Ready for your close-up?

I had my headshot re-done recently as mine was so old it looked like someone else.

It's always a bit weird, like a self-indulgent professional selfie. But it only took 5 minutes and was all over and done with for another couple of years. 

I'd put it out of my mind, but then I was on the tube this morn and saw an ad for a comedy show.

Poor comedians! There I was, massively overthinking the smiley/serious decision (with reference to feminism, professionalism, general style and more) but those guys have a real tough gig. 

How to demonstrate 'I'm a zany comedian' without veering into 'I'm crazy Linda from accounts and I wear comedy socks with my slacks' (sorry Linda) or just looking the full 'heeeeeeere's Johnny!'

The overall consensus seems to be a wry smile, hard stare or quirked eyebrow. I wonder if there's some kind of guide somewhere: if your comedy is surreal, go for the wide-eyed and surprised look, if you're more observational stand-up then it's the eyebrow (smile for women). 

Anyway, I have never been gladder that the threatened trend of photos on cvs never took off! 

Working 9 to 5 (or not)

Interested to read this report on family friendly working practices, from Mumsnet, yesterday. As you might expect, the more senior you are the more flexibility you can expect. Less obvious was the finding that there is a point above which you're effectively too senior to be set free. The public sector scores well for offering flexibility, but less well for a culture that supports people taking advantage of said flexibility. 

As with many reports like this, you could say it's been issued from the department of no shit, Sherlock, but I think it's really helpful to have a bit of evidence rather than basing policy and decisions on 'common knowledge' or anecdata.

It's the end of my fourth week back and this very topic has been on my mind. I'm using a bit of annual leave to work a shorter week while I reintegrate into the workforce. I was worried I'd simply end up working on my leave days, and of course leading a 24 hour press office means you're never really off duty anyway. The reality has been that I've replied to the odd email, as many of us do over a weekend anyway, and I am happy to do that. But I'm not sure I could make it work long term.

I'm lucky now, in that I have a job I love and childcare that I'm happy with; I have flexibility with start and finish times, and some ability to work from home. My other half also has enough flexibility that we can manage the pickup/dropoff/sickness fun and games between us.

If I pushed it, I'm pretty sure I could get the agreement to job share or compress hours. But I am consciously choosing not to drop any days because I want to progress in my career - and that feels a bit shit on two fronts. 

Firstly, that in 2017, your ability to work a regular pattern can still affect your career development. And secondly, I do know that change is bedded in by ordinary people taking the plunge and making it easier for others to follow - but selfishly I'm not volunteering.

I'd love to see some case studies of men and women who are working flexibly at a higher level, showing how it works for them and for their employers. Because I genuinely believe it is of benefit to everyone, not just parents. 

Back in the saddle

In November last year I said goodbye to the office for nearly 10 months - which seemed like a lifetime. I left a detailed handover for my excellent mat cover colleague, and waddled into the sunset.

Before

After

This wasn't my first experience of a prolonged absence, as it was the second child. So I knew that time would stretch infinitely until half way through when it would flash by. And I remember the utter discombobulation of coming back into a professional environment where you get to use your brain for more than 35 seconds at a time.

It has still come as a shock that I'm only four weeks away from my return. I've been attending the odd management meeting and keeping a (very remote) eye on emails for a few weeks now, hoping to lessen the impact. Keeping in touch (KIT) days have helped, though you have to be careful not to get in the way of the actual head of comms, nor to give people the impression that you're fully back. 

In the next couple of weeks I'll be back in the office for a social visit and then for an off-site catch up with the interim head of comms. Then, I'll blink and it'll be D Day. So if anyone has any great tips on ways to prepare for the big return, I'd love to hear about them. 

Like last time, I am looking forward to being back in a busy office with great colleagues, diving headlong into challenges both familiar and new. I'm once again a bit nervous about handing a pre-verbal child over to a nursery - despite the fact my oldest loves it there and they've been great. 

One key thing I remember from last time is that in the rush to get back and up to speed, I mustn't forget that work/life balance is about more than making sure I get to do bedtime stories often enough. I'll be planning in stuff for me too - making time to exercise and get a bit of downtime (OK, to do some guided meditation, so you know I'm a secret hippy now!). I'm doing a reading challenge and hope to maintain the book-a-week rate - luckily am a speedy reader! I've learned the hard way that I can only give the best of me, at work and at home, if I'm not totally burnt out. 

Only time will tell if this positive attitude holds in the face of 24 hour press office duties and two children that enjoy 3am chats about life/scream sessions....

Pitch perfect

"Did you get my email? Are you going to run my story on a new product to revolutionise dishwashing?"

Ah the phone call every journalist loves to get, especially 30 seconds before deadline. Whenever I get together with friends and relatives working on the other side of the fence, it's the big moan about 'clueless' PRs.

Equally, I've worked with a lot of young'uns starting out who can't understand why journalists are so rude to them on the phone - seemingly without much provocation. Or even politely uninterested in something they think should be thrilling news.

I've given a version of this advice to a few people over time, so here it is in handy checklist form (and then a top tip at the end that pretty much sums it all up). Yes it is basic but it comes up a lot!

• Are you clear what the story is?
  Obvious right? Not really. Don't be the person who just wants to chat about a 'really important issue'. Have a snappy summary prepared; consider it the verbal equivalent of your headline.
  
• Is this the right media outlet?
  It's so easy to just go for the outlet you're most familiar with, but is it being seen or heard by the people you need to reach? Have you seen similar stories used by this outlet - for example, no point pitching a lifestyle feature type story to a daily newspaper newsdesk.
  
• Are you calling the right person?
  Don't pitch your survey on travel habits to the political reporter. The managing editor doesn't care about your slebs-wrestling-in-jelly stunt. Beware of media databases that will throw up inappropriate stuff like this fairly often.
  
• Are you calling at the right time?
  If the outlet is monthly, daily, fortnightly, weekly, or hourly - there will be deadlines. Don't call right on them unless you are 100% certain the person will want you to (so you will probably already have a relationship with them and won't be reading this advice). Never ring a radio news team on the hour. Equally, 4pm on a Friday is dead time in many offices.

I think the most critical thing though, the one that ought to be drummed into students on every PR/comms/whatever entry course, should be: read the flipping papers, kids. Listen to the radio, go further afield than Twitter on the interweb. When you are on Twitter, follow journalists in your areas of interest and work out what makes them go eye-twitchy with rage or prick up ears in interest.

Any other useful things to remember for getting started with pitching stories?

Back again... and thinking about how it all began

Had a busy few months since the last post - mostly to do with having a baby. Surprising how much time they eat up.

While I was recovering (c-section), I had a call from a student at my old uni as part of a fundraising drive. She was an English student, and at that magical and terrifying stage where you have to start thinking about what to do with your life next.

We had a good old chat about my job now, and of course I recommended going into comms as a career. I must have sold it better than I thought as she actually took me up on my offer of a follow-up chat, and we had a bit of an email exchange about getting started.

Like many of us, I didn't do any useful training or actively seek out comms as a career initially. I'd fulfilled a lifelong dream to become a journalist and then realised over 2 years of council meetings, inquests and typing up the pigeon racing results that it possibly wasn't going to be my dream career. I applied to a council press office on the basis that it seemed a good match for my skills, and hit the jackpot with a great job and a team that didn't mind helping a newbie develop while tactfully correcting some of the mistaken impressions I'd formed of the profession.

I suggested starting with some of the brilliant resources out there (that's you, comms2point0, PRCA and CIPR) and following @commschat on Twitter.

However my big recommendation was to get some work experience in journalism, if it's still possible these days.

I have hired a load of bright young'uns over the last few years, with loads of brilliant ideas and skills in new media that I can only dream of, but one thing that's always on my wishlist is a bit of media experience. No matter how snazzy your social media content, it's actual print, broadcast and reputable web coverage that counts when you're trying to reach a wider audience.

Journalists are massively under pressure these days and understanding what they want and why they don't have twenty minutes to talk to you about your almost-news story on Budget day is critical for the in-house communicator.

What else would you recommend for someone wanting to get started in comms? Do you think some journalism experience is a must, or am I biased because that's what I did?

The life changing magic of being organised

It may not help me blog more often, but I think I have finally discovered organisational nirvana.

Back in April I was busy procrastinating on the internet and read about something called a bullet journal. Essentially, it takes something I do anyway (make many, many lists) but somehow transforms it into a forget-nothing system.

The real test of any new system is whether I stick with it, though. Here we are in October and it is still going strong.

So what's the deal? First off, here's the official website which explains things from first principles very simply (and sells a Bullet Journal if you're not the kind of stationery hoarder that has about 20 to hand anyway).

The principle is called 'rapid logging' and the beauty is that it works differently for everyone. Where it differs from your common or garden book of lists, is that you create an index at the front.

Once you've left a couple of pages for the index, you just dive right in. Number your pages and write a topic at the top of the page. Mostly my 'topic' is the date. Then, as I think of stuff, I scribble it in - mostly to-do items, but occasionally notes about stuff, such as who I spoke to when I called the bank.

Now, when I am right on deadline with a press notice but am struck with inspiration about what to cook for dinner, I can scribble it down and crack on with what I'm doing. Or someone rings and asks me to send them something, but I'm in the middle of something else, I make a note and actually remember to do it later.

The next day I just start again, underneath the previous day. In the index, this page is just called 'dailies'.

If I realise I need to do a list, or take some notes, I turn to the next blank page, stick the topic at the top, and scribble away. Log it in the index, and then continue using the daily pages as usual.

At the start of every month I create a monthly page - on one side, I list out the dates/days and key things happening like trips away or annual leave. On the other, I do a mega task list with all the things that didn't get completed the month before. Yes, it's a bit of duplication but in the act of writing it out again you are forced to decide whether it's worth it - I had a task that I copied forward 4 times before realising it just wasn't ever going to be a priority. Crossed it out - instant relief!

Some of the lists are things that will get reused a lot, such as the list of birthdays. This one is great - at the start of every month, I can check the list and buy the cards/presents needed.

Packing lists help - every time we go away, I make a list over the week or so beforehand and when it comes to the actual stressful last-minute packing, I can check off the list and feel a bit calmer.

So, that's a really quick overview of the way I've been using bullet journalling. No wasted space, no drawing out diary pages that won't get used - simple, functional, planning.

I think of it as spring cleaning for my brain. Now I'm in the habit of using the book as the control centre for my life, I don't have that constant nagging feeling of not having done something important.

At this stage, if you're still reading and keen to know more, there are loads of articles on hacks, tips, designs and so on. Some people make their journals absolute works of art. Mine is pretty basic looking - but it works!

Might even share some pics if I can work out how to blur the sensitive entries...

Roses are red...

Roses are red

Violets are blue

It's Bad Poetry Day

So this one's for you.

Today is Bad Poetry Day and we'll undoubtedly be tweeting lots of terrible rhymes linked to our work for transport users over at @transportfocus.

I love a good old 'day of', the more leftfield the better. And speaking of leftfield, it was National Left-handers' Day at the weekend. Sadly nobody thought to mark it by sending me specialised tin openers or scissors but a girl can dream.

For an organisation that produces a lot of stats-based output, linking it (however tenuously) to a 'day of' on social media can liven things up. While this isn't exactly groundbreaking PR tactics here, it's one of those things you do once in a while and wish you remembered to do more often - especially when you miss a good one.

So here are my most-used links - one for fun and the others a bit more serious. Does anyone else have a great source?

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/
http://www.un.org/en/sections/observances/international-days/
http://www.un.org/en/sections/observances/international-weeks/index.html