Distinctive Dispatch #17: If trust matters to you, try these things
Thoughts on building trust; collaborating to create Bristol’s inclusive economy; how PR supports great developments; working better, for longer; make everyone in your team a storyteller.
Better comms for people, places and work
This edition lands amidst a ‘back to school’ feel for many of us. It’s felt like an eventful summer. Since our last Dispatch, a Labour government with a huge majority dominates the political landscape with ministers keen to instil a sense of change. That term means different things to all of us. Whatever the narrative, some things seem to move on just as they did before. How we respond to this dynamic is at the front of our thoughts. We hope you had a good summer and find this latest (and quite packed) newsletter useful. Get ready for a busy few weeks.
Thoughts on building (and maintaining) trust
Trust, transparency and public candour only truly hit the public sphere when they aren’t there.
People tend not to recognise the importance of these factors when they work well (why would you?). But their absence is glaringly noticeable in some troubling cases.
From the scathing Grenfell Tower Inquiry report, to billionaire publishers stoking community tensions by spreading disinformation, we see a litany of governance failings which serve to obfuscate and mislead.
The absence of critical thinking and challenge within organisations is highlighted as a point of failure in these cases. It’s not always clear what role comms teams have in such cases beyond advising on messaging, ‘framing’ and media handling. But communicators and leaders have critical roles in ensuring information they share is accurate.
As technology apparently connects us, it’s also concerning to witness organisations become more distant from the customers and communities they often say it’s their ‘mission’ to serve. The AI-driven dash to automate communications and roll out terrible apps could alienate people if done without thought for them.
Trust matters, wherever you are and whatever sector you work in. But what can you do to protect it? For us, it starts with being ethical and clear at all times and working with clients and partners who share our values.
Here are five things organisations can do to maintain trust in their work.
Five tips for building trust
#1 Engage openly and honestly: This steps beyond the importance of clarity (which is a given for us). In our experience, people want genuine, authentic communications, even if they don’t agree with you. Going into a conversation with ‘lines to take’ and determination to ‘sell a concept’ can be a real turn-off. Yes, consistency matters. But don’t be a robot.
#2 Focus on relationships: We heard in our webinar with Bristol councillor Andrew Brown (see below) how partnership working and collaboration are key to helping him achieve his ambition for a thriving city with an inclusive economy. The milestone-led nature of communications sometimes overlooks this point. But building long-term, lasting relationships will benefit an organisation long after a milestone passes. Chatbots can’t help with this. Prioritise human relationships and work with your colleagues to maintain them.
#3 Be human: Communicating with people in a way that works for them is self-evidently important. Drop the jargon. Go where they are, not where you want them to be. Share information that speaks to their concerns and motivations. This helps build rapport and mutual respect.
#4 Listen to understand (not just to respond): All good communications is two-way. Take time to listen to people to understand their point of view before responding. And if you’re asking people to fill out a form rather than answering the phone, not responding to that query could be more costly than any spreadsheet will account for.
#5 Be credible (aka: don’t duck and dive): While it always helps to do what you say you’ll do, when you said you’ll do it, it’s also true that mistakes happen and things sometimes slip. When this occurs, radio silence only worsens things. Own the issue. Say how you’ll put things right, and by when. Spinning your way out of it won’t work in the long run.
Be the change you want to see
Will this advice work in every case? I won’t ask you to ‘trust me’ on this. But we shouldn’t be in any doubt that organisations who are cavalier on these points and see reputation purely through the lens of the next media headline take a big risk.
The future belongs to those who care about this and are ready to embrace it, even when it hurts.
Why collaboration matters in Bristol – a Distinctive discussion with Cllr Andrew Brown
We were delighted to have the chair of Bristol City Council’s economy and skills committee Andrew Brown join our latest webinar on 4 September.
Andrew’s responsibilities as one of eight policy committee chairs span a long list, including strategic planning, economic strategy, skills and apprenticeships, several major developments and the Harbour.
The session touched on these aspects, with great questions from attendees. It also highlighted the importance of collaboration if Bristol is to build on its undoubted success and tackle long-running challenges. Thanks to Andrew for joining us and to everyone who took part and asked questions.
You can catch the webinar and read our write-up here.
Things we’ve seen
‘Mark and Spencer’ ambassador campaign sparks host of high street copycats: In the summer, Marks and Spencer announced its new ambassadors, Mark (Wright) and Spencer (Matthews), both of reality TV fame. Not to be outdone, a handful of other high street brands joined in the fun but found people in their existing teams to be the face of their campaigns. Through clever Reels and TikToks, Matalan introduced employees Mat and Alan, John Lewis had a comparatively easy job to jump on the trend, Primark found Pri and Mark and brought them together… you get the picture. A great example of reactive marketing and it all had a sense of playful camaraderie about it too. Did you spot any brands joining the trend that we’ve not mentioned?
Things we’ve read
The New Urban Crisis – Richard Florida: Two decades after Richard Florida advised cities on how to attract a well-paid ‘creative class’ to tackle economic decline, a new crisis is taking hold. His follow up, published in 2017, examines how the success of ‘mega cities’ is deepening inequality, fuelling unaffordable housing and pushing lower income residents to the margins. It’s a familiar tale, analysed in detail by someone who understands the data. Florida calls for policies to make cities more inclusive. Affordable housing, transport, infrastructure and well-paid jobs feature in his optimistic 10-point plan to tackle the crisis of our cities.
Health, hope and prosperity: a vision for healthy new towns: The TCPA’s paper outlines a vision for developing new towns that prioritise health, sustainability, and community well-being. It explores the relationship between the Garden City vision it has long championed and the post-war New Towns, advocating a holistic approach to community planning. As the new government pushes forward with a raft of new towns across England, this is a timely intervention.
Fire, ready, aim - Patrick Sharbaugh: Anyone considering bringing AI into their organisations should read critiques like this. It’s a scatching post on the design failings of many applications that blatantly neglect their publics.
Things we’ve heard
What rising life expectancy means for businesses and individuals: Have you ever really thought about how you’re aging (other than the panic / dread / fear that comes with each birthday)? Leadership Lessons by Management Today interviews Andrew Scott, of London Business School about the concept of a longevity society and how - as we statistically live longer than generations before - we can live healthy, productive and engaged lives. The episode covers what this means for the workforce, including how multi-stage careers need to become the norm, as well as how we can live more productive longer lives. As Andrew says, “make a friend of your future self” – and start by giving this a listen.
‘Power hours’ - how to make the most of your working day: Daily ups and downs in energy and productivity are a fact of life, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work around them. On this episode of Working It by the FT, host Isabel Berwick speaks to Daniel H Pink, bestselling author who covers topics including business, work, creativity, and behaviour. He shares tips for planning your day around your peak, trough and recovery periods, and how managers can support teams in using their natural productivity rhythms.
Things we’ve said
Making mixed-use developments happen - PR’s role in building success: The UK has more than 5,000 mixed-use developments and the trend looks to be on the rise. Understanding and reaching the different audiences these developments serve requires a human PR approach. This post explains how clear, connected and open communications can support your development and PR’s role in building success.
Talking PR - insights from The Konkering Pod: PR people have a problem when it comes to explaining what we do. Ben recently addressed this in The Konkering Pod, a series designed to share business advice, lessons and successes, produced by the team at Konker. In the episode, he talks to hosts Jevon and Maddi about our offer to clients, the importance of identifying audiences and how to create a strategy in seven steps.
Unlocking hidden stories - why storytelling should be part of everyone’s role: Whether your comms team is large, or you have a single specialist, organisations should never isolate communications to people with PR or marketing in their job title. Every member of your team has the insight and experience to offer truly authentic stories about your projects, business and the people you support. We shared some tips on how you can make every employee a communications champion.
Photo in header by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
Look out for our next update on 4 October. We hope you found this useful. If you’d like to share or discuss anything before the next edition, please leave a comment or get in touch.