Tomorrow is the first day back to work after the Summer break here in the UK. Do you have the blues or are you raring to go?
Have you packed your work bag and lined up a stash of new stationery? Or has it been business as usual over the past couple of months and tomorrow is just another day?
There are just 18 weeks left of the year. Or to put it another way, 18 Mondays where you can vow to start the week afresh and aim to tick off the items that have been gathering dust on your to-do list all year.
If you want to know how I plan my time, check out my free daily planner and learn how to get more done in your day.
What’s outstanding for you in 2018?
Did you create an internal comms strategy at the start of this year? If so, I encourage you to revisit it this month. Businesses change, leaders change and our operating worlds change. Does your strategy still fit?
If you need a helping hand, see the internal comms guidelines on my blog to help you. Did you write a change comms strategy? Is it still relevant? Check out my change comms guidelines if you need help.
New job
If you’re looking for a new job, check out my Jobs Board to discover the latest vacancies.
Looking for a new IC pro to join your company? You can place an advert on my website for just £99 +VAT per week. New roles will be appearing over the next couple of weeks and you can see the latest vacancies via Twitter too @AllthingsICjobs.
Learn more about IC – for free
I have 1200+ articles on my blog to help you learn. If you’re new to my site, start with my Free Resources page. Want to know what other IC pros are doing? Check out my #ICVoices series of articles.
Learn more about IC – every month
Do you want to be kept updated with the latest internal comms news and views? I’d love you to join me at The Water Cooler each month. This is my free monthly newsletter and emails. Sign up today.
Learn more about IC – by investing in yourself
Want to invest in your own learning before the end of the year? Check out my range of Masterclasses. There are a handful of places left on my upcoming courses between now and the end of 2018. I’ll be announcing my 2019 dates soon.
My Masterclasses are face-to-face in London and are CPD accredited by CIPR and IoIC, which means you can earn points/hours while you learn. You can also save 20% if you’re a CIPR or IoIC member or non-profit organisation. See my Masterclasses page for full information.
What’s it like to attend one of my Masterclasses?
“Having been involved in internal communications for a number of years, I was worried that the Masterclass wouldn’t show me anything new… But I couldn’t have been more wrong! Even when we discussed concepts, methods or studies that I had heard of, either Rachel or the other delegates would share a view or tactic that was entirely new. Frankly I would encourage anyone who is starting out in internal communications, or those who feel they’re in a bit of an IC rut to give the IC Masterclass a go! It was both inspiring and informative thanks to a first class trainer who seems to have been everywhere and done everything in internal communications!” – Dean Woolf, Corporate Communications Manager, Moat.
“I really enjoyed the Strategic IC Masterclass; a perfect blend of learning points, refreshers and even reassurance that we’re on the right track, with superb teaching, discussion among peers and different perspectives. I feel re-energised and inspired to take our internal comms to the next level.” – Inês Osborne, Office for Nuclear Regulation.
Internal Comms training to choose from:
- 27 September 2018: Internal Communication Masterclass. Sold out.
- 3 October 2018: How to be a Comms Consultant – Exploration – Masterclass. Sold out.
- 11 October 2018: How to be a Comms Consultant – Momentum – Masterclass. Sold out.
- 18 October 2018: Strategic Internal Communication Masterclass.
- 8 November 2018: How to be a Comms Consultant – Exploration – Masterclass.
- 20 November 2018: How to be a Comms Consultant – Momentum – Masterclass.
- 22 November 2018: Change Communication Masterclass.
I also offer 1-2-1 VIP days and mentoring for professional communicators. I have one date left in December for a VIP Day, which is focused entirely on you. Contact me today if you’d like to book it.
I regularly work with Comms Directors 1-2-1 to help them to succeed. In 2018 I’ve had the pleasure of accompanying communicators remotely including supporting their first 90 days, listening to interview pitches and presentations and doing half day and whole day desk reviews of comms pros’ work.
I am a trusted adviser to trusted advisers, I can coach and support you to help you hit the ground running or help you transform the way you work. I’m fully booked for 2018, but do get in now if you’d like to work with me from January 2019 onwards.
Conferences and events in 2018:
If one of your resolutions in 2018 was to attend more networking events and conferences, there’s still time.
Choose from:
- 5 October:Intranet Now, the conference for intranet and comms people, London. The theme is: The employee experience throughout the digital workplace. Speaker pitches are now open.
- 9 -10 October: Public Sector Communications Academy, Birmingham – I’m speaking here.
- 3-5 November: Youpreneur Summit with Chris Ducker, London.
- 6-7 November: PR Week Strategic Internal Communication conference, London. Use the code ALLTHINGSIC at the checkout to save on tickets. See my recent blog post to learn more about the event.
- 12 November: smilelondon2018 from Simply-Communicate, London. Use the code AllthingsIC to save at the checkout.
See my All Things IC Events calendar to discover what’s on for the rest of 2018 and beyond.
Want to end the year as a Comms Consultant?
I’ve just returned back to the UK after nearly five weeks in France. When I launched All Things IC consultancy in 2013, I dreamt of creating a flexible working pattern that would enable me to be a mum to my baby daughter and establish a business that fulfilled my ambitions.
Fast forward five years and two more children, and I’ve finally achieved that vision. Downing tools, not being online and investing heavily in family time over the Summer was hugely restorative from a mental health and wellbeing perspective.
I absolutely love my job, it’s such a privilege to help communicators succeed. I thoroughly enjoy meeting with and talking to so many comms pros and helping them to boost their confidence and IC knowledge. However, creating the space to pause, reflect and dream has sparked a fresh wave of ideas for my business to benefit current and future clients.
My six-year-old daughter and three-year-old twin sons created lots of adventures for us in August. Having time away for the first time in three years also enabled me to draw a line under an incredibly stressful couple of years due to one of my son’s health issues.
I only worked for one day in August to fulfil a promise to a client, I split my time over a night and morning to maximise family time. Thank you to my wonderful Executive Assistant Louise for overseeing everything while I was away.
One of my 2018 ambitions was to investigate ways to maximise my time. Therefore, I made the decision earlier this year to change my working and childcare patterns to enable me to spend additional time with my twin sons in this their final year before starting school in 2019. So from this month, I’m not working on Fridays for the next year.
If you have been thinking about being a Comms Consultant this year, it’s not too late.
I launched two brand new Masterclasses recently to help you Explore the idea or build Momentum in your existing business. The first ones sold out within a few days, so I’ve added two fresh dates in November:
- 8 November 2018: How to be a Comms Consultant – Exploration – Masterclass.
- 20 November 2018: How to be a Comms Consultant – Momentum – Masterclass.
During my time in France I created time to work on, not in, my business. While exercising in the grounds of my mum-in-law’s house I spent time dreaming, visioning and plotting fresh ideas.
I have just signed off a physical product I created while I was away, I’ll be providing readers of my monthly newsletter, The Water Cooler, with the exclusive first look when it’s ready and will then be sharing it with my Masterclass attendees.
Update: This is now available – check out my brand new All Things IC workbook.
What’s on your to-do list for the remainder of 2018? As ever, you’re welcome to comment below or you can Tweet me @AllthingsIC or Instagram me @rachelallthingsic.
Thank you as ever for stopping by,
Rachel.
Post author: Rachel Miller.
First published on the All Things IC blog 2 September 2018.
