Time. I never had enough of it. Policing and crime is mainly reactive and always has an element of crisis about it. The very nature of it means from one day to the next you never knew what would happen. Taking time out to attend awards events or even apply just didn’t feel achievable and that makes me sad now.
by Dee Cowburn
Because after attending the Comms UnAwards Masterclass this week, where winners showcased their incredible campaigns and engagement initiatives, I am so inspired. Learning so much about such creative, innovative approaches that didn’t cost a lot of money to deliver but supported the communities in really tangible ways.
Communications is a hectic, demanding, chaotic environment a lot of the time. I was as guilty as the next person for running ahead and not stopping to reflect on what had been done well and what could be entered into an award. But actually it is vitally important to do this.
Because it helps you and your team see what you have achieved. Helps you build on those successes and be more strategic about next steps. Manchester City Council blew me away with their social media approach, as did Police Scotland with how they managed a really tricky campaign targeting online viewing of indecent images.
As I dropped my little girl off to school this morning, I saw a former colleague and I said to her about the awards and how I was going to contact people I used to work inhouse with to apply for the UnAwards because all this work being done that isn’t being celebrated or recognised. She agreed with me and it made me realise how many of us go about doing the daily stuff without stepping back to reflect or enter awards in recognition of what we have achieved.
As Darren said, if you are doing the work, and not applying, people wont know about it.
So my call to action to communications people that I know, who day in and day out do amazing work to reassure communities, inform people about really difficult subjects and just get on with it, is enter the Unawards. Outline what you have done and why you have done it because it matters. You matter and your work matters.
The sense of community at the Comms Unawards Masterclass was palpable and something I didn’t always experience inhouse. No ego, everyone supporting one another, sharing what worked for them, and why it worked.
A goldmine of resources to glean new creative ideas from that could really help lots of different communities when campaigns are being planned. I learned a lot this week but the main five points that stood out were these.
Newsletters are a huge part of effective engagement. Bringing people with you regardless of the subject and regardless of the authority or organisation. Surrey Council are doing exceptional work in this area and I was seriously impressed with their data mining skills and approaches that sound so simple but are inspired!
Tackling difficult subjects can be done if framed really sensitively and backed with data, insights and support from well consulted partners and stakeholders. Police Scotland outlined how this can be done and how, just because something is a very tough subject to address, does not mean you do not do it. You do it in a way that will resonate with the public and the audiences you are trying to reach using expert insight. This may seem obvious but is it?
Networking is vital. Learning about how West Midlands Combined Authority engaged more than 10k followers using tech that cost as little as £150 during the recent Mayoral elections was seriously impressive. As was the work by Tower Hamlets to engage Community Ambassadors. The creative ideas you get from watching the presentations is awe inspiring and humbling to see the amazing work being done by communications teams up and down the country with limited resource.
Drilling down into your audiences and really understanding and managing your social media channels is really important. The amount of consideration local authorities including Manchester City Council give to this area is mind-blowing. Staffordshire Council’s campaign to tackle children not attending school was also really thoughtful and if that was replicated across the country, who knows what that could achieve?
Community is everything. I have never been to such a supportive communications event where everyone is just dead keen to help each other out. As a freelancer I sometimes can feel quite vulnerable, but attending the event this week reinforced to me how my decision was such the right one. Authenticity, integrity, kindness, community, was just everywhere you looked. My only regret is I didn’t prioritise entering and attending as much as I should have done when inhouse.
I’ll be making sure I atone for that by boring everyone I know to death whose inhouse with how important it is that they share their learning in this way.
The thing is about the UnAwards, it isn’t just about entering an award, it is about sharing your learning and being part of something bigger than yourself and your comms team, even if your team is one of the mighty three, like Nottingham Fire and Rescue, whose comms manager is absolutely hilarious and hugely talented! (You could just tell…)
Jude Tipper gave a brilliant talk about being yourself and writing about things that matter to you. I’ve taken her advice literally, and actually community matters to me, sharing kindness, and sharing stuff that I think is important and that makes a difference and helps me. As it could help someone else and people have done that for me, so much over the last 12 months.
The comms2point0 UnAwards are important, it matters, because community is at the heart of it. And we could all do with a bit more of that right now.
So if you’re currently so busy you cant breathe properly, step away from whatever it is you are doing, anything can wait five minutes, get your cold cup of tea or coffee, and a notebook and pen and write down the work that could be entered for the next Comms UnAwards. Really think about it and then do it!
It could be you sharing your experiences next time and helping to reinforce and continue building on a really special foundation of community and kindness. Because it is there, it exists, and if we give ourselves permission to look up from the chaos consuming us, we will see it and experience it.
Dee Cowburn is owner of Dee Cowburn Communications
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