Gatehouse Blog

Who’s got the X factor?

Here’s a pet theory of mine – great internal communicators are great entertainers. I don’t mean jugglers or clowns (though I’ve come across both) but that it’s a core part of our remit to inject energy and pizzazz into our organisations. You’ve got to admit it, a lot of the stuff we

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Lee Smith on 20/07/06

Communication champions – top tips

I was speaking to someone yesterday about the valuable role champions or networks can play in delivering great programmes and extending the reach of an over-stretched comms team. I’ve always found these volunteer networks to be really helpful. They can add value in so many ways – as your

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Lee Smith on 18/07/06

Time to get naked

I’ve finally finished reading Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Isreal (see Reads below). It was a fascinating read and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s considering setting up a blog or who just wants to know a little more about the blogging phenomenon. In fact I really

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Lee Smith on 17/07/06

The devil’s gadget

Everywhere I go these days I see Blackberry-touting executives. No self-respecting corporate player can be seen without one. Whether in the office or down at Starbucks, they have to have them on show – slapped on the table so everyone can see just how important and powerful they are. I’m no Ludd

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Lee Smith on 13/07/06

Is IC coming of age?

I have just stumbled upon yet more evidence that internal communication is coming of age. This week’s issue of PR Week features the results of a survey of communication directors and heads the magazine has undertaken with Brands2Life. Internal communication was ranked third in a long list of r

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Lee Smith on 11/07/06

Rooftop ramblings

I was at the Melcrum bash in London last night. It was a gorgeous evening in the capital and perfect timing for a rooftop BBQ (the Courthouse Hotel on Great Marlborough Street is a real gem). There were around 100 communication types there, a mix of senior in-house operators, fellow consultants and

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Lee Smith on 07/07/06

MagIC buzz words

If you haven’t seen it already, the recently launched internal comms blog MagIC is worth a look. The team behind it (one of whom goes by the name Pink Shoes) has just published a list of emerging buzz words. My own particular favourite is ‘testiculating‘, not that I’m ever gu

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Lee Smith on 06/07/06

I want your sax

I read an interesting little piece in Management Today recently. It was all about the similarities between business and jazz. You can read it here. It’s not a new idea, but it’s one I really like. I remember the academic Mary Jo Hatch talking about jazz and branding in a similar way at t

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Lee Smith on 04/07/06

Messaging myopia

Why is so little written about messaging in internal comms? I don’t mean instant messaging, text messaging or any other technology, but the core process of creating, crafting, developing, testing and refining the messages we want to share internally. I’m working on a toolkit for one of m

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Lee Smith on 30/06/06

Are you in need of image optimization?

I went to an interesting PM Forum event in Birmingham last night. Dubbed ‘you are your best business card’, it was all about managing first impressions. The speaker was Laurel Herman, founder of Positive Presence and one of the UK’s best known personal image gurus. Laurel talked about the impo

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Lee Smith on 29/06/06

Authenticity – getting behind the buzzword

There’s a lot of talk these days about authenticity. Alongside transparency, engagement and a dozen other consulting favourites, it’s seeping into the lexicon of internal communicators. But I can’t help thinking that authenticity, which for me basically means being true to yourself and not bul

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Lee Smith on 28/06/06

Trust & dialogue

I’m taking my lead today from Andrew Miller, a London-based blogger and consultant. In his blog yesterday Andrew cited a Harvard Business School article on dialogue and asked "will dialogue build trust?". I’d like to add some thoughts of my own… Trust is at the very heart

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Lee Smith on 27/06/06

Asda strike

What’s happening at Asda? Distribution staff in 20 depots have just voted 3 to 1 in favour of strike action. Union GMB says it’s due to unpaid bonuses and the introduction of new technology that will "harm staff". Asda claim just 1.5% of staff voted.  This issue has been b

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Lee Smith on 23/06/06

Word of mouth..on steroids

Earlier today I bought a copy of Robert Scoble and Shel Israel’s excellent book, Naked Conversations (see ‘Recommended reads’ below left). It’s a book about blogging and how it’s changing the way businesses talk with their stakeholders. But it’s far from dull. Aft

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Lee Smith on 22/06/06

Mind mapping revisited

I’d forgotten what a fantastic process mind mapping is. I read Tony Buzan’s book years ago and was, for a short while, an avid user. Then I stopped. My reawakening came earlier today when I did some work with a client and another specialist supplier, M62 Visual Communications, on reviewi

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Lee Smith on 21/06/06

Big Brother research?

I’ll admit it, I’ve been watching Big Brother. For those of you from another planet, BB is the reality TV show in which a bunch of strangers are locked in a house for months in pursuit of hard cash and celebrity. I used to be a staunch critic; now I’m a convert. It’s just so compelling to wa

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Lee Smith on 19/06/06

Gunning for gobbledygook

I’ve been working on a strategy document for one of my clients today. This has basically involved taking the output from various workshops, meetings and discussions and translating it into something that will ultimately make sense to employees. Much as I champion the use of Plain English and a

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Lee Smith on 16/06/06

Come on England!

Come on England! After a rather dull first half, Crouch and Gerrard managed to deliver the goods with just minutes to spare. 2-0 against a battle-ready Trinidad & Tobago. So England are through to the final 16 of the World Cup. A hollow victory? Time will tell… for now let’s enjoy th

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Lee Smith on 15/06/06

Reinvigorating the ICA

I’ve been talking to Stephen Windsor-Lewis this morning. Stephen is chair of the ICA, the internal comms arm of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). I’ve been on the ICA national committee for about four years and during that time we’ve done some fantastic

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Lee Smith on 15/06/06

First post

This is my very first post. Until today I was a blogging virgin. But no longer… There’s so much talk about blogging in communication circles these days. The news of Robert Scoble’s (blog supremo) decision to quit Microsoft today has created a global media storm. This shows just how

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Lee Smith on 14/06/06