Once upon a time…
Many fairy stories start with this beginning and then go on to enthral us with tales about magic, the rivalry between good and evil and throw in a little ethical or moral understanding and we have a winning formula.
With our own communications, we often fall into the trap of hitting tonight’s deadline without having the opportunity to reflect on what our story positioning is and how that fits in with the overall positioning of the organisations we work for. Take any piece of copy, and you will probably find it was written with one specific message and one particular audience in mind but with a little bit more time, imagination and broader thinking, even with input from colleagues, we can exploit the story to its fullest to achieve the maximum impact.
Now is the time to think about what your story themes are going to be for 2019. Let’s join the dots and have some of that old joined up thinking. What campaigns will you execute or are you expected just to turn out the copy to order as and when others feel like it? Let’s get proactive and beat the reactive where we can.
We are writing this with communication specialists in mind, but if you are not a specialist and need the services of one – in-house or via an agency, please don’t tell them what to write or what media to use. They are the experts, and they are the ones dealing with the stories throughout the organisation so can recognise where your story fits in the big picture of the organisation. Sorry but it’s not all about you…It’s all about everyone and everything that you represent organisationally.
Now, if you are sitting comfortably, we will begin…
Andy Green and Veronica Swindale met at this year’s CIPR Northern Conference in Newcastle and will be delivering their Storytelling course at nesma and in-house throughout 2019.
Transform the story you will be telling in 2019 with a one day in-company masterclass.
Just 2 dates available at a special rate – Tuesday 8 January and Thursday 10 January.
The special rate is £1250 + VAT for up to 10 people (normally £1500 + VAT).Other dates available on request.
Written for Northern Insight Magazine by Veronica Swindale
Director, Chartered Marketer, FCIM and CIM Ambassador of the North 2017
Whether it’s working on your current skill set or exploring a new area of expertise nesma has all your marketing and communication know-how covered.
