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As community engagement practitioners we sometimes find ourselves wedged in that ‘inform’ part of the IAP2 Spectrum where we’re tasked with delivering tough news to people with little scope for them to influence a project or decision that will affect their lives and/or livelihoods. While the given project or decision might benefit the broader community […]

From online dating to menus, spelling is one of the first things that you’ll be judged on by a prospective partner or stakeholder. And just like they’ll keep swiping if you are “luveing” life and enjoy a few “quite drinks”, so too will your stakeholders if your communication is punctuated by typos and spelling errors.

Writing in plain English doesn’t mean “dumbing things down” or patronising your audience. Plain English style is intentionally less complicated, minus all confusing technical jargon and replaces them with clear, concise words. Permitting the reader to understand the intent of the message and resonate with it the first time its read.   By using direct

In a world full of electronic communications, is there still a place for the good old-fashioned doorknock?  When it comes to community engagement, we know that there are a number of inexpensive methods we can use. We have social media, dedicated websites and QR codes linked to online surveys to name but a few.  We also

When illustrating the benefit of sustained stakeholder engagement, we sometimes talk about ‘occasional’ vs. ‘constant’ mates.  What does this mean? Somewhere in your inner circle of friends and family, there is probably someone who drifts in and out of your life, perhaps only showing up when they need something. You know – ‘Sorry we haven’t

We’ve all been there, typing away in our daily communications, questioning whether to let those letters soar high as capitals or keep them grounded as lower case. And let’s face it, we see people committing capital sins all the time…. From those who feel the need to put EVERY WORD IN CAPITAL LETTERS, to those

As long-standing community engagement professionals, we’ve noticed how some companies are better at working with communities than others. While some companies struggle to engage with affected stakeholders, some do well to find opportunities that really benefit a community.  Take this example: Around 15 years ago, a regional town of about 1500 suddenly became the focus

It’s always nice to receive positive feedback from the media and community about a project we’ve been working on. In our industry, it’s relatively rare for communication and engagement to be commended in this way. Arguably, communication and engagement are some of the most difficult parts of any project to get right. Stakeholders, especially community

At a wedding recently, I saw so many people having to introduce themselves to someone they realised they had met many times before. Was I one of these people?  Maybe. Do my family members have really bad memories?  Let’s not get into that now. Let’s just say that it got me thinking about how much

If you work remotely like we do here at Spectrum Comms, chances are you’ve got a favourite café you frequent from time to time for work purposes. Whether it’s to get some work done on the laptop for a few hours, or to meet with a colleague or client face-to-face, cafes are a great way