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Merry Christmas to you all
I am now formally winding down for a week or so to enjoy far too much rich food, Jack Daniels and bad TV. You’re now doubt doing the same – so can I take this opportunity to wish you all a fantastic festive break and a very happy new year. Enjoy!!…
Merry Christmas to you all
I am now formally winding down for a week or so to enjoy far too much rich food, Jack Daniels and bad TV. You’re now doubt doing the same – so can I take this opportunity to wish you all a fantastic festive break and a very happy new year. Enjoy!! L…
Are you a communication separatist or unionist?
One of the sub-themes that has emerged at a number of conferences I’ve attended in the last few months has been that old chestnut of integration – ensuring a joined-up approach to internal and external communications, PR and reputation management. A handful of speakers I’ve seen ha…
Continue reading Are you a communication separatist or unionist?...
Are you a communication separatist or unionist?
One of the sub-themes that has emerged at a number of conferences I’ve attended in the last few months has been that old chestnut of integration – ensuring a joined-up approach to internal and external communications, PR and reputation management. A handful of speakers I’ve seen ha…
Continue reading Are you a communication separatist or unionist?...
Social network analysis – getting beyond the organisational chart
Hearing Leandro Herrero’s passionate key note session on Viral Change at the CIPR conference back in September has renewed my interest in social network analysis (SNA) or, as it’s sometimes called, organisational network mapping. The premise behind SNA is simple – that organisation…
Continue reading Social network analysis – getting beyond the organisational chart...
Social network analysis – getting beyond the organisational chart
Hearing Leandro Herrero’s passionate key note session on Viral Change at the CIPR conference back in September has renewed my interest in social network analysis (SNA) or, as it’s sometimes called, organisational network mapping. The premise behind SNA is simple – that organisation…
Continue reading Social network analysis – getting beyond the organisational chart...
Don’t get exposed at the office party – a timely warning
The other week I was flicking through the News of the World, as you do, and was mildly amused by a two page piece focused on the [alleged] sordid antics of a handful of employees of the UK banking group HBOS. I didn’t think about it much at the time, but more damning coverage followed this wee…
Continue reading Don’t get exposed at the office party – a timely warning...
Don’t get exposed at the office party – a timely warning
The other week I was flicking through the News of the World, as you do, and was mildly amused by a two page piece focused on the [alleged] sordid antics of a handful of employees of the UK banking group HBOS. I didn’t think about it much at the time, but more damning coverage followed this wee…
Continue reading Don’t get exposed at the office party – a timely warning...
Twitter – a great introduction and examples
When I run seminar sessions on social media I’m often asked to explain what Twitter is and how it can be used by communicators. So I was delighted to stumble upon this excellent post from Copywrite Ink in the US – a great introduction together with lots of good examples of how it is curr…
Continue reading Twitter – a great introduction and examples...
Twitter – a great introduction and examples
When I run seminar sessions on social media I’m often asked to explain what Twitter is and how it can be used by communicators. So I was delighted to stumble upon this excellent post from Copywrite Ink in the US – a great introduction together with lots of good examples of how it is curr…
Continue reading Twitter – a great introduction and examples...
Insights from latest VMA career research (free download)
VMA, the specialist search and selection firm, recently canvassed the views of 1,000 candidates and clients on the current state of the internal communication profession. The aim of the survey was to identify key trends in the profession – focusing on salary benchmarks, skill requirements and …
Continue reading Insights from latest VMA career research (free download)...
Insights from latest VMA career research (free download)
VMA, the specialist search and selection firm, recently canvassed the views of 1,000 candidates and clients on the current state of the internal communication profession. The aim of the survey was to identify key trends in the profession – focusing on salary benchmarks, skill requirements and …
Continue reading Insights from latest VMA career research (free download)...
CIPR exclusive: an audience with Bill Quirke – London, Tuesday 4 November
You’ve heard the positive things I’ve had to say about Bill Quirke’s recent speaking engagements (see my report below from the recent Melcrum SCM Summit) – now it’s time to make up your own mind… Next Tuesday – for one night only – Bill will be leading…
Continue reading CIPR exclusive: an audience with Bill Quirke – London, Tuesday 4 November...
CIPR exclusive: an audience with Bill Quirke – London, Tuesday 4 November
You’ve heard the positive things I’ve had to say about Bill Quirke’s recent speaking engagements (see my report below from the recent Melcrum SCM Summit) – now it’s time to make up your own mind… Next Tuesday – for one night only – Bill will be l…
Continue reading CIPR exclusive: an audience with Bill Quirke – London, Tuesday 4 November...
Views from the SCM Summit – day two, final instalment
Following Bill Quirke’s inspiring talk on recession-proofing the internal comms function we chose specific conference tracks and broke into smaller groups for much of the remainder of the day. More insights from Bill First off I chose to join Bill again for a more intimate ‘clinic’…
Continue reading Views from the SCM Summit – day two, final instalment...
Views from the SCM Summit – day two, final instalment
Following Bill Quirke's inspiring talk on recession-proofing the internal comms function we chose specific conference tracks and broke into smaller groups for much of the remainder of the day. More insights from Bill First off I chose to join Bill again for a more intimate 'clinic' on le…
Continue reading Views from the SCM Summit – day two, final instalment...
Views from the SCM Summit – day two, part one
Another good, thought provoking day in Kensington today… Day two of Melcrum’s SCM Summit was an interesting journey through the world of employee comms and engagement. During the nine hours between 0800 and 1700 we covered a host of hot topics, including communicating outsourcing, recess…
Continue reading Views from the SCM Summit – day two, part one...
Views from the SCM Summit – day two, part one
Another good, thought provoking day in Kensington today… Day two of Melcrum's SCM Summit was an interesting journey through the world of employee comms and engagement. During the nine hours between 0800 and 1700 we covered a host of hot topics, including communicating outsourcing, recessio…
Continue reading Views from the SCM Summit – day two, part one...
Views from the SCM Summit – reporting on day one
I missed out on most of the proceedings today, so much of the following report comes courtesy of my Gatehouse colleague Howard Krais… Melcrum’s annual SCM Summit opened with a buzz in the room. The large audience (maybe suggesting that training budgets are not being radically cut just ye…
Continue reading Views from the SCM Summit – reporting on day one...
Views from the SCM Summit – reporting on day one
I missed out on most of the proceedings today, so much of the following report comes courtesy of my Gatehouse colleague Howard Krais… Melcrum’s annual SCM Summit opened with a buzz in the room. The large audience (maybe suggesting that training budgets are not being radically cut j…
Continue reading Views from the SCM Summit – reporting on day one...
Conference season continues – reporting from the SCM Summit this week
I’m spending a couple of days at Melcrum’s SCM Summit in London this week and will report on my experience here. I haven’t managed to make the event for the last few years, but Melcrum always put on a good show and so I’m looking forward to it. The agenda is packed and there …
Continue reading Conference season continues – reporting from the SCM Summit this week...
Conference season continues – reporting from the SCM Summit this week
I'm spending a couple of days at Melcrum's SCM Summit in London this week and will report on my experience here. I haven't managed to make the event for the last few years, but Melcrum always put on a good show and so I'm looking forward to it. The agenda is packed and …
Continue reading Conference season continues – reporting from the SCM Summit this week...
iC qualifications – time to get on the bus?
Internal comms qualifications – like buses, you wait and wait and wait and then two pull up at the same time! For years now I’ve complained about the lack of professional qualifications and academic courses for internal communication. Unlike PR, which is now extremely well served by Brit…
Continue reading iC qualifications – time to get on the bus?...
iC qualifications – time to get on the bus?
Internal comms qualifications – like buses, you wait and wait and wait and then two pull up at the same time! For years now I've complained about the lack of professional qualifications and academic courses for internal communication. Unlike PR, which is now extremely well served by Britai…
Continue reading iC qualifications – time to get on the bus?...
Podcasts & video from the CIPR conference
If you missed the big CIPR internal comms conference on Monday, you might be interested in the following… In addition to Simply Communicate’s post-event coverage – including a video interview with Santander’s Pachi Lanzas – CIPR Inside committee member Sue Tupling of Ch…
Continue reading Podcasts & video from the CIPR conference...
Podcasts & video from the CIPR conference
If you missed the big CIPR internal comms conference on Monday, you might be interested in the following… In addition to Simply Communicate’s post-event coverage – including a video interview with Santander’s Pachi Lanzas – CIPR Inside committee member Sue Tupling of Changeworks Co…
Continue reading Podcasts & video from the CIPR conference...
Employee communication during turbulent times – reporting from the CIPR conference
On Monday (it’s been a busy old week!) I chaired the annual Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) internal communication conference in London. Having largely designed the event and, with my CIPR Inside committee colleagues, found many of the speakers, it was a day I had been looking f…
Employee communication during turbulent times – reporting from the CIPR conference
On Monday (it’s been a busy old week!) I chaired the annual Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) internal communication conference in London. Having largely designed the event and, with my CIPR Inside committee colleagues, found many of the speakers, it was a day I had been looking f…
The Guardian on employee-generated content
I’m quoted in the main feature article in the Enterprise section of The Guardian today – an interesting piece on the trend towards User-Generated Content inside businesses. Written by Sean Dodson, it’s a good introduction to the topic and touches on some of the case studies I…
Continue reading The Guardian on employee-generated content...
The Guardian on employee-generated content
I’m quoted in the main feature article in the Enterprise section of The Guardian today – an interesting piece on the trend towards User-Generated Content inside businesses. Written by Sean Dodson, it’s a good introduction to the topic and touches on some of the case studies I’…
Continue reading The Guardian on employee-generated content...
New events for internal communicators
Unlike the British weather, the autumn/winter events season is really hotting up, with a host of new conferences and seminars recently added to the Talking Internal Comms calendar. Among them: On 29 September the Chartered Institute of Public Relations is hosting ‘Inside Story’, a one da…
New events for internal communicators
Unlike the British weather, the autumn/winter events season is really hotting up, with a host of new conferences and seminars recently added to the Talking Internal Comms calendar. Among them: On 29 September the Chartered Institute of Public Relations is hosting ‘Inside Story’, a one day confer…
Whipping up a storm with disruptive communications
I’ve been reading Leandro Herrero’s latest book, Disruptive Ideas, and he’s got me thinking about the potential we communicators have to transform our organisations from the inside-out. This book, which I highly recommend, builds on the thinking and methodology outlined in Leandro&…
Continue reading Whipping up a storm with disruptive communications...
Whipping up a storm with disruptive communications
I’ve been reading Leandro Herrero’s latest book, Disruptive Ideas, and he’s got me thinking about the potential we communicators have to transform our organisations from the inside-out. This book, which I highly recommend, builds on the thinking and methodology outlined in Leandro&…
Continue reading Whipping up a storm with disruptive communications...
Face-to-face tops the channel charts
The resource site www.internalcommunications.co.uk recently closed its first online poll in which it asked visitors ‘you’re only allowed one comms channel, what would it be?’ The answer, surprise surprise, was that face-to-face – backed by 52 per cent of respondents. Intranet…
Face-to-face tops the channel charts
The resource site www.internalcommunications.co.uk recently closed its first online poll in which it asked visitors ‘you’re only allowed one comms channel, what would it be?’ The answer, surprise surprise, was that face-to-face – backed by 52 per cent of respondents. Intranet…
Free article download: make love, not war
Okay, so I didn’t manage to get much blogging done this week, but here’s a little something I made earlier…. Make_Love_Not_War.pdf It’s the lead article from this month’s issue of Communicators, the publication of Communicators in Business (CiB), in which Simon Wright a…
Continue reading Free article download: make love, not war...
Free article download: make love, not war
Okay, so I didn’t manage to get much blogging done this week, but here’s a little something I made earlier…. Download Make_Love_Not_War.pdf It’s the lead article from this month’s issue of Communicators, the publication of Communicators in Business (CiB), in which Simon…
Continue reading Free article download: make love, not war...
A wet week in Wiltshire
I’ve just returned from a very wet week in Wiltshire – the joy of Centre Parcs in the rain. Now that’s the summer (what summer?!) is over, I’m looking forward to a busy and productive autumn and, dare I say it, winter. This week represents my ‘back to work’ after …
A wet week in Wiltshire
I’ve just returned from a very wet week in Wiltshire – the joy of Centre Parcs in the rain. Now that’s the summer (what summer?!) is over, I’m looking forward to a busy and productive autumn and, dare I say it, winter. This week represents my ‘back to work’ …
CIPR internal comms conference – now open for bookings
In just over a month – on Monday 29 September 2008 – the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) will be hosting its annual internal communication conference in central London. This full day event takes place at the Inmarsat Conference Centre, EC1, and features an impressive line-…
Continue reading CIPR internal comms conference – now open for bookings...
CIPR internal comms conference – now open for bookings
In just over a month – on Monday 29 September 2008 – the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) will be hosting its annual internal communication conference in central London. This full day event takes place at the Inmarsat Conference Centre, EC1, and features an impressive line-…
Continue reading CIPR internal comms conference – now open for bookings...
Where do you think IC should sit?
Much has been written about this topic in recent years and, whilst I could wax lyrical about it for hours, I’m not going to labour the point any longer here. My own view, which I hope shines through in my previous post, is that if you have the right practitioners in place internal comms can be…
Where do you think IC should sit?
Much has been written about this topic in recent years and, whilst I could wax lyrical about it for hours, I'm not going to labour the point any longer here. My own view, which I hope shines through in my previous post, is that if you have the right practitioners in place internal comms can be m…
Charting a course through the Bermuda Triangle
So let’s discuss that sometimes problematic relationship between IC, HR and Marketing – a relationship I often describe as ‘the Bermuda Triangle’ because so many great ideas and good intentions disappear in the gulf between these three functions. This could be a long and ramb…
Continue reading Charting a course through the Bermuda Triangle...
Charting a course through the Bermuda Triangle
So let's discuss that sometimes problematic relationship between IC, HR and Marketing – a relationship I often describe as 'the Bermuda Triangle' because so many great ideas and good intentions disappear in the gulf between these three functions. This could be a long and rambling o…
Continue reading Charting a course through the Bermuda Triangle...
Management Today article on internal comms
While I think about my upcoming post on the sometimes tricky relationship between internal comms, HR and marketing, I thought you might be interested in a short article published in the latest issue of Management Today. I’m mentioned, albeit briefly.…
Continue reading Management Today article on internal comms...
Management Today article on internal comms
While I think about my upcoming post on the sometimes tricky relationship between internal comms, HR and marketing, I thought you might be interested in a short article published in the latest issue of Management Today. I'm mentioned, albeit briefly. L…
Continue reading Management Today article on internal comms...
Lost in the Bermuda Triangle?
Given that I haven’t posted once in the last four weeks, you might be forgiven for thinking that I have been lost in the Bermuda Triangle or perhaps on another planet. But the reality is more mundane -I’ve simply been incredibly busy and therefore haven’t been able to devote any qu…
Lost in the Bermuda Triangle?
Given that I haven't posted once in the last four weeks, you might be forgiven for thinking that I have been lost in the Bermuda Triangle or perhaps on another planet. But the reality is more mundane -I've simply been incredibly busy and therefore haven't been able to devote any quality …
Social networking lands inside BT
BT’s new internal social networking site, My BT, has just been launched. Here’s a cracking example of a UK company adopting social networking inside the enterprise to improve employee communication, knowledge sharing and more. And it is, on the face of it at least, a pretty impressive si…
Disruptive Ideas – making Viral Change happen
I’ve just ordered my copy of Dr Leandro Herrero’s new book, Disruptive Ideas – the follow up to his excellent work on Viral Change. While I eagerly await my Amazon delivery I’ve been looking at the Disruptive Ideas ‘open book’ – basically a blog which allows…
Continue reading Disruptive Ideas – making Viral Change happen...
Linden Lab’s Love Machine
Here’s a really cute example of a simple but effective employee recognition programme. It comes from Linden Lab, the creators of virtual world, Second Life. It’s been around for a few years, but I hadn’t come across it before – so I thought it was worth sharing here…. T…
CVs, little white lies and leadership
Wednesday night saw Sir Alan Sugar say those two magic words ‘you’re hired’ to wannabe apprentice Lee McQueen. I was delighted to see him win and I wasn’t surprised that his rough-around-the-edges persona appealed to former market trader, Sir Alan. ‘Get in there son!…
New events on the Talking IC calendar
I’ve recently added a couple of interesting new events to the Talking IC calendar… Melcrum is running its Intranet 2.0 conference in London on 25 June. See www.melcrum.co.uk for details. VMA Group is hosting its annual summer bash on board HMS Belfast in London on 9 July. One of the high…
Employers slow to tap into social media in search for recruits
I received an interesting press release today from the CIPD. The Institute included a section on social media in its annual Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey – and the findings make sobering reading. The vast majority (80%) of the 779 organisations surveyed do not currently use Web 2.…
Continue reading Employers slow to tap into social media in search for recruits...
Surviving Change – an audience with Damian Hughes
Here’s what I think will be a great little event – the first event in what promises to be an exciting autumn/winter season for CIPR Inside. Join former football coach and founder of the LiquidThinker change management consultancy, Damian Hughes, for an informative and practical evening t…
Continue reading Surviving Change – an audience with Damian Hughes...
Surviving Change – an audience with Damian Hughes
Here’s what I think will be a great little event – the first event in what promises to be an exciting autumn/winter season for CIPR Inside. Join former football coach and founder of the LiquidThinker change management consultancy, Damian Hughes, for an informative and practical evening t…
Continue reading Surviving Change – an audience with Damian Hughes...
The Authentic Enterprise – free report/white paper
Here, courtesy of Simply Communicate, is an excellent free report from the Arthur W.Page Society on authenticity in leadership and corporate communications. It’s a substantial document, but well worth a read as it reaches some interesting conclusions about the role of communication professiona…
Continue reading The Authentic Enterprise – free report/white paper...
What does your dream IC conference look like?
Together with some of my colleagues on the CIPR Inside committee, I’m currently involved in designing Inside Story, the CIPR’s annual one day conference on employee communication, which will take place in London on Monday 29 September (make a note of the date). We’re not short of i…
Continue reading What does your dream IC conference look like?...
Super unions
The news yesterday that Unite, the UK biggest trade union, is joining forces with United Steelworkers, the largest private sector union in the US and Canada, marks the beginning of a new chapter for the trade union movement. The new organisation, Workers Uniting, will be the first global union, repr…
Super unions
The news yesterday that Unite, the UK biggest trade union, is joining forces with United Steelworkers, the largest private sector union in the US and Canada, marks the beginning of a new chapter for the trade union movement. The new organisation, Workers Uniting, will be the first global union, repr…
Something to say about internal comms? Here’s your soapbox…
I’m writing this post with my CIPR Inside hat firmly on my head. We’re currently putting the finishing touches to an exciting programme of professional events for the autumn/winter season (watch this space for details) and beginning to turn our attention to planning for 2009. During my y…
Continue reading Something to say about internal comms? Here’s your soapbox…...
Something to say about internal comms? Here’s your soapbox…
I’m writing this post with my CIPR Inside hat firmly on my head. We’re currently putting the finishing touches to an exciting programme of professional events for the autumn/winter season (watch this space for details) and beginning to turn our attention to planning for 2009. During my y…
Continue reading Something to say about internal comms? Here’s your soapbox…...
Social networking lands inside BT
BT’s new internal social networking site, My BT, has just been launched. Here’s a cracking example of a UK company adopting social networking inside the enterprise to improve employee communication, knowledge sharing and more. And it is, on the face of it at least, a pretty impressive si…
Disruptive Ideas – making Viral Change happen
I’ve just ordered my copy of Dr Leandro Herrero’s new book, Disruptive Ideas – the follow up to his excellent work on Viral Change. While I eagerly await my Amazon delivery I’ve been looking at the Disruptive Ideas ‘open book’ – basically a blog which allows…
Continue reading Disruptive Ideas – making Viral Change happen...
Linden Lab’s Love Machine
Here’s a really cute example of a simple but effective employee recognition programme. It comes from Linden Lab, the creators of virtual world, Second Life. It’s been around for a few years, but I hadn’t come across it before – so I thought it was worth sharing here…. T…
CVs, little white lies and leadership
Wednesday night saw Sir Alan Sugar say those two magic words ‘you’re hired’ to wannabe apprentice Lee McQueen. I was delighted to see him win and I wasn’t surprised that his rough-around-the-edges persona appealed to former market trader, Sir Alan. ‘Get in there s…
New events on the Talking IC calendar
I’ve recently added a couple of interesting new events to the Talking IC calendar… Melcrum is running its Intranet 2.0 conference in London on 25 June. See www.melcrum.co.uk for details. VMA Group is hosting its annual summer bash on board HMS Belfast in London on 9 July. On…
Employers slow to tap into social media in search for recruits
I received an interesting press release today from the CIPD. The Institute included a section on social media in its annual Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey – and the findings make sobering reading. The vast majority (80%) of the 779 organisations surveyed do not currently use Web 2.…
Continue reading Employers slow to tap into social media in search for recruits...
The Authentic Enterprise – free report/white paper
Here, courtesy of Simply Communicate, is an excellent free report from the Arthur W.Page Society on authenticity in leadership and corporate communications. It’s a substantial document, but well worth a read as it reaches some interesting conclusions about the role of communication professiona…
Continue reading The Authentic Enterprise – free report/white paper...
What does your dream IC conference look like?
Together with some of my colleagues on the CIPR Inside committee, I’m currently involved in designing Inside Story, the CIPR’s annual one day conference on employee communication, which will take place in London on Monday 29 September (make a note of the date). We’re not short of ideas, but Iâ…
Continue reading What does your dream IC conference look like?...
The view from the Summit – day one
I’m currently at the annual Ragan/Simply Employee Communications Summit in Kensington, London. It’s a well produced event – expertly constructed by Marc Wright and the team at Simply – and I try to get along to it each year. Yesterday was the opening day and featured some int…
View from the Summit – day two
Day two of the Ragan/Simply Employee Communications Summit was another interesting one. First up was Richard Dennison of BT who let us peek into the organisation’s social media kaleidoscope. BT is a great example of a business that’s experimenting with just about every social media tool …
View from the Summit – day two
Day two of the Ragan/Simply Employee Communications Summit was another interesting one. First up was Richard Dennison of BT who let us peek into the organisation’s social media kaleidoscope. BT is a great example of a business that’s experimenting with just about every social media tool a…
The view from the Summit – day one
I’m currently at the annual Ragan/Simply Employee Communications Summit in Kensington, London. It’s a well produced event – expertly constructed by Marc Wright and the team at Simply – and I try to get along to it each year. Yesterday was the opening day and featured some interesti…
Viral Change book review
I recently finished reading Leandro Herrero’s superb book, Viral Change. I was planning to review it here on the blog, but I’ve just discovered that Kieron Shaw has beaten me to it! The good news is that Kieron’s response to the book was very similar to my own – in KieronR…
Viral Change book review
I recently finished reading Leandro Herrero's superb book, Viral Change. I was planning to review it here on the blog, but I've just discovered that Kieron Shaw has beaten me to it! The good news is that Kieron's response to the book was very similar to my own – …
Podcasting Perfection – useful links
Yesterday was my first day on the job as the new chair of CIPR Inside, the internal communication group of the UK's Chartered Institute of Public Relations. I picked up the baton from Paul Massie on Monday evening. My first official engagement (delusions of grandeur!) was to host a one day podca…
Employee publications – product or process?
Over the last few years I’ve acted as a judge on a number of the big professional awards programmes. I’ve just finished another stint judging the internal magazine category of this year’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Excellence Awards and, once again, it was an interesting an…
Continue reading Employee publications – product or process?...
IBM experiments with social networking
Spotted this really interesting article in the latest issue of Business Week. It outlines how IBM is using social networking tools similar to Twitter and Facebook to enhance internal communication and knowledge sharing. It's interesting because, whilst there's an awful lot of hype and…
Prime Minister’s Questions on YouTube
There’s widespread coverage today of Gordon Brown’s decision to open up PM’s questions to the general public by encouraging questions to be submitted via the Downing Street YouTube site. ‘Ask the PM’ is the latest move by politicians to embrace the power of social…
Lie detectors in the workplace – whatever next?!
I was fascinated – and slightly horrified – to read this news article on Personneltoday.com this week. It seems that the popular practice of ‘throwing a sickie’ could soon become a thing of the past in the UK – thanks to the introduction of workplace lie detectors. At l…
Continue reading Lie detectors in the workplace – whatever next?!...
YouTube top 10 corporate clips
Here’s the excellent first installment of the ‘top ten’ corporate/brand clips currently on YouTube – compiled by Matthew Yeomans and the team at Custom Communications ahead of the forthcoming Social Media Influence conference (see calendar for details). Just follow the link t…
‘Podcasting Perfection’ workshop in Birmingham
If you’re interested in podcasting as an internal communication channel, you might want to come along to an event my CIPR Inside colleagues and I are running in the West Midlands early next month. Taking place at the University of Birmingham’s excellent Media Centre on Tuesday 3 June, th…
Continue reading ‘Podcasting Perfection’ workshop in Birmingham...
Back where we belong
Sorry it’s been so long since my last post, but (and I make no apologies for this!) I’ve been chilling out on the beach in St Lucia for the last few weeks. Anyway, now I’m back in the UK and life is returning to ‘normality’, I intend to be a little more regular with my …
Are we delivering internal spam?
An interesting snippet caught my eye in Metro yesterday, though it may well have been an April Fool joke. The story was about a cyber experiement called "Super Spam Me" which will see 50 guinea pigs respond to all those dodgy spam emails to see whether they deliver on their promise. Appare…
Changing France the Sarkozy way
I’ve been reading Lendro Herrero’s Viral Change blog for some time now. The concept appeals to me – it builds to some extent on tipping point thinking, academic theories like punctuated equilibrium and ties with developments in social media which are essentially viral in nature. I&…
The Observer’s 50 most influential blogs
Thanks to Matthew Yeomans at Custom Communication for flagging the Observer’s recent feature on the 50 most influential blogs, which had passed me by. What the list shows, as Matthew rightly points out, is the enormous power and influence leading bloggers now wield. PR professionals take…
Continue reading The Observer’s 50 most influential blogs...
Boing boing… all the way to Wembley
Okay, so this post is not remotely about internal communication – but as a long suffering West Bromwich Albion fan I simply cannot let today’s result go by without celebration. A superb 5-1 win over Bristol Rovers has secured our place at Wembley for the final four of the FA Cup. A…
Messages and music – evil holding tunes
Although slightly scared, I had to laugh. I phoned up a potential client today and, while I was being put through to my contact, was put on hold by the operator. The hold music kicked in. Nothing unusual there. Except the music. When you’re held on the telephone you usually hear dull but gener…
Communication ROI study paints a mixed picture of our profession
Watson Wyatt’s latest Communication ROI study has just been released in the US – and it contains mixed news for internal communicators. As Ragan’s Bill Sweetland explains, a comparison against the 2005 survey results (the last ROI study conducted) indicates businesses a…
Continue reading Communication ROI study paints a mixed picture of our profession...
More perspectives on social media…
Following on from my last post, here are two additional – and timely – perspectives on social media and employee communications from the team at Ragan. As usual Steve Crescenzo gets to the nub of the issue in his piece exploring how these technologies could – and are already …
Is internal social networking a bad idea?
Spotted this blog post today – an interesting perspective on the use of social networking tools inside organisations. It comes from Jake Swearingen, a reporter at BNET.com. In it Jake spells out exactly why he thinks internal social networking is a really bad idea, namely: Because social netwo…
Continue reading Is internal social networking a bad idea?...
Engagement lessons from Bono
I’m a big fan of U2, the Irish rock band, so I was intrigued to see them mentioned recently on a blog all about employee engagement. Author and consultant Michael Lee Stallard published an interesting post this week on the lessons Bono and co can provide to those of us who work in employee eng…
New events and training courses
If you take a look at the Talking IC calendar (via the link on the right) you’ll see that I’ve added a stack of new events and training courses over the past week or so. Melcrum (website down for maintenance at time of writing) has recently launched a plethora of one and two day tr…
Retro communication
Had an interesting meeting yesterday with Martin Loat, the guy behind Grasswhispers. At our consultancy Gatehouse we make a habit of keeping tabs on the latest developments in employee communications. We had heard a lot about the Grasswhispers service – which ‘broadcasts’ voice mes…
Are we getting too obsessed with strategy?
Sue Dewhurst has raised an interesting point over at the Black Belt Dojo, which I have just responded to. I won’t try to replicate everything here, but you might want to head over there and add a comment or two… It’s about that old chestnut of strategy versus tactics. Sue is passio…
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Romance or one night stand?
Last Friday Simon Wright and I spoke at the CiB Central event, The Rules of Engagement, in Stratford-on-Avon. Our topic, rather appropriately for an event based near the birthplace of the man behind Romeo & Juliet, was client/agency relationships – or rather the trouble and strife that sometim…
Wanted – your client/agency horror stories
I need your help. Together with my fellow director at Gatehouse, Simon Wright, I am speaking at a one day Communicators in Business (CiB) conference in a few weeks’ time on the subject of client/agency relationships. The event is the Rules of Engagement conference, which takes place in S…
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