comms2point0

18 pearls of wisdom from lgcomms academy birmingham: day one

2012-05-29T21:17:19Z

There was a survey recently that listed PR in the top 10 most stressful jobs along with soldier, firefighter and police officer.

Surely in the field of public relations some of the most stressed must be in local government.

The LGComms Academy at Birmingham Council House drew hundreds of comms people from across the country in a formal event.

Twelve months ago at the event in Nottingham some people - wrongly - were talking about social media as something to think about next year. Forward wind a year and even the most died in the wool are having to work with it. Better than that, some are working with it well.

But digital is just one issue facing local government communications teams. Smaller budgets, less for more and a lack of trust all affect the sector.

why comms people need a camera in their pocket

2012-05-28T18:36:47Z

By Dan Slee

It’s clear that new web technologies are revolutionising the job of the communications officer.

But they’re also changing how we use photography too.

Back in the day freelance photography was commissioned for every eventuality. The launch event, the

new building or the new product all came with a photography budget.

But in times of shrinking budgets that world has changed.

There’s also been a perfect storm as social media and better mobile phones has opened-up access to half decent cameras.

is networking not working for you?

2012-05-26T17:34:22Z

by Carol Grant

I’m a communications consultant and also an accredited coach and mentor. One of the most common questions I get asked in my coaching work is: how can I learn to network?

At first it seemed an odd question. How can someone whose job is in PR feel they need to learn about communicating with other people? Why does the very word ‘networking’ strike fear into the heart of otherwise confident professionals?

from Norwich with love

2012-05-24T18:06:45Z

by Darren Caveney

When you turn up at a local authority headquarters and you're greeted with the sight of a Jaguar jet fighter perched on display in the grounds, then you know that something a little bit special awaits.

That place was Norfolk County Council's offices on the outskirts of beautiful Norwich. The reason for the visit was for an innovative 'ideas exchange'.

the accidental communicator: who owns comms?

2012-05-24T06:02:47Z

by Leah Lockhart

A few serendipitous events lately have focused my mind on issues around corporate communications and generally and in local government specifically.

Not just what it is, what it’s seen to be but who owns it.

Some background: I’ve been fortunate enough to be at the unnerving and confusing end of local government ‘talent management’ and, while I’m paid to give housing advice and help write homeless prevention strategies, I’ve actually been doing work around increasing use of web and social media in the public services sphere for a little while now.

good, bad and cake: a social media campaign to celebrate landmark birthday

2012-05-23T04:01:58Z

by Kate Bentham

At the beginning of May 2012 the FIS ran a weeklong multi-platform social media campaign called #WeAre12 to commemorate 12 years since the service was first launched.

It was hoped that #WeAre12 would:

can email be part of a comms and marketing plan?

2012-05-21T19:45:00Z

by Dan Slee

Okay, so hands up if you've ever sworn at the number of emails you have?

Around 300 billion emails get sent every day in the UK and around 90 per cent of them are spam and viruses, according to the Radicati group.

Hands up too if you've ever felt as though a fair slab are being sent right at you.

Me too.

the bridge

2012-05-20T18:06:20Z

by Darren Caveney

I’ve grown to love all things Scandinavian (with the huge exception of IKEA, that is)

I’ve never been to Scandinavia, and it’s a pretty expensive place to visit so a much desired trip and tour will have to wait.

Everything they do seems stylish, sensible and with people benefits not profits at their heart (with the huge exception of IKEA, that is) And all with seemingly effortless ease.

So, no surprise I’ve been enjoying their TV programmes so much of late. And the most recent, and perhaps the best, finished on BBC4 this weekend just gone – The Bridge.

a shining example – how being a case study can be better than you think

2012-05-18T04:51:27Z

by Eleanor Willock

So, Jeff from the ICT team has just called you to admit that he promised his contact from the vendor of your new [insert baffling tech term of your choice] that he’d ‘give them a quote’ once the deployment was successful. “Jeff!” you want to screech, “what were you thinking?”

I imagine this happens to in house comms staff in the public sector quite a lot.

On the other side of the PR fence, is the supplier’s agency, who’ve just had this email:

“Great news! We’ve just won a deal at [insert authority, hospital or Trust]. Can you set up a call with Jeff from the ICT team, he’ll give you a quote”.

And more often than not, this is how we first get talking – the in house customer comms professional, and the IT company PR agency bod.

learning, learning, always learning

2012-05-16T20:33:07Z

By Darren Caveney

I was lucky enough to be asked to talk to a group of final year PR students at Manchester Metropolitan University recently about PR careers in the public sector.

I was invited by Sarah Williams, senior PR lecturer at the University, and it was great to see the excellent work she and her colleagues are delivering to prepare the next batch of comms and PR folk for the world of paid employment.

Of course, it took me straight back to starting out in my own career, full of that heady, excited anticipation of where a sparkly new career may take me – somewhere glamorous, working for an exciting brand and maybe travelling around the world and back in the process.