To mark Trustees’ Week 2019, which took place from 4 to 8 November, my guest blogger, communications consultant and not-for-profit Board member Helen Deakin, talks top tips for engaging with your Board on communications. Are you looking to contribute to a great cause and advance your own professional development? Has becoming a trustee ever been … Read more
Key messages can be tricky to get right. This is especially true if you are close to the subject matter and know all the ins and outs by heart. Or if you are producing communications for a project manager who wants to cover all bases. But it is vital for effective communication that you find … Read more
I regularly have conversations with potential new clients who are struggling to find the time to communicate effectively. They usually have a small team with limited comms experience and they need someone to help them get their messages out effectively. Although I haven’t yet found a way to manufacture more time (that would be a … Read more
There are many areas of life where timing is all important. Communication is one of them. This is something that anyone who has ever had to talk to their boss about a difficult project knows very well. Or if you’ve had to persuade a 2-year-old to put their socks on! Cycles of work Working in … Read more
The summer can be a funny time for organisational communication in most workplaces. At any given time, many colleagues will be away on holiday and those who are in the office may find themselves covering more work than usual. For some teams, such as the admissions teams at universities for example, the summer is the … Read more
Effective communication is based on audience understanding. To build connections, communicate messages and listen to others, you need to understand them. With this knowledge you can plan communications that are meaningful and move towards achieving your organisation’s objectives. Put yourself in their shoes When I run my communications planning workshops, I often set attendees an … Read more
In this month’s guest post, my fellow communications professional, Amy Hutson, shares some top tips for ensuring that your content works hard and encourages your audience to do something as a result. While writing might be something we do every day, writing content that encourages our audience to take action can be quite a challenge. … Read more
A while back I wrote website text for a client who was setting up a new business. At the same time, I was also writing internal web pages for a professional services department at another client. The sites were very different in terms of their ultimate objective and audience groups, so the tone, feel and … Read more
Every organisation has its CAVE dwellers. You know, those people who greet every new initiative, improved process or attempt to build excitement with snorts of derision. “We have seen it all before!” “What a lot of tosh!” “That will never work here.” They are, in short, Constantly Against Virtually Everything. CAVE dwellers. I first came … Read more
Thanks to the Easter school holidays I’ve spent much of the last couple of weeks hanging out with my daughter. Like many 11-year-olds she’s very wise and tells it like it is, so I interviewed her about her views on communication for this month’s guest slot. Listening to young people more is something we should … Read more