colours on the school run – to be more precise, we were discussing the colours of the autumn leaves that we kicked through on our way to the playground. Soggy weather had really highlighted the bright colours of the leaves and I commented that I liked …
5 thoughts for person-centred communication
I have attended some fantastic events this week. Yesterday I chaired an internal communications panel for the CIPR Not-for-profit group, where questions covered a wide range of topics, from using core purpose to motivate people during lockdown to the importance of ongoing discussions about structural racism. Today I attended one of Dawn Newton’s Charity Meetups, where we again discussed motivation …