This one is the gift which keeps on giving. The never ending stream of requests – and 'advice' – which flows into most comms teams…
by Darren Caveney
This year I have had the great pleasure of working with lots of public sector communications teams and gaining a birds-eye view into their worlds - their successes and challenges, their hopes and frustrations.
It’s always a privilege. It’s also a helpful reminder – now I no longer manage an in-house team – of the highs and lows of being in the most important team in an organisation (well I’m based but I truly believe this)
Now it’s fair to say that common themes and trends emerge. Here’s just a sample of what I have heard on my travels this year – the things which staff tell their comms team every month/week/day/hour.
Any of them sound like your world?
Picture the scene – an officer or manager from another team walks into your office and tells you one or more of the following…
1. What we need is a comms plan
2. The comms team aren’t “strategic”
3. We need a Facebook page
4. We need an app
5. We need a video
6. What we need is a ‘hearts and minds’ campaign
7. Our intranet is rubbish
8. We really need this on the website homepage
9. You really need you to be in this meeting (no notice and not in the diary, obvs)
10. I’ve designed this leaflet if you could just send it out please
11. Could you whack this on Facebook?
12. We need a logo for this new project
13. We have organised a competition with a local school to create a logo (feels instantly sick)
14. Our comms is too reactive…
15. We need to ‘shout about ourselves’ more
16. And, finally, the classic - we really need you to promote our event (it’s happening today, or tomorrow if you get really lucky)
What are your most common requests and gripes?
Write a guest post about it and send it to me for adding to the site (I’m at darrencaveney@gmail.com )
Remember, a problem shared… :-)
Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point0 and owner of creative communicators ltd
image via hobvias sudoneighm
