I’ve just spent half an hour watching a Facebook live video of the bachelor chimp group at Monkey World in Dorset. I couldn’t tear myself away! And although this morning’s session wasn’t billed as a story, it strikes me that actually the team at Monkey World do a fantastic job of story-telling. Across their social … Read more
I believe in the power of kindness. Of doing things that make other people smile, that make them feel better. Even if that’s only for a brief while. And this year I’m making it my mission to talk more about kindness and to share stories of kindness as much as I can. Kindness in the … Read more
As we near the end of 2020 (thank goodness!), we all face continued uncertainty. As well as being unsettling, this also makes the communication we can plan for uncertain. In my last guest blog of the year, trainer Rhian Morallee shares her thoughts on the personal communication skills we will all need next year, no … Read more
Today I am blogging about something that we know we will need to communicate about in 2021 and beyond – dry subjects. Topics such as procurement, data compliance and health and safety. (I say this with love; I have worked with enough procurement teams over the years to believe that you are a truly misunderstood … Read more
For this month’s guest post, we turn to our old friend, measurement and evaluation. I’m delighted to welcome freelance communicator, Adeeba Hussain, to share with us her tips for demonstrating that you have achieved your organisation’s ‘ideal state’. In today’s uncertain world of Covid-19, delivering effective communication is more important than ever. We, as communications … Read more
Although it doesn’t always feel like it, we have come a long way in the communications world this year. Looking at outcomes rather than outputs is a good way to help yourself recognise what you have achieved. What’s the difference? Of course, outputs and outcomes sound very similar. So what does each term mean? How … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
For this week’s blog I asked on my Twitter and LinkedIn pages for practical tips for communicators in a hurry. The results cover a wide range of areas, from planning and strategy to intranet and message suggestions. I particularly like the ideas in relation to sign-off, an area that can easily slow us down as … Read more