Most people don’t start quoting Napoleon when giving career advice. Ah well…
by Ben Raza
Read moremoving beyond the "default patient" - using AI to deliver truly inclusive and personalised healthcare communications
As healthcare communicators, we have an important role to play in protecting and improving health. Our job is to create clear, accessible and engaging communication that encourage people to make healthier choices, improve the patient experience, and reduce patient safety risks.
by Michael Mbanunu and George London
Read morewhat would dolly do?
The outpouring of love and affection for Dolly Parton from everyone from Beyonce to our own Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been extraordinary.
I have been a Dolly fan for 25 years, since I moved into a tiny bedsit and my neighbour in the much bigger flat next door used to blast out Jolene on a regular basis through our shared wall. I never had the courage to complain and gradually found myself becoming intrigued by the story of the song and loving it too.
So I’m so pleased to write a blog which talks about comms and Dolly!
by Kristina Fox
Read morethe comms rock star - what winning best comms pro in the unawards means to me
Well. Who’d have thunk it? Eight months on, I still relive the moment when I asked Darren and Emma Rodgers “Are you flippin (insert more forceful word here) sure?” when they announced that I’d actually won the Best Comms Pro category in the 2025 UnAwards.
by Clare Abbotts
Read moreramadan, lent, and the council which didn’t create the moon
It’s the social media story of the week, and exhibit A in standing up online for what we believe it in.
by Ben Raza
Read morecase study and campaign resources: dispose safe to prevent lithium battery fires in refuse trucks
Last year a lithium battery caught fire in one of our refuse trucks. Within seconds all the rubbish inside it was ablaze and the entire contents had to be emptied in the road for the fire service to put out. We posted a film of the incident on social media which went viral with a million views.
by Andreas Christophorou
Read morethe unawards 2025 - your guide to the big day
After a three-month build-up the UnAwards 2025 is almost here. Here’s your guide to the sold out big day…
by Darren Caveney
Read moreit’s time to move on from “more with less”
If you’ve been in public sector comms for the past 15 years you’ll have heard someone talk about how it’s important to “do more with less”.
by Ben Capper
Read morethe battle for trust: a public sector cup final
It’s March 16th and the clock at Wembley stands at 94 minutes. Newcastle United haven’t won a domestic trophy for more than 70 years and have just conceded a late goal in the latest in a long and forlorn series of doomed attempts.
by Ross Wigham
Read moreawareness days – have they had their day?
There’s nothing I look forward to more at the start of a new year than a fresh diary in which to write. Whether you have an actual diary or a digital one, January is the time to look ahead and think about what’s coming up in the months that follow.
by Joanne Cochrane
Read morewonderful winners. mighty mugs. and jaws. the UnAwards 2024 had it all.
A few days on and I still have a lovely warm glow from the 9th annual UnAwards.
by Darren Caveney
Read morewow. a record breaker. what next in the unawards 2024?
the talking comms podcast (2017-2024) and an exciting new chapter. plus, training you’ll love…
Like so many people – between a quarter and third of everyone in the UK, depending on who you believe – I love podcasts.
I mean, I really love podcasts.
by Adrian Stirrup
Read morethe uk needs to embrace innovation to improve recycling rates
The UK waste industry is currently facing a wide range of challenges that are slowing down the country’s progression as a major leader in recycling innovation. As other nations actively seek new targeted and effective ways to improve their recycling rates, the UK's cautious approach when adopting new and innovative technology is holding the nation back from building a greener future.
by Josh Casswell
Read moreelections – a 7-point comms checklist to guide your approach
I’ve covered a few elections in my time, council, generals, Europeans and the PCC. The one that sticks with me is when the MP in my council patch was Theresa May, was the Prime Minister ,and called a General Election in April 2017. I remember it clearly, I had just returned from leave and had a long list of work to deliver which suddenly got scrapped when the enormity of the Prime Minister’s election count dawned on me.
by Louisa Dean
Read morethe 4 'c's of the unawards winners masterclass 2024
There’s an old saying “after the Lord Mayor’s procession”. Which if you haven’t heard it before essentially means the things which follow the procession aren’t as good.
by Darren Caveney
Read morebeautiful, isn’t it? lessons from the winning “best use of video” unawards entry
Beautiful, isn’t it?
Lessons from the winning “Best Use of Video” UnAwards entry
by Ben Capper
Read moreSLAs for internal comms – the pros and cons
Service level agreements (SLAs). They’re not a new idea by any means but might it be a good time to debate whether you should introduce them right now to help manage demand and expectations? Would they give you a better chance to deliver your best and most important work?
A crowd-sourced blog post
Read morecoulda, woulda, shoulda: how we turned hindsight into insight with a midpoint evaluation
The UnAward-winning team at Companies House share this new case study and their lessons on evaluation.
by Anna Ellis and Jocelyn Keedwell
Read more5 ways data will shape communications in 2024 - and how you can make the most of it
In 2023 we saw data have a significant and ever-present impact on communications. It was used on a massive scale to power the launch of ChatGPT, which took AI into the mainstream, presenting opportunities and headaches (reputational risk, bias issues, and ability to produce authentic-sounding misinformation on an industrial scale) for pressed communications pros.
by Alex Waddington
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