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Aim to be human, not perfect, as communicators

11/12/2020

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Last month PR industry leaders across the North East reconvened at the CIPR North East Strategic Communicators Forum to again discuss and debate what we have learnt during the pandemic so far.
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Taking forward the key elements of the previous event discussion cantered around four key areas, when forum members again shared good ideas, and considered how to enhance the value of communications to our organisations, and our region.

The overarching takeaway for me from listening to everyone’s experiences of communication in 2020 is that we should aim to be human, not perfect, as communicators.
Key areas discussed
  • Personal Leadership and Wellbeing for you and your teams 
  • Professional PR Leadership in an unprecedented situation
  • Evaluating our Impact when we are working in whole new ways 
  • Collaboration between organisations we serve

Personal Leadership and Wellbeing & Professional PR Leadership

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Key challenges from the pandemic include focussed on logistical and practical issues relating to change driven by the pandemic as well recruitment and ethical issues
  • The need to communicate with employees out of hours
  • Introducing new channels overnight
  • Logistical issues
  • Some employees working from home whilst others are working for the office
  • How to replicate the different types of conversations that would take place in an office
  • Adapting to new environment
  • Ethical issues relating to listening in to conversations, monitoring remote employees
  • How to keep connected with team members on furlough
  • Recruiting through lockdown
Solutions put forward included
  • Having slower conversations, being aware of the external factors on people, consciously building in time and space for meaningful conversations
  • Using resources such as the Wellbeing Assessment Plans from MIND
  • Creating flexibility in working practices that meets the whole teams needs
  • Using slots in regular communication channels to reinforce messages
  • Limiting use of communication channels so they have a clear purpose – some for urgent activities, others for office chat
  • Happy jar = write out what people say about you and your work
  • Staged approach to returning to work after furlough and using keep in touch days
  • Keep ourselves motivated and healthy – take care of ourselves – follow the advice we are giving our teams – book in time for yourself
  • Not insisting on the use of cameras in meetings– starting off with them but then turning off when screen is shared
  • Recruiting through lockdown – adapt interview questions and tasks to meet the current needs of organisation including ability to work independently and remotely
  • Don’t forget we can still use the telephone – not everything has to be on Zoom

Evaluating Impact 

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Measuring impact is no less important during a pandemic and is integral to successful crisis communication but challenges discussed included
  • Adapting to new objectives & behaviours – and how to evaluate when they are evolving
  • Knowing what you want to achieve and measure is part of the problem
  • Do we understand what the impact could be?
  • Unintended consequences of communication
  • Behaviour change short-term, mid-term and long-term – which changes will stay, what is sustainable
  • Crisis to creative comms – how to switch reactive to proactive
  • Adapting to new behaviours
  • Crisis to creative – reactive to proactive
  • Be human not perfect = as individuals, tams and organsations
  • Measuring understanding, engagement and sentiment is key
  • How do we increase/maintain budgets when we can no longer influence customer choice rather than just based on availability
  • Two-way communication – consultations need to work harder and be more innovative – digital exclusion
  • Reappraising organisations purpose – reposition offering

Collaboration

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One of the benefits of 2020 has been to joined-up thinking and partnership approach to working in the region, including between competitive organisations. To manage the extended crisis situation, it has been necessary to collaborate. We have all been in it together but with different objectives would collaboration be so easy, effective, or welcome. So how do we keep this collaboration going beyond Covid?
  • With other regional bodies sharing consistent messages – create resilience forums with wide range of partner members
  • Strengthened lobbying positions
  • Work together to engage hard to reach groups – earned media is disappearing – need to shout loud
  • Mapping the local community – the post Covid community landscape - collaboration on data collection, surveys, mapping from public engagement
  • Sharing data and information to avoid survey fatigue
  • Partnering on events, make effective use of digital to gain bigger more diverse attendance
  • Amplify each other to create a regional voice – make the connections we need to tell stories better and get better reach
​The forum will continue in 2021. Date for your diary the first forum will be on Friday 29 January. Look out for more information in the New Year.
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North East Strategic Communicators ForumThe Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) North East Regional Group has created a series of professional development and networking events for senior / strategic professionals in the North East's PR & communications industry. If you are the person with overall responsibility for communications in your organisation and you are interested in the forum please tweet or DM @CIPR_NorthEast or email Deb Sharratt.

Further events for strategic communicators from CIPR North East via the North East Strategic Communications Forum are planned throughout 2021. CIPR North East also has a various training, networking and social events across the year for all PR practitioners. Follow @CIPR_NorthEast on Twitter or LinkedIn to keep up to date.
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The importance of your PR network - especially in lockdown

15/11/2020

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This week I was teaching students all about networks. From our pre-pandemic memories we could all tell stories of attending formal networking meet ups. From the ones which we’d vowed never to attend again, to those we didn’t want to leave. Good or bad they provided a learning experience. An opportunity for self-reflection. A chance to meet new people, on both a personal and business level, and expand our own network. Pre-pandemic, most networking we'd thought of as in-person, where we lived or worked.

Networking

Taking networking online is not easy. Replicating face to face networking online is hard - you can’t have a casual 1-2-1 chat, the incidental comment whilst getting your coffee, to lingering around at the end to make contact with a certain individual. It’s not possible. I’ve tried it just doesn’t work the same.

This doesn’t mean that online events haven’t been good. I’ve attended many throughout 2020 by speaking at some, being on a panel at others and a passive viewer at others. There are some great online communities on social media platforms. All offering many learning opportunities but not so much networking or opportunities for relationship building.

Online networking

So how do we replace the support and guidance from others with similar experiences we used to seek from networking events? We create new ones that work for us as individuals.

I hadn’t realised it until speaking to my students this week when I started to talk about The PR Inn, that it is my number one networking activity at the moment. (Plus a bit of #TimsTwitterListeningParty - but that is a whole new conversation).
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The PR Inn - what is it?

The PR Inn is a small, evolving, group of PR practitioners from different nations, sectors and areas of practice, but who chat over Zoom on a Friday night.

This weekend was the 33rd PR Inn - that means for 33 weeks of working from home, limited physical contact and no face to face meetings there have been friendly faces on a screen, who were not people I taught or worked with, for or managed, but still understood all of the challenges that had faced me as PR Practitioner, but also as a person, that week.

Some are parents, some are not. Some are single, some are not. We span a couple of decades and have different backgrounds. At one time or another we have all been in different tiers and under different COVID restrictions. What do we all have in common? We care, we are supportive and are accepting.

Over the weeks around ten people have been part of PR Inn. Some regulars, some less frequent - it doesn’t matter just like in any community space. It’s evolved organically. Some have been there from the start - it began as a one-off zoom chat that we found helpful and wanted to repeat. Some involved have decided it wasn’t for them or clashed with other online or offline activities. Others have seen comments on Twitter, asked more and joined in. It’s private but not exclusive - just like making conversations with neighbours in the pub - sometimes they develop, sometimes not.

I equate it to meeting your mates in a pub on Friday night (although those days seem so long ago) except now I don’t need a babysitter and those mates can be miles away.

Yes, there is often alcohol involved but not all attendees do drink, although on occasion we may have drunk too much. Nothing better though then the realisation you can be in bed in less than two minutes after closing time.

If you need or want to talk you can, or you can just listen. Just like going to your local you don’t have to get dressed up. No-one cares whether you are glammed you or in your dressing gown. You might be eating, doing your laundry, catching up on emails or just chilling out - it doesn’t matter. What makes the difference to everyone else on the video call, is that you are there.

Convesrations with friends

What do we talk about? There is no schedule, agenda or forced fun. Again think those pub conversations or a chat over coffee - what have you been up to this week? how’s work? home? kids? can you suggest a ...?  has anyone been here ...? sharing of our life stories, we've seen each other’s pets, used Google maps to see where we all grew up (yes, that exciting), showed photos of what we looked like in our younger days, and discussed kayaking. The things that are currently missing from so many lives at the moment. And of course as PR professionals what’s happened in the news that week. And this year there has been plenty of that.
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Is The PR Inn for everyone? No.
Should everyone have their own version of PR Inn? Yes.
This may have been the year of self-isolation and social distancing but for me it has also been the year of friendship and support and relationship building that will last long beyond Covid.
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Coronavirus:  As communicators what have we learnt?

12/10/2020

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A group of 25 PR industry leaders from the North East came together last week at the CIPR North East Strategic Communicators Forum to discuss and debate what we have learnt during the pandemic so far, share good ideas, consider how to enhance the value of communications to our organisations, and our region.  The event also raised £100 for iprovision
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Communicators have a more important role than ever
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The last six months have shown the truth of a fundamental PR principle … to keep communicating and being proactive. Organisations which moved quickly and confidently to digital channels for either internal or external communications speak of impressive results.

But the impact of the pandemic is much more profound.  As one forum member said: “The ‘crisis’ is not Covid but the permanent change to society it has brought, and the new demands that places on our profession.”

From day one of lockdown a big challenge for communicators has been avoiding fatigue whilst trying to keep pace with changing Government advice.  It has been essential our audiences and stakeholders receive swift and accurate information, which has meant keeping pace with the announcements, making sure the needs and priorities of the organisations we represent are still reflected, and ensuring we are involved and influencing not just the messages but the actions of our leadership teams. 

And this means there is greater top table recognition of the range of benefits communications can deliver.  Its value and worth as a strategic management discipline have come to the fore.  We are seen to be adding value.

At the forum Lucian Hudson reminded us of a second fundamental principle when he said: “Communications is about being human. There is so much to do but we are not just human doings we are human beings, and we need to get the human side right to get anything else right,”

This means understanding the mood of our audiences to use the right tone.  Communicators need to be mindful of the way other people feel, consider feedback, appreciate difference yet work for common ground.  As we leap towards digital channels, Zoom meetings and fast-changing yet critical public information, are we remembering this?

It is not just technology that is important to getting a message across – it also requires effective culture, processes, leadership, and teamwork.

Campaign, Collaboration and Change

Lucian Hudson, the new Director of Advancement and Communications at Durham University, and his colleagues Claire Whitelaw and Rachael Richards began the forum by exploring how we might not just respond to the impact of coronavirus, but plan for a future in which the profession has a more important role than ever for the organisations we serve.  Lucian’s approach with the team at Durham University has been built on three principles: Campaign, Collaboration and Change, summarised in the accompanying slides.   
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So what did we learn … 

Forum members broke into small groups to discuss these principles further, and share their experience of the pandemic, across sectors and organisations, in a unique way.
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1. This is an unprecedented crisis
  • Six months in, the immediate crisis is no longer the focus – we are in a new normal and must figure out how we work effectively in it. 
  • The true ‘crisis’ for communications is not covid-19 for most PR practitioners (though it is an issue that must be managed) it is the changes to society that it has brought.
  • It is not just remote working that is affecting our work-life balance. The pandemic is impacting both work and homelife - it touches on new areas of life almost every day, and creates a world with conflicting messages, guidelines, and laws.
  • The challenge with the pandemic is that the situation keeps evolving without the scale of crisis lessening!  It seems to defy traditional PR models of issues management and recovery.

2. It is taking a toll on individuals and teams
  • It is a huge challenge to sustain energy and resilience as the initial adrenalin drains away, and in a crisis without end.  We need to recognise many colleagues are feeling this.
  • As one form member said: “For the first five months the laptop was only switched off at bedtime. Working from home felt more like living in the office.” 
  • We need to look-after our teams, appreciate what people are doing, recognise stress and find fun things for them to do – but not forced fun; this can be new work projects or creative downtime.
  • We need to advocate for our teams and request more resource. Some internal stakeholders do not appreciate that communication teams are close to their limit and exhausted – but are now queueing up to demand ‘normal’ projects on top of the crisis response. 
  • Progressive organisations are investing in communications, even under financial pressure because it does make a difference.

3. We are in it together
  • We face common communications challenges and opportunities.  PR professionals constantly have experiences that we can share and support each other on.
  • Identifying issues on which organisations can unite and collaborate helps create cohesive action which provides a measure of resilience. 
  • The scale and complexity of this crisis mean we sometimes have competing priorities but can still buy in to the same over-arching aim.
  • Information and decisions driven from central government do not always match the situation and mood of the North East and can lead to conflict. Collaboration is important to reduce this and challenge the national agenda when we need to.
  • The more we work collectively across sectors the more the North East will emerge with the coherent voice it needs, both as the crisis continues and during a long recovery.
  • PR industry leaders at the forum have found new friends and allies - we need to retain the collaboration that we are building in this crisis

4. We need to turn quantity into quality
  • We are getting huge audience numbers, externally and internally, that we have never seen before and unprecedented engagement – the challenge for professional communicators is how do we turn the quantity to quality.
  • There are lots of exciting new ways to communicate but are we hitting all our audiences, or just the easy targets?
  • Listening to our publics is more important than ever, and there is a real danger this is being lost as communications channels change and evolve so quickly. Many people now feel isolated, dispossessed, and ignored by the powers in society through this pandemic, and PR has a vital role in re-connecting.
  • We all need to thoroughly take stock of our new pattern of communication channels.  Have we just delivered the ‘low hanging fruit’? Are our channels genuinely two-way?  Are we still communicating with our harder-to-reach publics?

5. Internal communication is of utmost importance
  • Internal communications and engagement increasingly essential - getting this wrong can bring a crisis which then plays out extensively in public domain.  So not putting in the work at the start with internal audiences can bring multiple challenges in the longer term. 
  • Several PR professionals are having to manage competing objectives within their leadership teams – those focussed on responding to the virus, and those who want and need their ‘normal’ business activities to continue or restart.
  • At the same time there is a fast-emerging role for communications ambassadors across our workforces as digital becomes normal – as PR leaders we have an important role coaching and mentoring these emerging ambassadors.  These new ambassadors can improve employee engagement by being empowered themselves, and because they will become better internal communicators at the same time.

Four key themes came out of the day:
  1. Personal Leadership and Wellbeing for you and your teams 
  2. Professional PR Leadership in an unprecedented situation
  3. Evaluating our Impact when we are working in whole new ways 
  4. Collaboration between the organisations we serve.   

These will now be taken forward and discussed and debated in more detail at our follow up forum event in November when forum members can again join small groups to share experiences and learn and exchange ideas with colleagues on the big challenges for today.
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North East Strategic Communicators Forum

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) North East Regional Group has created a series of professional development and networking events for senior / strategic professionals in the North East's PR & communications industry. If you are the person with overall responsibility for communications in your organisation and you are interested in the forum please tweet or DM @CIPR_NorthEast or email Deb Sharratt.

Further events for strategic communicators from CIPR North East via the North East Strategic Communications Forum are planned throughout the year. CIPR North East also has a various training, networking and social events across the year for all PR practitioners. Follow @CIPR_NorthEast on Twitter or LinkedIn to keep up to date.
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What PRs could learn from bricklaying

7/3/2020

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Earlier this week I did a workshop in bricklaying - it was the first session in a short DIY course for women. When I signed up, I didn’t think for one minute I’d start comparing laying bricks to public relations - but I discovered that is exactly how my mind works.
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What could PRs learn from bricklaying?
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​Much of PR is about strategy. A way of realising a vision through public relations activity. Laying bricks is also a way of realising the vision of a new physical building or structure.
 
The tools of the trade need to be effective and appropriate. In communication, the tactics are a way of making a strategy happen by helping to achieve objectives which support the business goals. And how do we know they do that? We measure and evaluate.
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Measurement & Evaluation
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​Often seen as a chore, measurement and evaluation is an essential part of any plan or project. A way of monitoring progress, knowing if you are where you need to be.
 
Measurement is about collecting the data, and evaluation is a separate concept in assessing the impact and value of actions concerning the objectives. AMEC’s Integrated Evaluation framework helps communication professionals must show the effect that their work has had on the objectives of their respective organisations.
 
AMEC along with many professional communication bodies such as CIPR, are encouraging consultancy and in-house PR professionals to regard measurement and evaluation as an everyday part of what they do. Yet it is still an area where the profession could do so much more to ensure measurement and evaluation are vital 'tools of the trade'.

Laying bricks
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​In bricklaying one of the first things we were taught is that measurement and evaluation are key. Plans are drawn up; foundations are made, and preparations thoroughly executed all to exact measurements. Risks and external factors also must be considered with potential different courses of action identified to accommodate changes in circumstances from the weather to the economy.
 
Necessary tools include a trowel and spot board for the bricks and mortar. However, the right tool must be used at the right time for the right job. As I learnt a Philadelphia trowel is no good inside a cement mixer, but a bucket trowel performs that task perfectly.
 
One of the most important and frequently used tools was a tape measure. As well as a spirit level and a gauge (for measuring the height of the bricks).
 
After each brick is placed a tape measure comes out to check it follows the plan. The spirit level ensures each brick has been laid correctly and the gauge so that we can see where we are going meets the vision.

Why do we measure?
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  • To identify the right ingredients to go into the mix for the project to work - much of this knowledge comes from experience, previous evaluation, and research.
  • To ensure the activities support the objectives - do they complement or conflict.
  • To know we are doing the correct activity.
  • To focus on quality and standards.
  • To check that a plan is being executed as intended.
  • To create a strong bond and alignment between the different parts of the project.
  • To see if we are on track to achieve our objectives.

What insights can we gather from data?

  • ​Are the metrics as expected or do we need to modify the activity?
  • Do the metrics support other activity or are they working against each other?
  • Is each part of the project working towards the same goal?
  • Is someone overseeing the whole project and how each part fits together?
  • Are they focused on achieving the overall objective?
  • Is each part of the project happening in the right sequence to have the maximum impact on the result?
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Insights for impact​

And importantly what do we then do to make sure the project is on track? Do we tweak, make adjustments, or do we need to create an additional activity?
 
If we don’t know why we are doing something, it’s hard to collect the evidence to demonstrate that it has been successful.
 
However, if we collect data but then don’t interpret and learn from the insights then it is also a waste of time and the project may fail and not be fit for purpose and I discovered this week this equally applies to my day job of public relations or my basic bricklaying DIY skills.
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10 Ways PR Can Nail A Broadcast Pitch

19/5/2019

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Earlier this month CIPR North East held an event for PR practitioners focusing on the discipline of media relations, and pitching to broadcast media in particular.

Media relations is what many people, who don’t have a full understanding of the profession and industry, associate with public relations.
 
Public relations can be done very successfully without using media relations, yet media relations does not exist without PR. However as a discipline media relations remains, for many practitioners at all levels, an integral part of their PR activity, both pro-actively and re-actively.

Public relations is not just media relations

I do though want to stress that public relations is not just media relations. And it doesn’t and shouldn’t define us as a profession. As current CIPR President Emma Leech said in response to a BBC Radio 4’s episode of The Media Show on public relations that focused solely on publicity through the media.
 
“What we deliver goes far beyond media relations. The truth is tens of thousands of public relations professionals provide ethical and strategic support to businesses of all sectors. We help build trust in organisations by establishing and improving relationships with key stakeholders - not just journalists. Many aspects of PR such as community engagement, digital communication and internal communication involve no media relations.”
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​The Importance of getting media relations right

​But I also want to stress how important it is to get it right. Although media relations is not what we do all the time - PR encompasses so much more - when we do engage in media relations on behalf of clients and our organisations it is important to do it well and appropriately for the business and target media. 

So whereas public relations is the act of maintaining, fostering and improving relations between others and your business, media relations is limited to an organisations interaction with stakeholders who are journalists, bloggers, editors, reporters and others in the media business. Placing stories in the media is just one way that PR can help an organisation reach their audience. But as PR professionals we should be aiming to be trusted advisers to the media not just sending out press releases.

Why is it important to get it right? Read this 
blog post by Ella Minty in which she says about getting it wrong “We can damage a client’s reputation even if we’re paid to protect it!”
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​10 ways PR can nail a broadcast pitch

Success in media relations means anticipating not just the story that will appeal, but the treatment of it, other assets it must include and a method of pitching that attracts the journalist’s attention.

Technology has transformed filming, editing and broadcasting meaning there is little need to edit in the studio anymore however less processing time means stories can be edited and programmed up to broadcast time resulting in more pressure on producers.And with fewer resources newsrooms are stretched.
 
So with that in mind CIPR North East (of which I am Vice-Chair) held an event on media relations and broadcast media in particular, with Adrian Pitches, BBC Look North TV Planning Editor, and Matt Jones, Bauer Radio News Operations Manager. all about how to nail your pitch. The duo has over 30 years' experience - so know what makes a good story for TV and Radio!

Here’s what we learnt. Put these tips into practice and your client or organisation could be the topic of the next ‘did you hear xxx on the news this morning’ and ‘have you heard about xxx’ conversations.


  1. Get to the point straight away. Take the time to craft your opening two paragraphs of your email. You need these words to get you through the first filter on the planning desk. Your initial call or email is your opportunity to convince the panning desks you have story right for their media outlet.
  2. Make it accessible. Cut the acronyms and jargon. Jargon, company speak and no news won’t pass the filter threshold.
  3. Suggest content that is engaging. Where is the human interest? Have you got great case studies happy to be interviewed? Is it news, is it interesting or is it funny and will it make people smile.
  4. Ensure it is visual or talk-able. But don’t forget everything is multimedia now and even with radio video can be used for website and social media. Think about and help identify how images and sounds will be created – send stills to help it be visualised but only send them if they help. A head shot is not going to help. When doing radio interviews by phone hold the device away from the face so the microphone picks up the sound properly. 
  5. Can it be embargoed and previewed? Media previews and behind the scenes still important so content is embargoed but ready to go when it becomes news
  6. Could it be an exclusive? Think about approaching one media outlet first and see if they are interested. Check out the organisations current themes and own campaigns – do you fit their agenda?
  7. Think about timing. The Tuesday after a Bank Holiday Monday is a slow news day (maybe not any more if we all follow these tips) but an embargoed news story ready to film on a Tuesday following a bank holiday can be arranged the before the holiday weekend. Look to place weekend stories on Tuesday or Wednesday embargoed for weekend. News is planned day before and thee more notice that can be given the more thought can go into it. But don't hesitate to phone on the day - if the  story is good enough it will get covered. But also bear in mind the need to be flexible - local news can go out the window for the national agenda.
  8. Think about the audience. The TV audience is fairly middle-aged and older and family orientated but not all news is created for them only. Viewer research shows that they’ve watched the national news and now want something more relaxing, informative, different to the national agenda and with a feel-good factor about their own region.
  9. Is it good enough? There is less than 28 minutes to till in a regional TV news programme, which means only 6 – 8 stories per week day can be covered. Radio bulletins are about 2 minutes long.
  10. Make contact. Don’t forget you can always email or call to gauge interest in a story before you spend time on a pitch – that is what developing media relations is all about.
To contact BBC Look North email Newcastlenews@bbc.co.uk
To contact Metro Radio email news@metroradio.co.uk 
or TFM 
tfmnews@tfmradio.com 

Big thanks to Adrian Pitches and Matt Jones for speaking at the CIPR North East event and also Kayleigh Hepburn, CIPR North East regional committee member for organising the event, and her employer OPR for hosting.

Any other tips to add? Please do leave them in the comments.
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Deb
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7 Ways PR Can Engage WITH Metro Mayors

2/5/2019

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By the end of this week we will know who the first mayor of the North of Tyne Combined Authority will be.

We already know it will be a white male, but, regardless of their gender, age, race, background or political persuasion, how can we as PR people work with and influence Metro Mayors to benefit not only our organisations and clients but also our stakeholders and even more widely our regions.

Last week over 30 of the region’s senior strategic public relations professional, gathered cabinet-style, at Northern Counties in Newcastle to debate “How Regional Mayors and Brexit are Transforming the North’s Power Map”. The event hosted by CIPR North East welcomed Gill Morris, Chief Executive, DevoConnect to lead the discussion, with panel members Neal Smith, Head of Communications and Marketing at the Tees Valley Combined Authority, where Mayor Ben Houchen is marking two years in office; and Will Mapplebeck, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Core Cities UK.
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North of Tyne Combined Authority Mayoral Election

May 2019 saw the first mayoral election for the North of Tyne Combined Authority, with registered voters in three local councils: Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland eligible to take part. The North of Tyne devolution deal secured £600m over the next 30 years, aiming to create 10,000 jobs and boosting the local economy by over £1bn.

As well as representing every single person in Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland, they will ensure the area’s voice is clearly heard by Government and champion the North of Tyne nationally and internationally. The deal means more decisions will be taken locally rather than by central government which means we as communicators will have a big part to play in influencing these decisions. It’s no longer just about what is happening in Westminster.
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North East Devolution

We opened the second North East Strategic Communicators Forum with a brief history of devolution from Gill Morris beginning with the referendum of 2004. I remember it well as it was just 6 months after I started work at regional development agency, One NorthEast. Although that referendum delivered a no vote, 15 years later here we are waiting for the result of a mayoral election covering less than half the region and population of the former RDA area.

In that time six major city regions across England have elected Metro Mayors: Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, West of England, West Midlands and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough. The key focus is on transforming these regions and improving life chances.

All Metro Mayors elected to date are male, a point discussed by Sarah Hall in her post event blog “Break from the bullshit: it’s time for truth not tabloid headlines”.

As well as discussing EU referendums and the ongoing Brexit, Gill ended saying “Devolution is here to stay” and therefore it will become a key part of our strategic communication. Importantly Gill also said that “Devolution is a journey not a destination” and that we should look to “build coalitions, collaborations and consensus” as communications professionals.

So how can we do that?
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7 Ways PR Can Engage Metro Mayors

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  1. Be politically engaged and understand the issues. Whatever your sector, make sure you understand all of the main issues affecting your region. How can your organisation or client can make a difference?
  2. Tune into the mayor’s agenda and take note of their personal priorities. Things will happen quickly as a mayor has only a short time to demonstrate an impact. Do you offer a way to connect these projects with audiences?
  3. Understand it’s a journey not a destination. Agendas and priorities will change so look what is on your agenda and see how it fits with the combined authority’s and start trying to shape messaging whilst managing expectations. Identify how you may fit in the future?
  4. Collaborate and build leverage. Support for the priorities when appropriate and also support partners in the area. Collaboration has demonstrated that it can bring investment and funding. Which priorities can you support?
  5. Do our own PR. We need to promote ourselves as communication and public relation professionals and demonstrate the impact that PR can have on an organisation in delivering its purpose, key messages and achieving objectives. Be bold and sell the vision
  6. Lead by offering solutions. Anticipate what is coming and offer robust, workable solutions, and then deliver.
  7. Understand the importance of soft power and leadership. It’s not just about the powers devolved to the mayor.
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North East Strategic Communicators Forum

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) North East Regional Group has created a series of professional development and networking events for senior / strategic professionals in the North East's PR & communications industry. The first event with Heathrow Airport focused on putting PR at the heart of your organisation and how to get PR a seat at the boardroom table.

Organised by CIPR North East committee member Huw Lewis (Nexus) and Vice-chair Deb Sharratt (Independent Practitioner) the Strategic Communicators Forum North East aims to provide events which meet the needs of a targeted audience, focused on leadership and strategic communications rather than purely practical and technical PR skills, whilst providing an opportunity to network with colleagues, as well as meeting new people with similar roles, experience and insight. This fits with the vision of the CIPR to be at the heart of a professional and diverse public relations profession that organisations, government and the public understand and value.

Further events for strategic communicators from CIPR North East via the North East Strategic Communications Forum are planned throughout the year. To get involved tweet or DM @CIPR_NorthEast or email CIPR North East Vice Chair Deb Sharratt.

CIPR North East also has a various training, networking and social events across the year for all PR practitioners. Follow @CIPR_NorthEast on Twitter or LinkedIn to keep up to date.
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10 Ways to Open UP Two Way Communication Channels

18/3/2019

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A strategy of clear, honest and open two-way communication from Sunderland AFC

​Last Friday afternoon I joined several students at Newcastle University (where I deliver some of their PR & Communication modules to both undergrads and postgrad students), to hear all about the strategy of open communication that the new owners of Sunderland Association Football Club have instilled at the north east football club.

Charlie Methven, executive director and part owner of SAFC was joined by Steve Feekins, a digital editor for FIFA and Simon Rushworth, a former NUFC reporter to debate the issue and answer our questions at the event organised by Jonathan Ward.
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Football Communications
As tempting as it may have been for some of the Sunderland fans in the audience to ask how to get a ticket to Wembley to see Sunderland play in the Checkatrade Trophy Cup Final we were there to hear all about their communication strategy.

As an aside for those who don’t know the Checkatrade Trophy, formally known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, is a knockout competition for clubs playing in League One and League Two and which has featured Academy teams from Premier League Category One clubs since 2016/17. This year’s final is on March 31.

Now I’m a Newcastle United fan, stifled on any meaningful communication from my club for many years now, so it was fascinating to hear about a different approach at the club down the road.
 
Honest and open two-way communication

Clear, honest and open two-way communication is quite a revolutionary concept in modern football. The two-way symmetrical model of public relations as described in Grunig’s Excellence Theory is focused primarily in making sure that decisions made by an organisation are mutually beneficial between itself and its audiences. Digital advancements have made it easier to communicate directly with our audiences, but effective communication requires dialogue and listening as well as just the dissemination of information.

Most football clubs were founded by football supporters to enable football supporters to watch live football. Without these fans there is very little difference between professional and amateur football. Charlie believes that football clubs are morally owned by the fans and they deserve to hear everything that about their club up to the point when it is no longer in their interest - explained as commercially sensitive information, where legal proceedings are involved or on-going negotiations. When these points are reached is obviously decided upon by the management which is why expertise and structure within an organisation is still required to support a strategy of open communication.

But the reaction to more communication with fans through regional newspapers, TV, radio, podcasts, fanzines, forums and social media is not always as you’d think it would be. We heard from Charlie that although many fans are very happy to get more information some fans just want to hate their club or think it will be destroyed by being too honest and don’t appreciate the openness. Proving you just can’t please everyone.
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10 Ways to Open Up Two Way Communication Channels

I’d love to make number one appoint a PR person as your Executive Director, start with PR & Communications and then take the rest from there, as Sunderland have done but as that’s not an imminent change for most organisations so I’ll actually start my ten points here, with examples of how Sunderland AFC are putting them into practice.
  1. Establish the purpose of an organisation. Remember what you are there to do and re-imagine what that should look like now.
  2. Do and not say. The football manager spends over three hours every week talking to both traditional and online new media.
  3. Walk the walk. Non-verbal communication is as important as what is said. A player’s body language and the comments they make in interviews is important but equally so is them genuinely applauding fans at the end of a game and not wearing headphones when getting off the team coach and engaging with fans.
  4. Demonstrate you value feedback. Fans were asked what’s the one thing they want to change. They said the seats which had turned pink from the sunshine (and yes, we do have sunshine up north). The seats were changed.
  5. Make open communication part of the organisation's culture. Charlie explained to us how the overall communications strategy has an integral role in internal communication right from the recruitment process, for all employees including that of the football manager.
  6. Become an authoritative voice. To do this you need to gain the trust of your audience. You must answer the difficult questions, no matter who they come from.
  7. Identify the most appropriate channels for communication. For example, a club cannot criticise their players after a game, as well as players they are also employees. Fans want post-match coverage to deconstruct games. This is best delivered by a fan channel, with the support of the club. Management and players take part in podcasts. Match reports are still written for the regional press.
  8. Be adult about what might happen. Football is very emotive and disappointing results will bring an outpouring of anger. Be ready for it, expect it, embrace it, even encourage it but then analyse that data and learn from it.
  9. Build your reputation bank Increase your credibility with all stakeholders including employees, media and fans. Introducing a fear factor in your media relations with an aggressive defensive stance will only contribute to a club’s downfall in the end.
  10. Lead and be a disruptor in your industry. Push boundaries and take the time to influence internally within your organisation as to why this is necessary.
 
One last point. Charlie told us how he’d studied Theology at Oxford University before becoming and journalist and then moving into public relations. He didn’t think was a relevant subject for a sports journalist however we all know that football is a religion in the north east.

I doubt that better communications are going to change many supporter’s allegiances, however it may strengthen existing support, enable you to re-engage with your fan base, and maybe attract those new to football.
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The approach is fascinating, so far Sunderland have had pretty good times on and off the pitch, it will be even more fascinating to watch how it develops with the inevitable ups and downs of football.
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7 ways to get PR a seat at the boardroom table (and make your organisation realise the value of communication)

18/2/2019

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Communication is ever changing and has changed so much since I started my career.

There are now so many more people to communicate with and importantly, those people can also make a lot of noise, very easily. No matter how few of them there actually are.
 
So as Andrew Mitchell, Director of Strategic Communications and Policy, at Heathrow Airport said at a CIPR North East event last week for Strategic Communicators, “the best approach for any organisation is to be open and show that we are here to listen … and stay on front foot by communicating with people”.
 
I don’t think any of us would disagree with that. But how do we get our directors and ultimate decision makers in our organisations, to take this on board.
 
Last week we held our first Strategic Communications Forum in the North East. A new space where senior communications professionals can meet, network, learn from their peers, and debate issues pertinent to the communications sector.
 
Attended by PR professionals with the responsibility for communications in their organisation, it was facilitated by CIPR North East. It was open to CIPR and non-CIPR members from across North East England.
 
The main speaker at the first event was Andrew Mitchell from Heathrow Airport, and the following people were panel members
  • Caroline Darnbrook, Director of Products and Marketing at Darlington Building Society,
  • Chris Taylor, Managing Director of PR & Marketing agency DTW, and
  • Laura Foster, Business Scale-up Partner at RTC North East. 
Putting PR at the heart of your business
 
The subject of the first event was putting PR at the heart of your business. So what tips can we share from our 30+ strategic communicators? From both the speaker and panel members and indeed the enormous talent that was in the room.
 
Improving your communications has got to be based on building pride and trust. But how do we get a seat at the boardroom table and make organisations realise the power of communication.
  1. ROI is key. Demonstrate its worth and value to the business. Strive to get Communications as a key KPI for the business.
  2. Explain the importance of reputation. Measure your reputation not just with the media but with all key audiences including politicians, regulators, employees and the local community.
  3. Ensure that communications support all of the key business priorities.
  4. Integrate the communications team into the organisation. Too often they are seen as being separate to, and therefore not integral to the business, but communications need to be seen and valued throughout the business.
  5. Get active and involved throughout the organisation. Be ahead of the game and build credibility by offering solutions.
  6. Encourage great working partnerships.
  7. Speak about actions not just words and choose those words carefully.
So, what is it that is holding PR back?
  • Wherever possible, need to show more than a correlation between PR and outcomes (e.g. profits/behaviour change) - a causative link is much stronger.
  • We need to advocate for what PR can help an organisation achieve. Show it’s not just publicity and media relations.
  • PR has to become more outcome and not output focused - that is the compelling story.
  • We need to be more specific about services that we offer and sectors that we are strong in.
  • We need to show that communication teams are the eyes, ears, conscious and increasingly the brain in terms of shaping thinking of an organisation and should be a key part of the brain of the business.
  • We need to acknowledge that you can’t make everyone agree with you but can make sure you are proactive and make the effort to speak to everyone even when you know you can’t change their minds, but you can get them to understand.
  • We need to believe in ourselves and need to win confidence.
  • Be better at anticipating problems and getting stuck in to help when they arise and provide solutions before, we are asked.
  • Stop being reticent to ask for what a communications department needs - no other area of an organisation is so constrained but to do that we need better at measurement and evaluation – for example adopt AMEC model of planning and measurement.
  • Need more communication specialists to become CEOs.
  • Ultimately PR needs to take control of its own destiny by combining its well-developed skills of artistry and relationship building with data.
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Further events for strategic communicators from CIPR North East via the North East Strategic Communications Forum are planned throughout the year. To get involved tweet or DM @CIPR_NorthEast or email CIPR North East Vice Chair Deb Sharratt.
CIPR North East also has a various training, networking and social events across the year for all PR practitioners. Follow @CIPR_NorthEast on Twitter or LinkedIn to keep up to date.
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5 reasons why it's important to invest in you and your Career

6/1/2019

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This week I start back to work properly in 2019, but taking the time during the first few days of the year, to look back at 2018 last week has really shown me how much commitment and effort I've put into developing myself both professionally and personally. 

In addition to my day job as both a PR practitioner & lecturer, and a lifestyle blogger, in 2018 I've attended industry events and conferences, hosted a webinar for Vuelio, spoken at the Mojo Nation conference, written for the CIPR Influence online blog, organised the #CIPRNorthernConf, held the elected positions of Vice Chair and Social Media Manager for CIPR North East and organised the #PRideNE awards where I also won an award as Outstanding PR Practitioner in the North East. ​

CPD takes time and effort but is worth it. I started my Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) CPD after returning to work after maternity leave (at the time being on maternity leave didn't exempt you from having to accrue CPD points - thankfully that has now changed and you can read the CIPR Maternity Leave Package here). 
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​More Than A Label

After two years continuous CPD all CIPR members can attain Accredited Practitioner status. This is a status I've now retained for 5 years. But it's much more than just a label and here is why.

1. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

It's all too easy just to keep on doing the same thing all the time. No matter how successful you are at it. However to grow as a person and as a professional then you need to challenge yourself. In 2018 I spoke at a national conference for the very first time with a colleague. Yes it was nerve-wracking, yes it was quite scary. I was named and promoted as a speaker; and that felt really strange but also rewarding; however once I stepped onto the stage the nerves went. 

Co-hosting a webinar for Vuelio was both an unnerving and exciting proposition. Not being able to receive any verbal or physical feedback from your audience as you speak really makes you think about what you are saying and doing. I was very glad when it was over but also very glad that I'd done it. My biggest tip is to make sure you are speaking about something you understand well, are passionate about and wiling to debate. The feedback after both sessions whether on stage or online were both big confidence boosters. Taking a 'risk' is a great way to grow.
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​2. Learn New Skills

Through blogging I have discovered so much about SEO and coding that I never would have learnt through my day job. The ethics of which are a daily challenge it has to be said, but my lifestyle blog has made me understand the skills and writing abilities required to enable my clients to perform better in this respect too. Over Christmas I've also re-branded, researched font trends for 2019, (outline fonts with their modern, industrial look makes brands look cutting-edge and mature - apparently), analysed the website data and evaluated the content in terms of readers wants and needs - all of which has taught me new skills.
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​3. Get Involved

Whether it is attending an event, volunteering on a committee or standing for election, getting involved with a professional body such as the CIPR is worth it. Aside from the personal and professional development, some of my closest friends are people I've met through volunteering with CIPR, who are a great support both personally and professionally. We all need people to lean on from time to time. Yes they are colleagues, but more than colleagues, they are people with similar values, aims and objectives to you, who understand what you do on a day to day basis, which makes for better mutual understanding all round.
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​4. Join the Conversation

Many people, including me can be quite hesitant about joining online discussions and debates. Especially on Twitter where females are regularly verbally attacked just for having an opinion. I've facilitated Twitter chats before for CIPR North East however joining in other established chats is not so easy, especially when you don't personally know the other regular participants. In 2018 I've joined in with Ella Minty's #PowerandInfluence, #UKBlogHour, #CommsChat, as well as #CIPR specific ones on #AIinPR. These have not only helped me develop new relationships with PR professionals but also increased my knowledge and (hopefully) improved how I communicate on social media - well apart from posting cat gifs and retweeting Peanuts on this day tweets. Contact online forums and professional blogs too such as CIPR's Influence Online and join the conversation there by offering to write for them too.
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​5. Give Back

Not everything we do in our careers has to be about earning money. Yes most of us need to earn a living but only doing things because you are being paid to do it isn't always that healthy a mindset to have. Well not for me anyway. Choosing to take on a project or role without monetary reward is really beneficial and I wish I could afford to do it more often. Organising conferences, awards event and helping to support others is a great way to develop yourself, and when you can support those in need of vital help at the same time, such as encouraging donations to a local foodbank (an idea first suggested by Stephen Waddington that we've continued) or donations to the CIPR's IPRovision at our awards night, makes it even more worthwhile.
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​Be Committed to Professional Development

Being independent means not having senior colleagues to learn from, to mentor us, to coach and challenge us. But we can still learn every day from clients and colleagues within the sector. So for me having a personal commitment to professional development is a must for independent practitioners to continue to deliver the best possible service to their clients. This is one of 9 key challenges I've identified in becoming a successful independent practitioner.
It all makes a difference and helps you grow personally and professionally. And in 2019 I'm really looking forward to joining CIPR Council.

Don't forget if you are a CIPR member you have until 28 February 2019 to log at least 60 CPD points in this cycle.

Thanks for reading, Deb

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9 Challenges Independent PR Practitioners Face Every Day – and how to overcome them

27/11/2018

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​I’m about to celebrate my 8th anniversary as an independent PR practitioner. It’s not a role I chose. It was after redundancy, and the need for a flexible working environment, with two small children at home. However, I wouldn’t change a thing. I've worked with some amazing people and clients. I've grown and developed far more as a person and a professional than if I’d remained employed. And I’ve won three CIPR Gold Pride Awards for clients and myself as an independent. I am currently nominated as Best Independent PR Practitioner in the North East in this year’s Pride Awards (fingers crossed for next week). I've also been able to play an active role in the Chartered Institute of Public Relations during this time, and in January I'll join CIPR Council.

However, it’s not always easy, and after 8 years working independently here are 9 challenges that I've found that independent practitioners face every day, yet need to overcome to be successful.
 
9 Challenges Independent PR practitioners Face Every Day
– and how to overcome them

 
Cash Flow
Essentially, how much you earn, and when. I like to give it a business term because that’s what it is. When you work for yourself, your mindset needs to change from being an employee, with a regular salary and benefits, to that of a business. Because that is what you are, a one-person business. Whether you are a limited partnership or a sole-trader it doesn’t matter. When I began working independently, finding myself without all of the support functions around you, that I had been used to, I took a qualification in Business Finance and Project Management. My biggest piece of advice is to think about your work as a business, ensure you forecast and project cash flow, look at income over an entire accounting period rather than monthly and slowly you will start to be less stressed and anxious, as you start to see yourself as an independent practitioner, rather than a freelancer in between jobs.
 
Learn to say no
My most empowering moments as an independent practitioner has been when I’ve said no to contracts. Lucrative contracts too. Be it for ethical or logistical reasons it reminds you of one of the benefits of being independent. You are your own boss and you do not have the responsibility of having to pay other people’s salaries and that is really liberating. Yes it’s very hard, not knowing what may be around the corner, but that is where business planning really helps.
 
Resigning Clients
Just like a larger business may need to fire employees and resign accounts, independents are the same. I have a couple of clients I have now worked with for over seven years and we have grown together. However, some clients who were great to work with in the early days, are not the right fit for my business going forward and long-term. This is never an easy decision, and the choice between turning down guaranteed income for long term gain is a strategic decision that does need to be made. Weigh up all the benefits and really evaluate if you are still the right fit for their business too.


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Risk
Putting all your eggs in one basket and taking on a freelance role that is really the equivalent of being an employee, just without the benefits is a risk to me. It can seem like a good idea, and does work for some people, but is risky. I’ve not been in the position of working for only one client at a time, to me that’s been a contract worker rather than an independent practitioner, however I had one client that accounted for the majority of my income. But following austerity cuts, all freelance contracts were cancelled, and this work went overnight. Thankfully, I had a contingency budget (see insurance) and I re-structured my business to include training, blogging, associate work and my own independent PR & Marketing services, so that in the future any external factors that were out of my control would not have such a big impact.
 
Insurance
If you get ill or want to take maternity or paternity leave what would you do? If you lost a big contract overnight how would you cope financially? A well as business insurance and professional indemnity I also have insurance cover should I not be able to work for health reasons and also a savings account, cash in the business as it were, to see me through any downtime. It’s essential to plan for the unforeseen especially if you have family commitments and being part of a Professional Association can also help you access these policies.
 
Holidays
Everyone needs a break from work but planning this can be difficult. It’s not so simple as putting in your holiday form and taking off. You have clients for whom you still need to provide a service. Simple measures to put in place are to forewarn clients ahead of the time, prepare them in advance for anything you know is going to happen, and robust procedures for dealing with the unexpected. It also helps to have a trusted practitioner on stand-by should the worst happen. I always give my clients the option of contacting me in an emergency, but making them aware of where I am. To date I've not had a call.
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Colleagues
Having colleagues can be a blessing and a distraction, being independent, means you can have the best of both worlds. You can in the main keep out of a lot of office politics, and that is such a relief, but it can feel lonely for some. Having a role that involves talking to people helps but there are also many business and professional networks, workshops and training sessions where you can meet other people in person, bounce ideas around and have conversations. There are also online forums where you can brainstorm and check out ideas with other like-minded people. Working independently doesn’t have to mean working alone.
 
Professional Development
Being independent means not having senior colleagues to learn from, to mentor us, to coach and challenge us. But we can still learn every day from clients and colleagues within the sector. Having a personal commitment to professional development is a must for independent practitioners to continue to deliver the best possible service to their clients.
 
Workload
Managing your workload and not taking on too much can be a challenge. Some weeks you may not have that much to do – to be honest I long for these weeks. I’ve got a long list of planning and development activities that I want to undertake but just need to find the time. However, some weeks I’ve charged the equivalent of 9 days per week – working weekends and evenings as projects have coincided. It’s not sustainable but do-able in the short-term if you know when it is going to end. The plus side to this is being able to set your own hours. Unless I’m in a meeting or teaching I can do the school run morning and night, if necessary. I can attend school plays, sports days without having to take annual leave, and at least three mornings a week I go swimming when the local gym is quiet. It’s also easy to meet up with friends for lunch when you all manage your own time.
 
Anything I've missed?
 
Deb
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    ME

    Indie kid & mum to 2 boys. PR, Uni lecturer & blogger at My Boys Club. Love music, sport, media, travel & politics.
    Chartered PR Professional and CIPR Fellow. CIPR Vice-Chair - North East and CIPR Council 2019 & 2020.

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