Category: campaigning

• The power of optimism

  “What matters most is that we learn from living.” (Doris Lessing) Have you noticed how much easier life is when you’re optimistic? That dark cloud lifts. The birds start singing. Fell into one of those sinking “Is it worth it?” moments mid-week about a new campaign group I’d recently set up. Challenges seemed to be…

  Sofija Opacic

  May 5, 2015

  campaigning, optimism, positivity, public affairs

• How issues framing can help you deliver a sticky message

  “The literature of social movements suggests that the prudent choice of frames, and the ability to effectively contest the opposition’s frames [re-frame], lie at the heart of successful policy advocacy.” Framing Public Issues Toolkit Have you ever noticed how the mainstream media frames people with mental health issues as violent and unpredictable? A common media…

  Sofija Opacic

  February 10, 2015

  campaigning, communication, lobbying, policy, public affairs, writing

• Getting over the b-word

  Public Affairs Tip: Know who you are, what you do and why you do it. This post is a gift to all those people who get a little tetchy when the b-word’s mentioned. BRAND. Why not give it a go when you have a mo, it might help you express who you are, what you…

  Sofija Opacic

  July 28, 2014

  campaigning, communication, public affairs

  branding, campaigning, communication, public ffairs

• Creating social change: the power of optimism

  Public affairs tip: Talk to your values not your feelings. Welcome to the third and final instalment of this series. At the end of this post you’ll find a comprehensive Creative Public Affairs guide that explores how to engage effectively with secondary schools. One of the joys of getting older is that you pick up a…

  Sofija Opacic

  May 14, 2014

  campaigning, communication, lobbying, public affairs

  campaigning, communication, lobbying, public affairs

• How to make joined-up working work well: a nifty idea

  One thing I love about being a public affairs professional is talking to loads of different people and picking up inspiring success stories; then sharing them. Looking back on 2013, The Homework Club – set up by Reading Refugee Support Group (RRSG) and The Abbey School struck me as a nifty idea THAT WORKS. It…

  Sofija Opacic

  December 12, 2013

  campaigning, communication

  children and young people, networking, public affairs, secondary schools, voluntary organisations

• How to create powerful key messages

  Key messages capture the essence of something that you want to communicate. They’re bits of information that people/organisations want their target audiences to know. They articulate what you do, what you believe in and how your work benefits people’s lives, the planet. . . Here’s a couple of key messages to chew on: “The melting Arctic is…

  Sofija Opacic

  November 21, 2013

  campaigning, communication, lobbying, policy, public affairs

  communication, lobbying, networking, policy, public affairs, writing

• 8 ways to promote your cause using people’s stories

  Use stories:they’re a great way of connecting with people emotionally. Stories can be used many ways to help you promote your cause, for instance to: Fund-raise effectively: Making things personal for potential donors adds the emotional wow factor by showing how you’ve helped someone or how you want to help someone. Promote policy positions: Using case studies…

  Sofija Opacic

  August 14, 2013

  campaigning, communication, lobbying, public affairs

  campaigning, communication, lobbying, media relations, policy

• People’s stories: passion lives here

  One of the key tasks of a public affairs professional is to create content which is then communicated to engage people with what organisations do and what they believe in. We do this by: Commissioning new research Identifying an interesting statistic Developing some key messages Enlisting a “celebrity” or an “expert” and Composing case studies/human…

  Sofija Opacic

  June 25, 2013

  campaigning, communication, public affairs

  campaigning, public affairs, writing

• In pursuit of virtue: value-based campaigning

  “Once upon a time there was a small girl who gazed at the last tree in the world . . . “ It’s a short-story exercise an inspirational primary school teacher set me back in the early 1970s. I remember seeing that beautiful tree in my mind’s eye, how we all needed it, how good it felt…

  Sofija Opacic

  June 7, 2013

  campaigning, communication, public affairs

  campaigning, communication, writing

• Effective e-mails: 6 useful tips

  Contacting influential people – whether they’re newspaper editors or MPs – can be a little like walking a tightrope. You know they’re busy people so you don’t want to hassle them unnecessarily; but you  really want to engage them with your latest news, ideas, campaign . . . Here’s some strategies that have worked for…

  Sofija Opacic

  April 30, 2013

  campaigning, communication, public affairs

  communication, public affairs, writing