So, are you up to speed on how you’d handle the internal comms if two of your members of staff killed in a fire in a tower block? Or maybe you’d have it covered if there’s an explosion in a quiet street? For the most part public sector communications can be pretty difficult. But withRead… Read more »
Are we better off saying the glass is half full? Or empty? Or pretending it’s full? That was the iconoclastic view of London Fire Brigade’s head of comms Richard Stokoe. Back at the annual LGComms Academy earlier in the year he spoke eloquently about the challenges the public sector is facing and his take onRead… Read more »
Okay, so here’s three things that may just help you fall off your seat a little bit. Or at least raise an eyebrow. Boom! Email can be a bit sexy. Not shiny hipster Apple sexy but in an effective way of communicating with people kind of a way. Boom! I’m seeing one of the keyRead… Read more »
Hoorah. For the third time in three years there will be an unconference for those in and around local government in the West Midlands. Called Hyper WM this half day event has grown from being a half germ of an idea to something a bit big a bit splendid and I’m proud to be involvedRead… Read more »
As beautiful illicit guilty pleasures go watching BBC2′s The Thick Of It is not exactly an out-of-control gambling habit. A satirical fly-on-the-wall Yes Minister for the 21st Century Civil Servants and politicians scheme, plot and manipulate obsessed by the whims of public opinion. Chief amongst them is the figure of Malcolm Tucker. Like ‘Iago withRead… Read more »
Okay, so the stats of the #ourday event tells one story but there is so much more to tell. What was it? It was a chance to see what local government did over a 24-hour period. A load of unglamorous unheralded tasks across the 700 services that your council does to help improve people’s lives.Read… Read more »
Before the internets were invented life must have been so dull. Y’know, really dull. You wrote a press release, you organised a photocall and once in a while TV and radio would show an interest. A few years back the yardstick of success where I work was getting the local TV news to come hostRead… Read more »
A world united in sport? Or an Olympic army of occupation that is taking over London causing tailbacks and mayhem? What’s the truth of it? Taking a look at a snapshot of tweets some surprising facts emerged. Using a tweetreach report on the #olympics hashtag that covers a three hour period just after rush-hour onRead… Read more »
All the best films have a challenge at their heart. In Dunkirk, its Johnny Mills as a British corporal steering his men to safety. In Pulp Fiction, its Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta getting away with accidentally shooting Marvin in the face. One if the biggest challenges facing press offices and communications teams isRead… Read more »
There’s nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come. It washes around obstacles and travels ever forward like a stream of water running down hill. Follow the path you can end up in exciting places. One of those ideas is about doing and then sharing. It’s something that powers what loosely can beRead… Read more »