It is a truth universally acknowledged that organisations are only ever one social media post away from a crisis. But social media is also an opportunity – to turn those crisis situations around, to learn what your customers think about you and to build relationships with the stakeholders that matter most.   In this podcast, James talks about how the social housing world, which is on the cusp of a new era of consumer regulation, is communicating with the residents the sector exists to serve....

Join Olivia Hullah and Asif Chodury on this podcast episode as they share Olivia's incredible journey from a marketing apprentice to the Marketing Manager at Trust Electric Heating, all by the age of 22. The episode delves into the challenges and triumphs of marketing radiators ethically in a Net Zero landscape while making it exciting and personal. Get ready for an insightful conversation that explores the unfiltered life of working in a small company, apprenticeships, the sustainable...

Growing up, Sonia thought that she wanted to be a lawyer. At the age of 18 this all changed. In this episode, Sonia opens up about the some of the challenges and pressures she’s faced growing up in an Indian/Asian community and how she’s worked through these to break into the world of comms. She shares some personal experiences of bias and how she’s worked hard, and how she feels she must continue to prove herself to progress her career as a woman of colour. In this episode be prepared to go...

Our industry is unhealthily obsessed with two words: best practice. You see them regularly on internal comms blogs, you hear it at internal comms conferences, those words come up frequently on LinkedIn. But a best practice approach only works for simple, non-complex work. The work we do as internal communicators is highly unpredictable and and complex, charged with human emotion and full of complexity. Joanna proposes that we instead talk about “good practices” and think about innovation as...

In this episode, Matt Geer Head of Communications and Marketing at West Kent Housing Association shares some thoughts and reflections on his career in communications. Matt talks more about how to ensure that you as a comms pro have a seat at the top table to support, influence and guide your organisations approach to strategic communications. Matt also shares some of his lived experience of being in the minority across the industry and how that has influenced and inspired his career...

If you're trying to communicate with young people within your target audience, or are hoping to engage them within your work, this episode will help you understand how to better listen, engage and empower young people within your work.  We speak with Rebecca Roberts, founder of Thread & Fable and specialist in youth audiences about her Engaging Youth insight reports and what top tips she has for better connecting with young people through marcomms. If you've read much in the media about...

Women in PR Northern Ireland was born out of a CIPR panel discussion in Belfast, organised by Sara, which explored the barriers affecting women working in the communications industry. It was clear there was an appetite for that conversation to continue. Michelle was on the panel and approached Sara afterwards. And so, the independent initiative that is now Women in PR was started. Research reveals that while women hold over 60% of all PR jobs, the majority of senior leaders continue to be...

In this captivating podcast episode, we're introducing Sonya Gonzalez Mier, a talented brand strategist and the esteemed author behind the book mar·ket·ing. Together, we'll explore Sonya's path to becoming a TikTok Creator and her unwavering dedication to democratising marketing knowledge for everyone. Join us as we delve into the perceptions of our industry from an outsider's perspective, shedding light on the key challenges that newcomers, clients, and entrepreneurs encounter in the realm...

50 years of comms and better lives at NCHA (Nottingham Community Housing Association) Nottingham Community Housing Association, known as NCHA, has been around since 1973. From small beginnings, they’ve grown organically and now house more than 20,000 people across the East Midlands. They provide over a million hours of care and support services a year, and have an ambitious development programme for new homes. This year, it’s their 50th birthday, marking half a century of delivering better...

🎙️ Welcome to the Threads vs. Twitter Debate! 📣  In the fast-paced world of social media, communication professionals are constantly seeking new ways to engage with their audiences and deliver impactful messages. Today, we dive deep into a captivating debate that has been brewing in the digital sphere: Threads vs. Twitter.  Join us on this thought-provoking podcast as we explore the pros, cons, and endless possibilities of these two powerful communication tools. We'll dissect the unique...

It feels good to give something back, and as Comms practitioners, we have many transferable skills that can help other organisations. Volunteering your time can not only give you a warm feeling inside but also offer you an insight into how different sectors operate, as well as helping you to grow your professional connections. Our guest, Damian Vizard is a Strategic Communications Business Partner at Tai Calon Community Housing in Wales. Damian is a communications and marketing professional...

Do you think your customer base (either existing or prospective) have an outdated or incorrect viewpoint of your sector? If so, it can be holding back new business and leading to a sense of internal inertia. How does a organisation go about changing this though, especially if they’re a sector that’s regulated. This is where communications and marketing can help. In this conversation John shares his top tips and best practices that you can use, no matter how traditional your sector is, to...

Being able to love what you do is a luxury and an honour. Working in comms – whether that’s being a jack of all trades, specialising in PR or marketing or digital – is an opportunity to be able to experience different sectors, meet incredible professionals and work on topics you’d never thought possible. No career is perfect, but it’s what you learn along the way that matters, from the first campaign fail or joining an organisation that was the wrong fit. It’s how we share that learning with...

How we work has changed significantly over the past few years, with most organisations moving from the office to remote working, and now to a hybrid model. These changes have meant we’ve had to work even harder as communicators to keep people connected, informed and engaged.   In this podcast Chloë delves into the concept of organisational belonging, why it’s important and the role of internal communicators in building it. She also discusses changes she led on at RHP Group to adapt their...

Now in its 4th year with thousands of downloads, scarlettabbott is back with their annual World Changers report. From harnessing rebel voices to bring positive change, to acknowledging that employees are being asked to dig deep (again), to the keys to keeping employees sweet and everything in between, scarlettabbott expertly guides HR and IC pros through the 10 most important trends impacting the world of work this year. Passionate about human behaviour, our guest this episode Lindsay...

Right now, social media represents an unprecedented growth opportunity. But tapping into this new paradigm won’t be easy, especially so for B2B businesses. B2B’s have historically been behind the curve and guilty of seeing social media as just another ‘channel’ to distribute their content.    But, if B2B's want to power growth in this new era, this mindset needs to change. The fastest-growing and most-loved businesses on the planet all have realised the transformative potential of social...

Passionate about brand, creativity and putting people first. Lynda is resolute on the need for true equality and diversity. Lynda has led Brand, Communications and Social Impact at family building and engineering company, Sir Robert McAlpine since 2017 as one of ten people on the business’s executive leadership team. She is the Executive sponsor for SRM’s Gender Equality, LGBT+ & Ability Network. In this episode, Lynda and podcast host Asif Choudry discuss why communications work is...

Katie Sandey is the communications and marketing manager for Cheltenham Borough Council and now, Cheltenham Borough Homes, as part of a new shared service. In this episode, the tables are turned. Katie is the one asking Asif the questions.  Katie has never made a podcast, or done the interviewing, until now.  It was a ‘yikes’ moment for her, but also I realised for Asif.  He had never been in the hotseat. In this special episode, we find out about Asif’s story, how it all began, some...

Faizah Idris is a Marketing Executive at Johnsons Workwear, the UK’s number one workwear, protective wear and workplace hygiene services provider.     She has eight years of marketing experience, specifically in social media management and content creation, marketing campaign planning, digital marketing, influencer marketing, and internal communications. Faizah has always been a creative person, and knew she wanted a career which lets her use her energy and enthusiasm – she actually wanted to...

At a keynote at the PRCA conference in 2021, the most senior government communicator in the land called for a new breed of 'superhero communicators able to combine hard data analysis with brilliant story-telling and artistry'. But research suggests that a large portion of professionals don't yet feel comfortable using data in their roles. Alex Waddington started re-skilling himself in data two years ago, leading to a dramatic change of career direction. He talks about the ups and downs of his...

Adam is a junior marketer currently working in local government. During stints in retail and then sales, Adam studied for his level 4 certificate for the Chartered Institute of Marketing before going on to work for them directly as a Content Coordinator.  He now works for Bracknell Forest Council as a Communications Executive where he has led on such projects as Equalities, the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and the response to COVID-19. During this time he became a Chartered Marketer. In this...

Can you communicate complex science when you’re not a scientist? How do you guard against greenwash? And is there any way you can work in climate change communications without becoming downhearted about the scale of the challenge at hand?  Join the Science Based Targets initiative’s Luisa Pastore as she shares the secrets of successful climate change communications, talks about how to make the move into sustainability comms and reveals that even at the close of the hottest year on record,...

In 2023 - its 75th anniversary - CIPR will be reasserting its founding purpose, to help improve society through effective, ethical communications. It also plans to prepare its Chartered Practitioners to take up positions as Board members and Trustees to have a greater role in the governance of organisations in future. Our podcast guest on this episode is Steven Shepperson-Smith, President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, as well as being a Fellow of the Institute and a...

Clarissa Langham is an Internal Comms Professional who started her career in Journalism before discovering a passion for Internal Communications. She’s recently joined AQA’s Internal Comms team from the NHS, where she managed internal comms and engagement for the largest hospitals merger in the country and then during the pandemic. As comms pros, we often promote wellbeing resources to our internal colleagues and wider audiences. Clarissa talks about the importance of resting and recharging...