Creative 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

10 questions to ask before setting up a small business

A friend recently asked me for some advice on setting up a small business from scratch. Let’s call her April. She had a few ideas; and simply needed someone to help her frame her thoughts. In a bid to make her life – and yours – a little easier I cobbled together 10 questions to…

Sofija Opacic

December 5, 2013

communication

business, communication, enterprise, networking

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

Helping people say what they want to say: listening to articulate

Someone’s trying to tell you something and it’s as fuzzy as a bear. Here’s four simple steps to help people find their own clarity. One: Focus on them. Ask some good, well-pitched questions that get to the heart of their issues, needs and wants. One that’s always worked well for me with potential clients is:…

Sofija Opacic

November 5, 2013

communication

communication, 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

When maybe means no

“What do they mean?” How many times have you been asked this question by a friend who needs to get a handle on what someone’s trying to say to them? Part of what I do is helping people read in between the lines. People who have crossed continents or have a disability that impacts on their…

Sofija Opacic

May 21, 2013

communication

communication, networking, 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

How to create good social policy: 10 tips

1. Be realistic. We’d all like to have a magic wand but only the fairy queen has one. 2. Be clear about your outcomes. An outcome is not the activity itself (serving lunch to a group of older people who currently live at home) but the impact it has on their lives (it might increase their…

Sofija Opacic

April 15, 2013

policy, public affairs