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 few useful insights.One of the biggies is learning that staying optimist and inspired helps keep you motivated .
Here’s some tip on how to promote a positive mind-set. Why not try out a few and tell me how you get on. I’d love to know.
- Feed your personal energy. Stay inspired.
- Repeat after me: Change is possible.
- Talk to your values rather than your feelings. It helps you and others to engage with what really matters.
- Always keep your destination in mind.
- Keep reminding yourself that people can do great things together especially if you make the messages personal. Focus on people’s everyday concerns and interests.
- Consistently talk about what you do and why you’re doing it. Again concentrate on positive messages that concentrate on action, impact, effectiveness, outcomes and benefits. Clock what people are paying attention to. There’s your hook!
- Share your successes eg announce when you’ve arrived at one of your milestones.
- Choose how you want to be seen. How are you communicating your project’s identity? Are you going to invite opinion/feedback on how things are going? Will you be promoting your work internally in newsletters, bulletins and social media?
- Seek local news coverage when success happens.
- Help other people understand how they can get involved in the work you’re doing and how they can make a difference in their local communities.
- Finally, never give up hope.
After all: “What matters most is that we learn from living.” (Doris Lessing)
I hope you enjoy the Guide: May 2014 VOLUNTARY SECTOR GUIDE How to effectively engage with secondary schools.
Good luck! I’m always happy to promote good stories.
If you need any help on communication, lobbying, campaigning and working with the media, please get in touch.
Creative Public Affairs 