The comms blog

Communication from a volunteer’s point of view

The words thank you written in colourful script

It’s Volunteers Week 2021. The theme this year is ‘A time to say thanks’. Organisations will be thanking their volunteers in a variety of ways. They simply wouldn’t be able to do what they do, make the difference they make, without the people who voluntarily give up their time and skills to make things happen. … Read more

How to use walking meetings to benefit your mental health and your work

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is nature. There is increasing evidence to show how important a connection with nature is for our mental health and wellbeing. Research carried out by the Mental Health Foundation into the effects of the pandemic showed: Going for walks outside was one of our top coping … Read more

What if we believe ordinary people have the power to do extraordinary things

During 2021 I’m sharing stories of kindness. Speaking up about the things that people do to help others and make their day better. Each month I’m going to publish a ‘What If…’ blog to inspire us all to think about how we already make the world a kinder place and ideas for things we could … Read more

Need help making the world kinder in 2021?

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 as needing improvement. But there are always things you can do to make it better. As I … Read more

Guest post: Building a communication strategy

This month I’m really pleased to be able to share with you a guest blog from Jesse Appiah, a business support intern for Holy Brook Associates (HBA), a bookkeeping, financial services and business support company. He has written this post detailing his experience of using the Browning York communication strategy template. To be honest, before … Read more

The importance of links

Earlier today I was in my local supermarket, trying to decide which of the 3 fantastic charities I should give my green token to, when I suddenly remembered a recent conversation with a friend who was looking for an organisation to support her through a difficult emotional time. One of the charities I was reading … Read more

Retro post: summer hols communication lessons

At this point, several weeks into the school summer hols, communication with children is not always at its best. But in 2013 – the first summer holiday I had experienced since my then-5-year-old daughter had started school – I was inspired to write this blog about the comms lessons that you can learn from interaction … Read more

Retro post: The importance of getting it right when you write

I love writing and during the summer holidays I get to spend more time than usual writing in my journal. Last summer I published this blog piece about writing as a core skill for communicators…. Over the last few years I have attended a number of careers events to talk about my profession and raise … Read more

How I help my clients put together communication strategies and plans

We’ve all heard the old cliché “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Personally I’ve always found it a bit smug, but like most clichés, there is a truth at the heart of it. Regular readers of this blog will know that it has become my mission in life to inspire organisations to be more … Read more

How to communicate with frontline staff

As an internal communicator, there are man1y different types of audience you have to bear in mind. There is no such thing as a one-size fits all approach to internal communication – your communication plans should always acknowledge the groups within your staff body and use the golden thread of messaging to link everything together, … Read more