Many years ago when the large charity I worked for was launching a particular employee initiative, I wanted to contact other organisations who had done something similar and ask for their advice and learning about the communications. Because I was in a junior role and felt inexperienced, I decided to ask a more senior colleague … Read more
This has been one of my favourite quotes, ever since Benjamin Ellis said it during his explanation of how an unconference works. That was a few years ago at the first #TheBigYak and it has served me well as a mantra ever since. The Big Yak is one of the highlights of the internal comms … Read more
At the height of his broadcasting fame, Sir Terry Wogan was apparently asked how many listeners he had. He was the much-loved presenter of Wake up to Wogan, Radio 2’s popular breakfast show, at the time. His actual listening figure was around 10 million. But his answer to the question? “One.” Communication genius I am … Read more
I have learnt many communication lessons over the years – I share many of them with you all here on the blog – but when I had a significant birthday a few years ago, I decided to share one lesson for each of my decades. In the coming weeks, I will be launching a series … Read more
It’s #WorldBookDay2018 today. For as long as I can remember, books and stories have been part of my life. There is a fabulous photo in the family album of me as a very young child, sitting on my gran’s lap as she read to me. Every night, my mum or dad would read a bedtime … Read more
I spend my working life helping my charity and education clients to improve their communications, solving their problems by motivating their audiences to take actions. To celebrate the end of another year where effective communication has again proved a powerful tool for many, I asked some lovely people I know to tell me which communications … Read more
At the weekend I was lucky enough to go along to a painting class with the wonderful Jane from Be in Art. For some time now I’ve been looking for a class like this, so when I saw this one via a tweet from a friend, I jumped at the chance to go along. Jane’s … Read more
**spoiler alert** This piece contains a reference to something that happens in the book ‘Anne of Green Gables’ by L M Montgomery. If you haven’t read it yet and you don’t want your enjoyment spoiled, look away now! Today is World Book Day. It’s a day to celebrate authors, illustrators, books and, most importantly, reading. … Read more
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
This morning I attended a local networking session, the Woodley Business Club, for the second time – I had enjoyed the first session so much last month that I wanted to go along again. I have lived in the town of Woodley for 12 years, but only discovered that it has a thriving business community … Read more