CIPR Engage Podcast

Cleaning up toxic information: The fight against climate change disinformation

2022 has been a record-breaking year for weather-related events. China recorded its highest temperatures and driest summer in 60 years. A third of Pakistan is currently underwater due to severe flooding and temperatures in the UK reached 40 degrees Celsius.

Hosted by Shayoni Lynn, CEO and founder of Lynn, this latest episode of Engage, explores the differences between mis and disinformation, particularly around the future of our planet, as well as how information pollution creates inaction and how conspiracy theorists are stirring up the culture wars around climate change. Featuring panellists:

• David Gallagher, Communications expert and founder of DG Advisory
• Stefan Rollnick, Head of Lynn’s Misinformation Cell
• Rebecca Zeitlin, Marketing Director at Levidian

CIPR members can log 5 CPD points for listening to this podcast.

Additional resources and Ffurther information as mentioned in this podcast:

• Clean Creatives
• Drilled – a true-crime podcast on climate change
• Book your place on CIPR’s virtual course about Disinformation, Misinformation & Malinformation
• Communicating in a Crisis guide features case studies on how PR has been used to fight misinformation

The current state of public affairs

Research has found that public trust in Government and in elected politicians is at an all-time low in England right now. With a number of scandals over the past few years in politics, it is more crucial than ever that public affairs professionals show that they are being ethical and transparent and are working to support the UK’s democratic policy-making process.

Hosted by Max Sugarman, CIPR Public Affairs Group chair, this episode explores the current state of lobbying and the public affairs industry, as well as advice on how practitioners can be more transparent and open – demonstrating best practice in any future public affairs activity. Featuring panellists:

 

• Andy Sawford, former MP, representing Corby and now managing partner and co-owner of the Connect Group
• Peter Geoghegan, editor-in-chief at the award-winning news website openDemocracy and author of Sunday Times best-selling Democracy for Sale
• Rachael Clamp, Rachael is founder and director of Ardesey Ltd, a communications and engagement consultancy

 

Further resources (as mentioned in the episode):

00:07 (and mentioned again at 25:40) - Carnegie UK, GDWe: A spotlight on democratic wellbeing research: https://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/publications/gdwe-a-spotlight-on-democratic-wellbeing/

 

04:09 - The CIPR recently relaunched its UK Lobbying Register, the only free and universal register for public affairs professionals: https://newsroom.cipr.co.uk/cipr-relaunch-free-and-universal-lobbying-register/

 

05:58 - Government’s Register of Consultant Lobbying (ORCL): https://registrarofconsultantlobbyists.org.uk/ 

 

08:27 - Greensil lobbying scandal exposed by the Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/6ed619c0-bb9a-44dc-a2f6-c5596a958ca8

 

CIPR position on David Cameron’s lobbying activity: https://newsroom.cipr.co.uk/cipr-urges-investigation-into-cameron-lobbying-activity-to-include-review-into-regulations/ 

 

21:55 - EU transparency register: https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/homePage.do 

 

25:59 - Report from the new Centre for the Future of Democracy at the University of Cambridge, Global Satisfaction with Democracy: https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/dissatisfactiondemocracy 

 

Additional information:

Public Affairs (specialist) diploma: https://cipr.co.uk/CIPR/Learn_Develop/Qualifications/Specialist_Diploma__Public_Affairs.aspx 

 

CIPR Code of Conduct: https://cipr.co.uk/CIPR/About_Us/Governance_/CIPR_Code_of_Conduct.aspx 

Accessible Communications

One billion people, or 15% of the world's population, experience some form of disability with the World Health Organisation estimating that two billion people will need at least one assistive communication, memory, or hearing aid in the next 10 years.  

In this episode, host Zach Cutler, CEO of Propel, and guests explore the role PR and comms practitioners can play in helping businesses and organisations better understand, and think differently about, accessibility and standards.  

Sharing their own lived experience, as well as tips on how to enhance practices and knowledge around accessibility, Zach is joined by Sarah Brown-Fraser, marketing and communications manager at Activity Alliance, Rachel Miller, founder of All Things IC and Jarrod Williams, communications manager at Bromford. 

 

For more information:

• Watch the CIPR’s accessible digital communications webinar
• As mentioned by Jarrod, you can join the Accessible Social Facebook group
• As mentioned by Rachel, upskill yourself or your teams with Communication Access UK training
• View the Government Communications Service accessibility guidance on planning, creating and publishing accessible social media campaigns

Don’t forget you can log 5 CPD points for listening to this podcast.

Strategic communicators

The entire world has been changed by the Coronavirus pandemic and as communicators, we've seen boards come forward and ask for interventions and advice in ways that have never happened before.

 

Whilst there’s been a lot of work undertaken both by the Chartered Institute Public Relations and by other professional bodies to ensure that communications is seen as a strategic management discipline; now more than ever, we have an opportunity to ensure that the professionalism of communications is understood as a vital part of the success for all organisations, large, small, independently owned, nationally operated, government, private, public, and everything in between.

 

In this episode, host Sarah Pinch and guests Alex Aiken, Executive Director for Government Communications and James Powell, Head of Group Communications at Irwin Mitchell explore what it means to be a strategic communicator, to be a professional, and how communicators are elevating and repositioning themselves.

 

For more information:

- OASIS model: https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/guidance/marketing/delivering-government-campaigns/guide-to-campaign-planning-oasis/

- Getting Chartered: https://cipr.co.uk/CIPR/Learn_Develop/Chartership_.aspx

 

Don’t forget you can log 5 CPD points for listening to this podcast.

Inspiring social purpose

Social purpose is continuing to capture the attention of the C-suite and boardrooms but what exactly is it and what role can PR and comms teams play in supporting their clients and organisations to be more purposeful?

In this episode, host Andy Green FCIPR and guests Shannon Walker founder of Social Disruption, Matt Appleby director at Grow Social Capital and Ben Caspersz founder and managing director at Claremont, explore the misconceptions around social purpose and why in a post-pandemic world, purpose has emerged as an even stronger imperative.

For more information about social purpose see the latest CIPR resources:

• Introduction to social capital comms
• Managing purpose social purpose

 Don’t forget you can log 5CPD points for listening to this podcast.

 

Hybrid Working

The pandemic has provided an opportunity to explore how we can work differently. The post-COVID world is a very different landscape for a lot of businesses, with many proposing to adopt a hybrid working model, as opposed to go back to the office full time.

Guests Sofia Cann, Martin Flegg and Kate Shaw share their views and experience with our host, Jenni Field. They explore the opportunities and benefits for PR and comms practitioners of implementing a flexible hybrid working approach. 

Building resilience

2021 may not have got off with the start we’d all hoped for, making navigating the ongoing COVID-19 crisis even more challenging for self-employed practitioners and teams.

 

For this quarter’s episode, guests Amanda Coleman, Rebecca Mander and Sharon Flaherty will be sharing their first-hand experiences with host Dan Jones to provide practical tips and takeaways for building resilience and accessing support in today’s tough climate.

 

To read the articles referenced in the podcast, see below:

 

Sharon - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/behind-closed-doors-sharon-flaherty/

 

Amanda - https://amandacomms1.wordpress.com/2021/01/05/a-little-kindness/

 

Rebecca - https://www.guruyoucoach.com/your-pal-for-life/

 

For further support, visit: https://cipr.co.uk/mentalhealthhotline

Doing diversity differently

Diversity is about far more than just ticking boxes and as the recently published CIPR State of the Profession report shows, there is still much more for the sector to do to better reflect the society that it communicates with.

This debate will highlight the findings from the report, why the PR industry is still struggling to attract diverse talent and what organisations should consider when shaping their diversity inclusion programmes and policies.