Stuart Williamson

Very useful guide for anyone considering a #PR qualification.

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Some tips from me on entering these (or indeed any) awards. 🏆 On discussing Press For Attention PR’s sponsored category, Responsible Business, Greg shared: “First up, tell us judges a story. We don’t need to hear about what you do, your history and inside leg measurements. Set the scene by all means but grab our attention early on by explaining the problem or challenge as it stood and how you tackled it and crucially…why? How did you change things? What does it mean for the user/stakeholder? Remember, nobody wants a drill…they want a hole in the wall. Show us the results.

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Last week Katie Marlow Chart. PR Martin Flegg Chart. PR FCIPR CIIC and I ran an open event to explain how the Internal Communication Qualifications delivered by PR Academy Ltd and awarded by CIPR Qualifications work. The qualifications are now very well-established as specialist courses that are focused on strategic planning, grounded in the latest theory and knowledge that is linked to good practice. Our students often report how their the courses improve their confidence. On completion, many students are promoted or secure a long-desired career move. At PR Academy we currently have a 10% reduction on tuition fees in July. When you study an internal communication qualification with us, you also have free access to a wide range of regular live workshops on other communication topics such as digital communication, crisis communication, sustainability communication, public affairs, and data-led communication planning. There are two levels: certificate and diploma. Both can be completed in 6-8 months with 2-4 hours study a week. To find out more about the qualifications, watch the replay of the open event on the PR Academy website (scroll down the home page to the 'Internal Comms Online Open Event Recording)'. This includes an overview of the content of the certificate and diploma courses, a demo of PR Academy's Study Hub and the benefits of continuous professional development. #internalcommunication #internalcomms #employeeengagement #employeeexperience #strategiccommunication #corporatecommunication #leadershipcommunication

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So here it is, introducing fable comms...

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When I run media training I talk about the energy that well chosen words can bring to a short media piece. Often times industry spokespeople are contributing to a wider story, and are not able to deliver a lengthy monologue. This makes the chosen words even more important. I absolutely love this clip of the Henley Mermaids contributing to a Channel4 News piece last week about shoddy management from Thames Water (scroll to 30 seconds in). Things she does to ensure her piece goes...ummmm...swimmingly 🏊‍♀️ "We feel let down" - makes it very human 🏊‍♀️ "Thames Water serves 1 in 4 of us" - hugely inclusive...this matters to a lot of us 🏊‍♀️ "It's a total monopoly, we have no choice who we go to" - emphasis and really accessible language. You may not think you need to explain a word like monopoly, but doing it deftly like this can be helpful 🏊‍♀️ "It's just poo and pipes" - alliterative perfection. A clever phrase that in 5 words ridicules TW's mismanagement and makes her point emphatically 🏊‍♀️ "If I did my job that badly..." - elaboration through a personal example 🏊‍♀️ "They need to go!" - call to action The interviewer doesn't need to ask her any questions or interrupt her in anyway as she is engaging, energetic and clearly voices strong opinions. Chef's kiss! https://lnkd.in/eTmC6_h8

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A LOT of what great comms leaders do isn’t seen. ➡️ Asking questions no one else has thought of, or wants to ask:  “Anyone got a question?” Yes, comms has 45, thanks for checking! They won’t all be easy to answer but expect your comms leader to quickly get to the heart of what’s happening and why. ➡️ Being a super connector:  “Are you aware of….?” If your comms lead starts a question with this, grab a pen and notebook, or a suitable digital alternative! It’s likely they’re aware of other projects, people, risks or opportunities you should know about too. ➡️ Having broad shoulders: Comms leaders will listen to you (yes, you can vent about ANYTHING), coach you, guide you, and sometimes suggest you take a totally different approach even if you don’t want to hear it. ➡️ Keeping calm and planning on: Comms leaders love a plan! It's not uncommon for the comms plan to double as the project plan (IYKYK). Great plans keep everyone focused on strategy and business outcomes and our comms-honed ability to think ahead usually means we're the calmest voice in the room when a crisis hits. What ‘invisible’ comms skills would you add? #internalcommunications #changecommunications

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Excellent #Guardian / #Observer interview with David Richards, chairman of #Prodrive, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and are a great client of my comms, PR, social media, content creation & digital marketing agency #DiagonalComms. Written by the fine journalist Giles Richards (no relation to David!), it includes the following DR quote: “Back then we were ambitious, starting with nothing, and we had great plans. But I always like to think that the best is still to come.” I am very sure it is. Click below to read more. https://lnkd.in/eiSMngDx

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A quick reminder about our online open event here at PR Academy Ltd for anyone thinking about a qualification in internal communication. ❓ Course leaders Dr Kevin Ruck and Martin Flegg Chart. PR FCIPR CIIC will talk through what the Chartered Institute of Public Relations qualifications are like and answer any questions. 👩‍🎓 You'll also hear from graduate and CIPR Inside group chair Katie Marlow Chart. PR I've popped a link to register in the comments below. #internalcomms #employeeengagement #employeeexperience

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🚒 COME QUICKLY, MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE! 🚒 Hopefully not something you’ll ever have to say to an operator after ringing 999… But if you do, you might surprise yourself with how fast you can get your message across. It’s strange, but in an emergency, we often find a way to communicate effectively and succinctly, even if we are under immense stress. OK, we will probably get a helping hand from the operator, who is skilled in extracting salient information as quickly as possible. But, under the greatest pressure, our own storytelling becomes striking and efficient. Unfortunately, many people don’t apply this ‘economical storytelling’ when writing press releases. Instead, they fall into the trap of ‘linear storytelling’ - That is, they start at the beginning, and drone on chronologically until they get to the end… …EVEN IF THE END IS THE IMPORTANT BIT! 🙄 Remember: Linear storytelling is for fairy tales. When you are writing a press release, the big news should be right at the top. Another of those pesky Press Release Rules... You can learn them all by downloading The Perfect Press Release wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple and Spotify links in the comments) Now go and check that smoke detector! #podcast #pressreleases #storytelling #thepressreleaserules Jay Vydelingum Clement Stories

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As using AI to drive marketing and communications efficiencies becomes the lowest common denominator, businesses must look beyond efficiency to AI solutions that help their brand stand out, through the lens of more ambitious and meaningful ideas.     We have developed a value-based framework to help marketers and communicators develop a beyond efficiency mindset, and:    - Transform passive customers into active participants by delivering autonomy, validation, ethical empowerment, and emotional understanding.  - Help them address concerns about privacy, regulation, and transparency with AI usage.  - Explore ambitious, intriguing, and creative ways of incorporating generative AI to their customer journey.     Learn about the AI Beyond Efficiency framework. #AIBeyondEfficiency #CustomerCentricAI #AIInnovation

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That's a wrap! Today we've published the fourth and final part of Dr Kevin Ruck and Richard Bailey Hon FCIPR's research into PR education. This final chapter is about public relations research and knowledge transfer. This is the part that interested me most as of course at PR Academy Ltd we are all about PR and comms education and like our teaching to be about how theory and models translate into practice. I was pleased to see that 87 per cent of respondents stated that they are interested in learning about how academic research can be applied to practice. As one respondent commented “Professional qualifications and academic research are an add value to the professional, due to the fact that they provide practical mechanisms one can use to navigate the opportunities and challenges that come with the PR profession”. Another respondent noted that “Research is of growing importance to practice and this is welcome”. However, it is worth noting that not everyone values academic research, as highlighted by the following comment: “From what I’ve seen, PR research is difficult to apply and often appears to be deliberately abstruse”. BUT - does academic research lag behind practitioner interest? Kevin did a lot of analysis of journal articles for the report - you can find out more in the full chapter below which also contains links to the previous three chapters. #pr #publicrelations

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Do you have a big event coming up and need media training? A crisis brewing that you need fast help with? Our new Express Services are for you. Click below to learn more or DM me! 

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We've been creating again. Here's our latest mini-guide to crafting a meaningful PR strategy in a changing environment. What are your key PR concerns today?

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BT Group’s appointment of Allison Kirkby as CEO and the addition of Poppy Gustafsson’s company, Darktrace, to the FTSE 100, officially brings the index’s female representation to a new high, according to Raconteur | B Corp™’s CEO Index. “At the current rate, the FTSE 100 will reach CEO gender parity by 2057, 16 years ahead of the next best-performing index. But reaching gender parity at CEO level may not be enough to achieve true gender equality among the UK’s blue-chip firms. Recent analysis by the High Pay Centre shows that executive pay in the FTSE 100 has reached a record high – but there is still a gender pay gap of nearly £800,000.” This news really gives the same energy of last year's Bloomberg report that there were (finally) more female CEOs than men named John... #ftse100 #genderpaygap #womeninleadership

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Really enjoyed PRWeek UK’s #crisiscomms conference yesterday. Core themes for me, inspired in particular by the brilliant Seda Ambartsumian, Morgan Bone + Danny Rogers: 👉 Volatility and polarisation aren't going away, but communicators can help their organisations establish what they stand for, which will help them respond effectively to events. 👉 #Comms is a people business, and that applies internally as well as externally. Expect people to react to crises and events as humans, and think carefully about the crew on the ship as you navigate the choppy seas! 👉 Preparedness can make a huge difference when a crisis hits. Whether it's an event you foresaw or is something you didn't predict, it will help that you've tested yourself and your people, and identified the roles, resources and relationships you'll need. 👉 Crisis communicators are a fun bunch! #crisiscommunications #pr #communications

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Comms Unplugged has become a staple part of my annual CPD, not least because they manage to get some amazing speakers who aren't doing the circuit of every other comms conference. And the unique learning environment - nature, basically, the rich Dorset countryside - means you actually retain that learning, it hasn't frazzled out of your brain on the train home. But there is so much more about that little field of dreams. So many things I look back on with pride that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't taken a chance on doing something a bit different in the first place: 👩‍🎓 I would not have got #chartered or taken my Level 7 in Crisis Comms 👑 I would not have got an interim position with the eternally fabulous Louisa D., which then led to me working on two Royal funerals and a birthday. 👩‍💼 Without Louisa's support (and the odd good natured kick up the proverbial), I would not be in the role I am now in 🤝 I would not have met the talented and supportive Dan Holden, and had his wonderful mentorship that has had such an impact on me 🎨 I would not have sent Alan Oram and his amazing team at Alive With Ideas an RFP for our new brand - and just look at what we did together! 📔 Even my contribution to Rachel Miller's wonderful book has its roots in that little corner of Dorset 🤗 I would not have the wonderful network of colleagues and friends that I have, that support me daily and share their own skills, worries, thoughts and achievements. You know who you are. And it's not been all take - I've been able to touch other people's lives and careers too, but that's their story to tell. So why not give #CommsUnplugged a go? The least that will happen is you have a fun weekend camping in a beautiful part of the world with great food and great people, and you will have some great #CommsLearning and #CPD. I can't guarantee it will change your life like it has changed mine, but it definitely won't if you don't try. “In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.” – Lewis Carroll

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How might we evolve auto enrolment, building from the really strong foundation that's been established? Thank you Simon French for inviting me to share your The Times column this week. It was a great opportunity to tie together evidence and learnings from across Nest Insight's public benefit research and innovation programme to answer this question, thinking about: 👉 Breadth - should more people be covered? 👉 Depth - are people saving enough? 👉 Flexibility - what if we built some flexibility into where contributions could go? Auto enrolment could provide the basis for a connected approach to join up shorter and longer-term saving in one system, supporting people to build security and peace of mind for today and tomorrow. And with Simon's economist lens we can connect this to the macro picture - financial security is needed at a household level to underpin economic growth... Article here: https://lnkd.in/eB6kdD6B Open access version here: https://lnkd.in/e5Rbq5nz #securonomics #financialsecurity #autoenrolment #emergencysavings #economicgrowth

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I came across this post and couldn't agree more. The idea of "placing" media doesn't and shouldn't exist. Effective media relations are about building relationships, understanding journalists' needs, and delivering compelling stories. It's a strategic process that requires skill, persistence, and a deep understanding of our audience. If we place media in a way that lacks authenticity, the company and brand might as well pay for advertising. Let's continue to advocate for authentic and impactful communication strategies.

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