Writing in a world of wonky comms

June 19th, 2016

a-writing-masterclass-with-a-difference_2In a world of wonky comms, do internal communicators still need writing skills?

Absolutely. I know how to bake a cake, but I’m still going to turn to an expert to create something beyond the basics. And the same can be said for writing.

The dawn of platforms such as Yammer and Jive have given employees a voice, and internal comms a much needed injection of authenticity. It has seen our role evolve to be more of a curator than a creator of content. However, when the Queen needed a cake baking for her 90th birthday celebrations, she didn’t ask just anyone to throw some ingredients into a bowl, she went to the winner of the Great British Bake Off. 

And in the business world, that’s where we come in. As internal communicators, we need to be seen as capable and credible writers that can support people and give them confidence in their own writing abilities. But we also need to understand that certain messages need to be written by us. For example, a redundancy announcement needs to be written in a way that conveys all the key messages simply and clearly, while being sensitive to the extremely emotive subject matter. And that takes skill.

For many of us, internal communications is a profession we’ve fallen in to, in one way or another, and it’s not uncommon for us to lack confidence in our own writing. That’s why I’m really excited to be delivering an All Things IC Masterclass on writing skills.

It’s an opportunity for internal comms professionals to share knowledge and experience with each other, while learning writing skills and techniques that will help them in their day to day job. Whether you’re new to the industry, or just looking to brush up on your writing technique, you can do that in a supportive environment of like-minded professionals. The great thing about writing is that it’s creative and everyone does it slightly differently, so this masterclass isn’t about perfection, or right and wrong, it’s about giving you confidence in your own abilities and writing style, and knowing when to adapt it for certain situations.

The Writing Masterclass will be held on 22 February 2017 at Wallacespace in Covent Garden. To find out more, and to book your place, visit the All Things IC Masterclasses website. I look forward to seeing some of you there.

 

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“Helen’s passion for her profession shines through very clearly and she manages to combine her deep knowledge of internal communications with a mix of pragmatism and fresh thinking. She is a delight to work with and has a high level of integrity.”

Richard Fitzmaurice, TMF Group