I describe my tactical communications practice as ‘enabling communications with meaning, purpose and soul’.

Occasionally, someone asks me to break this down for them. What, exactly, do I mean with these words?

Let’s go…

Enabling – this is a triple purpose word.

• Enabling communications – I enable communications to happen with planning, research, strategy, leadership and the fruits of over 20 years’ experience
• Enabling people – lifting up, elevating and enabling people through new information, skills or knowledge delivered in appropriate, accessible ways
• Enabling outcomes – creating clarity over what we’re trying to achieve and how communications feeds into that outcome, while building appropriate evaluation methods into the work so that we know what works.

Communications – Everything you do, say or show is a form of communication. Internal communications. External Communications. Advertising. Email marketing. Events. Reports. Press Releases. Social media updates. Recruitment advertising and candidate experience. Your website.I move across them all as needed to make sure that everything lines up and builds towards the outcome you need.

Meaning – this is a dual purpose word.

• What do your communications mean? Are the words in the right order? Are they accessible? Are they culturally competent? What about your images – what meaning are you making?
• What is the context of your communications? If strategy makes sense, your tactics make meaning. What do you communicate in choosing one channel, spokesperson, award sponsorship or event over another? Content without context is a waste of time, budget and energy.

Purpose – never, ever communicate without purpose (aka Shrieking Into The Void). Know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish with every action, and how it will be measured. Be purposeful and you stand the best chance to minimise wasted effort, clarify your messaging and make your meaning known. For your audience, it also means that you’re respecting their time, space and energy; no-one likes to have their time wasted.

Soul – this is you and your brand. The special zestiness that makes you, you. Bringing some soul to your communications work will make it sparkle and connect with the people you need it to. I’ve put soul into road safety, injected zing into regeneration projects and scattered sparkle over recruitment. What can we do, together?

Enabling communications with meaning, purpose and soul. It’s my touchpoint and inspiration. If it sounds good to you, let’s talk – I’d love to see where a conversation could take us.