What’s the best gift Comms pros could receive this Christmas? I posed that question to clients and professional communicators in my network and am going to reveal what they said.
More time and budget topped the list, featuring in many of their answers. What would you say? Do Tweet me @AllthingsIC or comment below to join the conversation.
You’ll also find some Secret Santa gift ideas at the end of this post in case that’s what you were hoping to find in here. Enjoy!
The question I asked was:
What’s the best gift comms pros could receive this Christmas?
“More budget…and if it that was out of the question I’d be quite happy with awesome stationery and more time!” – Kim England, Global Community Director, @miss_england_19.
“A little bit more budget please Santa!” – Martin Flegg, Internal and Change Communications Specialist @martinflegg.
“Time” – Julia Sloan, Head of Comms & Engagement for Culture, Diversity and Inclusion, @julessloan
“More time!” – Marsha van Moorsel, Internal Comms Consultant, @mvm94
“The gift of time!” – David Manning, Internal Communications & Employee Engagement Lead @aDavid_Manning.
“A rest – quiet client social media channels would be lovely. There’s a real pressure for PR pros to be ‘always on’ and available 24/7. It would give me the space I normally struggle to make time for to work on my business and plan for 2018.” – Anne-Marie Lacey, Managing Director, @AM_LaceyPR
“A magic time tree so we could grow more of it.” – Hayley James, Head of Internal Communications, @haylo_pr
“The ability to stop time (so we can plan, plan, plan ahead)” – Adrian Stirrup, Internal Communications Officer, @adrianstirrup.
“A Tardis” – Ray Harrison, Intranet Specialist, @rrfh.
“A 2018 comms calendar full of important dates for the comms diary, hints, tips and daily inspiration.” – Andy Johnson, Engagement Specialist, @AndyNJohnson.
“An intranet platform that people love and use! (or a subscription to something useful for the following year).” – Katy Hetherington, Internal Communications Manager, @LadyWriterSWE.
“Usually I’d say a blank cheque book! But I think some kind of hypnotic furby for the more difficult stakeholder for influencing purposes!” – Catherine Bissell, Internal Communications & Engagement Consultant, @catbissell
“A membership to CIPR or else some kikki-k stationery.” – Jan Fitzgerald, Group Comms Manager @commsjanfitz.
“A cloning machine.” – Ross Tarbard, Senior Internal Communications Officer, @rosstarbard.
Recognition and evaluation
“A public acknowledgement within their companies.” – Simon Rutter, @southendscribe.
“Stakeholders who respect what we do and our expertise!” – Kate Shaw, Senior Internal Comms Manager, @kes1981.
“Some recognition. We often say we are the unsung heroes but there are times when you just need someone (apart from your boss) to say you’re doing a great job. I don’t think Comms pros expect bells and whistles, but I’ve spoken to many who are in the same boat. It would be nice, if this Christmas, we were appreciated for the work we do.” – Advita Patel, B2B Communications Manager, @Advita_p
“A month to shadow the C-suite. We help leaders to shape the right outcomes for employees, customers, and other stakeholders. By being even closer to the C-suite, we can see first-hand what matters most and then deliver more insight-based communication results.” – Ejaz Khan, Communications Consultant, @ejazwrites
“Other than some much-needed time off work free (!), I’d have to say better evaluation toolkits – something I’ll be focusing on in 2018.” – Jo Hooper, Head of Corporate Communications, @JoHoops.
Thank you all for your contributions. What do you think is the best gift Comms pros could receive this Christmas? Do comment below or Tweet me @AllthingsIC to join the conversation.
Secret Santa and gift ideas for Comms pros
As promised, here’s my top 10 gift ideas for Secret Santa. Some are quirky, like the mugs, whereas some have been designed to support colleagues who are having a tough time (Buddy Box).
Clients and friends will not be surprised to see the gorgeous penguin and elf on my list. They are being sold by Great Ormond Street Hospital here in London, who are continuing to care for one of my two-year-old twin sons.
Please consider helping fund their amazing work, which is helping families like mine. My GOSH fundraising page is also still open, my thanks to everyone who has helped me support them this year.
Here are some ideas:
- Comms Christmas cards, £3, by Helen Reynolds.
- 500 Words You Should Know, by Caroline Taggart – I have this book and find it fascinating.
- Pastel highlighters – I bought these a few months back to help me in my CIPR Chartered PR preparation.
- Buddy Box from The Blurt Foundation – buy as one-off or subscription.
- Kate Spade ‘Stop and Smell the Roses‘ bracelet, approx £28. I bought this in 2017 for friends (and myself) to remind us to slow down.
- Penguin and elf (sold separately) from Great Ormond Street Hospital.
- Grammar mug and spreadsheets mug – because you can never have enough mugs.
- Elements of IC – grab this excellent PDF download from Alive With Ideas – it’s free!
- Powerbank – so you can carrying on Tweeting from conferences and charge your devices.
What’s on your list? Do let me know any bright ideas for Secret Santa suggestions for Comms pros.
Update: I’ve just published a list of 31 recommended books to learn about communication, PR, social media and personal branding.
All Things IC notebooks
I’ve just started selling my very own All Things IC notebooks. I had them made earlier this year and if you’ve spotted me at conferences or in Masterclasses, you’ll have seen me using one.
Due to feedback from my readers, I’ve ordered another batch and they are now available to purchase. If they are showing out of stock, do check back as I’m receiving constant orders.
Thank you for stopping by, I hope you have a good week. I’m due to be at various conferences, do say hello if you see me. I’m also holding my latest Internal Communication Masterclass and am looking forward to the conversations.
If you really want to treat your colleague or team member, do consider signing them up for one of my All Things IC Masterclasses. These are face-to-face sessions with me in London to boost your skills, confidence and network. You can join one of my public courses, ask me to create a bespoke one or have 1-2-1 coaching with me.
See my Masterclasses page for full information and to save your place.
Rachel.
Post author: Rachel Miller.
First published on the All Things IC blog 19 November 2017. Updated 2018.
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