How can you keep up-to-date with comms news?

I regularly get asked by people in my network, clients and peers to share what I’ve been reading. I do so daily via Twitter @AllthingsIC and less frequently via LinkedIn and Google+.

I’ve lost count of the number of people who ask: “how can I keep up-to-date with the world of comms?’ or ‘I’ve got an interview coming up, is there something major I should know about?‘

The purpose of this article is to point you towards information to help you keep up-to-date with what’s happening in the world of comms and discover opportunities to learn more and meet new people.

Over the years I found myself repeating the same information regarding publications, websites, blogs etc, which led to the creation of my Rachel’s Resources page.

If you’re looking for a list of IC qualifications, courses, magazines, people to follow, books on internal comms or social media, plus presentations to read, it is the page for you. It’s intended to be a one-stop-shop where you can have a browse and pick and choose what’s right for you.

As with all my content on my blog, it’s absolutely free.

I update Rachel’s Resources constantly when I discover something new. Do please get in touch if you’re aware of something you think it would be good to include on that page (or if you spot a broken link).

Calendar

I also regularly keep my Comms Calendar updated – this is the place where I list awards, events, conferences and talks I hear about.

CommsCamp

Unfortunately I’m not able to make CommsCamp unconference on Monday in Birmingham, UK, but it looks set to be a corker. You can find out about it via their website and on Twitter @commscamp. The hashtag to keep an eye on is #commscamp14.

I’m a strong believer in sharing information to help communicators be the very best they can be, so with that in mind I have sponsored the live-stream. This means if you are unable to attend, you’ll be able to watch. I’ll share the link once it’s live on Monday.

Update: here’s the livestream link

However, if you’re curious, you can watch back last year’s Comms Camp to see what you missed. P.s. They have awesome cakes!

New to internal comms?

If you’re new to internal comms, welcome. Read my guide to starting out in internal comms, and my IC glossary will help you get to grips with some of the language associated with the profession.

My how to write an internal communication strategy is one of the most popular on my blog, it gets read by thousands of people each month.

This blog started in 2009, and over the years I’ve written 500+ articles and featured the thoughts of 100+ communicators. You can find some of their stories via my guest archive.

What have I been reading this week?…

Blogs

This week I’ve been reading all sorts including blogs from The IC Crowd members who came to #thebigyak on Saturday.

See The IC Crowd blog on Friday for an article collating all the links – or keep an eye on Twitter @theICcrowd.

If you’re looking for blogs to read, check out my blogroll.

Podcast

Yesterday I published the eighth show in my free monthly internal comms podcast series. This month I’ve featured comms pros who attended #thebigyak unconference, plus interviewed Beem’s Ciara O’Keeffe. There’s also an exclusive chance for you to win a conference ticket to attend we.CONECT in Berlin, Germany – see the show notes for full information about how to enter.

Listen here:

Sequel Group

I work closely alongside Sequel Group agency and this week was delighted to hear they have acquired video production experts Take 3.

They can now offer full video services with the addition of Take 3’s award-winning, leading-edge filming and editing skills.

The Take 3 team moved into Sequel’s headquarters in London on 1 July and the combined business has 40 employees and 60 clients. Congrats to everyone involved, I look forward to seeing what you produce to help communicators make the most of video in their organisations.

Home Retail Group’s digital workplace

Talking of videos, this one caught my eye this week. It was shared on Twitter by Marc Wright of Simply-Communicate, @simply_marc, and looks at what Home Retail Group (including Argos) are doing internally with their digital workplace.

I tweeted it and it generated some discussion on Twitter – mainly due to people asking what was in it for employees. I like the approach of using hard sell humour and thought I’d share it here to see what you make of it too. Could this style work for your employees?:

New report from Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

This week the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (@CIPD) published a brand new report. It looks at Putting Social Media to Work: Lessons from Employers.
It’s available as a free download via their website, with further case studies reserved for CIPD members only.

Having whizzed through it, it’s well worth a read and I’m planning to read through it in more detail over the next few days.

It identifies key business drivers – I’ve give you a taste of the report here, it’s well worth a read:

• Employee voice
  Social media in general is an open, discursive and dynamic channel that draws employees into discussions about their organisations, and gated enterprise social networks provide a safe place for such online conversations. Social media can facilitate ad hoc communications and collaboration, as well as ongoing initiatives such as employee representation structures.
• Corporate communications
  Because social media is a more engaging platform than more traditional communications tools such as static intranets, employers can use it to put out corporate messages, quickly gauge how these resonate and land with employees, and help ensure that those messages have been properly understood.
• Employee relations
  One particular way employers can use social media as a channel for employee voice and corporate communications is to get to the bottom of collective employment issues. By engaging with their workforces in open, two-way (or multi-directional) dialogue, they can demonstrate they are being reasonable and strengthen the relationship with their workforces.
• Shared purpose
  Enterprise social networks can be used to build shared purpose in an organisation by celebrating good work, reinforcing the organisation’s mission and values and helping people gain a better understanding of how their work fits in with those of colleagues.

Can you help Heather?

Finally, PR Academy’s Heather Yaxley @greenbanana, is undertaking some PhD research and is looking for PR pros to help her. Does this profile fit you? If so, do please get in touch with Heather. You can see full information via her website:

• 10-20 years’ career experience in public relations
• UK based (although may have international responsibilities or travel outside the UK for work)
• Not well known to Heather – to avoid any possible complications arising from existing personal or professional relationships
• Willing to undertake the research stages as detailed on her website.

If you meet the criterion, please get in touch by email: hyaxley@bournemouth.ac.uk, and she will provide further details, including a short profiling questionnaire.

Have you spotted something you think I’d be interested in reading? I’m always on the lookout for good ideas and fresh approaches. You can track me down via my contact page or comment below.

Rachel.