Or, how to be more creative and innovative at work, and how this can impact positively on your communications.
Or, to put it another way. If you want to improve and grow your business, don’t be afraid of change, or being different.
Why you should sense check your communications before unleashing on your audience
You will probably have seen the news this week that Kleenex has decided to drop Mansize tissues from it’s range. I can hear some of you at the back shouting ‘about time too’, and I agree.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that you’re going to exclude 50% of the population from using larger tissues by saying they’re only for men.
Your communications works best as a mirror
I was back in Essex for a few days last week to look after the parents.
While I was there I went to Basildon hospital cardio unit, dealt with pest control, talked to the postman, the barista in Costa coffee and the cashier at the bank. And in every encounter, I heard the glorious Estuary English accent of the county of my birth.
#Commscamp: the number 1 public sector communications conference in the calendar
Plenty has been written about #commscamp in Birmingham on 12 July 2018; here’s Ben Capper plus all the activity on Twitter and LinkedIn and this from my old pals at Helpful Technology. It’s all good stuff, but doesn’t even scratch the surface for how much was on offer at this year’s event, with sessions on topics including AI, freelancing, podcasts, accessibility, Facebook workplace, creative play, media law and mental health. Needless to say, I've not been to a better public sector comms event, and it continues to get better and better.
Innovating for good: the story of how we had a hack for a hospice
Using real stories to talk about hospice care
A guest blog post from Frances Fox, Strategic Communications Officer at Macmillan Cancer Support
Talking about death, dying and bereavement is perhaps not what most of us would choose to discuss on any given day, but it’s important to try and make sure people feel comfortable discussing it and their wishes for the end of their life – this is one of the many things a hospice may aim to do.
Creative innovation and a hack: an event to help a charity in Durham raise their profile
I am really excited to be running a creative hack on 22 February next year for a local charity up here in County Durham. I’ve run a few hacks in my time and really like the energy, the chance it gives people to innovate and take risks, the opportunity to work with and definitely learn from different people, and, most importantly, the chance to collaborate for good.
And the winner is ... my top 10 tips for crisis management
Circus performer or counsellor?
I subscribe to a number of blogs, news sites and email newsletters, and spend my free time when not working reading through as many of them as I can.
In one of these publications, they regularly have an article where someone in the PR/comms industry talks about their job, being asked a series of questions, including 'If you’re good at this job you might also be well-suited to?'. An all too common response to this question is 'Professional juggler or plate spinner'.
How to be sociable - my top ten tips for charities on social media
Last week I had the pleasure of a trip up the Northumberland coast and a visit to Whitley Bay to run a social media workshop for a charity.
The charity's northern arm use Twitter and Facebook, supported by their London team, but wanted some more confidence, ideas and inspiration to properly take advantage of the channels.