communications academy 2015 - why you should be there

Next week hundreds of communicators from local and central government as well as other parts of the public service will gather over three days in Coventry for the second Public Service Communications Academy.  The event, which is being organised by LGcommunications and GCS, is the most significant local government communications event of the year. 

by Cormac Smith

The theme of this year’s Academy is set around the future of public service communications, the challenges we face and our response to those challenges.

The agenda this year includes some of the best practitioners from the public and private sector.  We will also be joined by a number of influential leaders from the public sector including Solace president, and Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council, Mark Rogers and a one of Whitehall’s most outspoken civil servants, Louise Casey CB, will give a view from Whitehall talking about how effective comms needs to be at the heart of meeting the current challenges.

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10 things I have learned about being a head of communications

One of the best things about having the comms2point0 web site is the opportunity to showcase and share other people's rich learning. Learning from one another is at the heart of our ethos. This post ticks all of those boxes.

by Paul Masterman

Darren Caveney’s recent blog post about his experiences as a Head of Communications over the last 10 years got a huge and admiring response from his friends and colleagues across the public sector comms industry.

At the same time I was asked to do a second year as a mentor for one of local government’s aspiring communications talents on the LGcommunications’ Future Leaders programme.

Both Darren and LGcommunications got me thinking about my experiences as a leader of communications teams and what, if anything, I really had to pass on to a leader of the future (the very near future if the track record of LGcommunications of spotting stars is anything to go by.  Step forward Emma Rodgers and Natalie Corney, as just two recent examples).

The results are in: here are my top 10 honest lessons from 11 years as a Head of Communications...

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the future of local government comms leadership is... female

The Future Leaders programme run each year by LGcomms is a fantastic initiative. Each year it offers a dozen or so comms managers and officers the chance to join a development programme aimed at bringing forward our next wave of comms leaders, heads and directors. This year’s intake has one thing in common: They are all women.

By Darren Caveney

I have been mentoring comms managers in the UK for several years now and always enjoy the process - meeting new people, sharing ideas, jointly tackling issues and hoping to impart a smidge of what I have learned after 20 years in the game.

So I was very pleased when I was again asked to speak at the launch of this year’s Future Leaders programme in London last week and be a mentor once more.

What struck me instantly the moment I arrived in Hackney Town Hall was that I was the only man in the room.

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a response from cormac smith to the press gazette

Last week's Press Gazette claimed that 3,400 communications staff – more than double the total for central government - worked in local government. Here's a response by the Chair of LGcomms...

by Cormac Smith

In last week's Press Gazette, William Turvill wrote about local councils employing at least 3,400 communications staff – more than double the total for central government. His report went on to talk about the decline of local newspapers, implying to this reader a link - but never actually provided any evidence of one. 

It is not local councils who have decided to cut back investment in local titles – it is the publishers of these titles who have done this.

He went on to talk about questionable practice in a small number of councils and quoted a regional political editor who suggested many journalists would balk at the number of communications officers employed by local government – but who did not say why.

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using social media for engaging with people

Once upon a time a consultation exercise was just a box ticking go-through-the-motions thing involving a village hall for an hour and maybe a couple of clip boards in the street. Why would you do that when you could do something that worked?

by Mike Hammond

Working in local government you’re frequently reminded of the varied quality of digital engagement in the sector. At Kingston we don’t yet pretend to be pioneers but we are striding keenly towards the frontier.

So, what have we discovered? Good content helps, obviously, but just as important is proper application. Social media is about conversation. Posting announcements is all well and good but if you’re not engaging in dialogue then you’ve missed the point.

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be the best - and prove it

It’s good to take time out to reflect, assess where you’re going and what you need to do next. LGcomms academy was the perfect opportunity for this – and what a treat it was.

by Kate Walker

Disclaimer: Much of the below is borrowed from the brilliant speakers and comms people I met in Manchester – with a personal slant.

As local gov communicators we’ve got a tough job battling conflicting messages promoting our location as THE place to live, work and play against the onslaught of messages around cuts and changes to services. Gloomy? Don’t be. Challenged, excited? Yes, you should be.

Attending #ComsAcad last week for the first time I left full of energy, affirmation and inspiration; as communicators we’re on the right track, we’ve just got to do more of the good stuff and prove to the world what we’re made of.

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66 nuggets I picked up at #ComsAcad

The World cup may have kicked off this week but all the talk in Manchester was about communications at the inaugural Public Sector Communications Academy.

by Darren Caveney

I’m a little biased, but I thought that this was the best Academy I’ve attended and the collaboration with central government added a welcome extra dot-joining and learning dimension.

For many communications pros it is becoming harder and harder to get to events like this one. But I believe that it’s never been more important to continue to learn, to expand and to share.

That’s what’s so great about Government Director of Communications, Alex Aiken’s drive to invest in government comms people and their development – it is setting a tone and direction which other parts of the public sector can point to in their own organisational fights for investment in up-skilling.

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the state of local government comms

Great work is being delivered, despite the huge challenges, but what is the state of local government comms in 2014?

by Dan Slee

Local government communications has always been a tricky gig but it's never been harder to deliver effectively than right now.

On the one hand there is £20 billion worth of cuts and on the other there is a need to explain the changes – and improvements – to residents.

We are staging a quick survey of local government comms people to find out more about the challenges they face.

We'll present the findings at the Public Sector Communications Academy taking place in Manchester from June 11 to 13.

So, if you work in the sector what are the challenges you face?

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are you a future leader?

LGcomms is on the lookout for the next generation of people who will be shaping the profession and leading public sector communications. Is it you?

by Eleri Roberts

Five years ago I thought being a Head of Communications wasn’t something for me. In fact, the idea was completely daunting. When the opportunity came for me to take on the role at the Council I was working for I was lucky enough to have a brilliant group of peers around me to provided support and advice as I took on the challenge.

Last year I was given the chance to get involved with the LGcomms Future Leaders programme which is designed exactly to help and support people in the situation I was in five years ago.

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are you a social media blocker?

Blockers, Every organisation has them. But in communications teams, really?

by GUEST EDITOR Emma Rodgers   

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the rather brilliant, interesting and super helpful LG Communications Social Media session, organised by Darren Caveney, that was  held at the  hugely creative Antennae Centre in Nottingham.

Billed as ‘Everything you wanted to know about social media but were too afraid to ask’, it combined an immense list of speakers including David Banks [Media Law Specialist], Dan Slee, Paul Taylor, Sarah Lay and Richard Clarke from O2 with an equally inspiring un-conference session led by the Wikipedia legend Andy Mabbett. 

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why trust is an asset organisations neglect at their peril

Just recently, one comms2point0 post asked us all to stop navel gazing and look to the stars instead. As part of this the writer  cautioned readers to be wary of any new 'trust' campaign and the Building Trust campaign in particular. One of the authors of that report now responds by arguing that trust is perhaps one of the most important assets we have got to get us to the stars.

by Neil Wholey

Steve Chu in his comms2point0 post here has set a challenge which I totally agree with that we must “make the case for communications to be at the centre of our organisations’ thinking”. One of Steve’s points is my number one priority to “show that communications can be a frontline resource, either by reducing the costs of service provision, improving frontline efficiency, or targeting declining resources more effectively... prove your £20,000 campaign has saved your organisation £1 million.”

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future leaders on tour

Future Leaders, now in its second year, is giving talented public sector comms people the chance to expand their leadership skills. In the days of zero training budgets this is a timely initiative by LGcomms.

by GUEST EDITOR Emma Rodgers

When was the last time you got time away from the office to think about how you spend your time at work, how effective your leadership style is and what to do to build your own personal credibility?

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lessons from the LGcomms Academy

Now that the dust has settled on a very successful LGcomms Academy in Cardiff it's a good time to reflect on the many lessons to spin out of a packed second day.

by Emma Rodgers

DAY 2 at the LGCommunications conference brought sunshine and even more quality speakers. Some attendees argued it was even better than day 1 and with a diverse agenda ranging from measles, moving to your next comms job to a slot from the top man in government communications Alex Aiken, it was a pretty good mix. 

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a brand new day

The LGcomms Academy is the premier event for local government comms folk. This thoughtful post aims to help to make it even better in 2014, and beyond.

by Eddie Coates-Madden

It's very bad manners to criticise people who invite you to their party, so I wish I'd been able to say some of this during the event, at the unconference group seeking feedback on the event, but I had to head for Hull, so I'll preface what I'm about to say with words of sincerely meant praise.

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