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
Read morethe public sector comms landscape: 2024
Blimey. 2024 marks my 28th year working in comms. What an old fart, I hear you cry. There are a tonne of blog posts I could write from my experiences in those 28 years. But here’s one I thought might be useful to some of you.
by Darren Caveney
Read morehow we’re using tiktok to target our residents
2023 has been a unique year for social media. From Twitter’s rebrand to X and the overnight rise…and then plateau of Threads; as a digital communications team, we’ve found that some platforms have just not been what they used to be. Learning from this, we turned our attention and efforts to the most talked about social media channel right now, and it’s seems to be paying off.
by Lauren Surtees
Read morethe power of in-person events: a case study in climate change engagement
In today's fast-paced digital world, the pull of online marketing and social media campaigns often takes centre stage in our efforts to engage with the public. After all, it's quick, cost-effective, and easily measurable. But in our quest for efficiency, are we missing something deeper?
by Rose Hampton
Read morehey! let’s just make **** up - creative motivation tips
Are you flagging on the hamster wheel of perennial news stories? Do you resort to biro acupuncture to stay conscious in meetings? Is your life force being drained by national awareness days?
by Steve Watkins
Read morestandard bearers – fire sector lays down the marker for good comms
If there’s one thing that comes up time and time again in conversations with communicators, particularly in the public sector, it’s the common theme of people outside of the profession do not entirely understand what we do. Particularly the amount of hard work, skill and professionalism that goes into it.
by Paul Compton
Read more3 reasons why local authorities should focus on reputation, now more than ever
‘Multi billion pound black hole’, ‘councils on the brink of bankruptcy’ and ‘sleepwalking into financial disaster’ - recent media headlines paint a seriously bleak picture of the UK’s economy. The downturn coupled with soaring inflation and continued budget cuts has left local authorities in a difficult situation.
by Jack Fox
Read morea new way for the public sector to support people with their mental health and well-being
When people ask ‘what does local government do?’, sometimes the answer is potentially saving lives.
written by Hello Lamp Post
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