OCTOBER - KIDS AND PROBLEMS
 Hi creative comms pro,
It's me, Hel Reynolds again, pouring some delicious creative gravy on the comms dinners you're cooking up.
Last month, I set you a blogging challenge, and your advice for other comms pros was SUPER-WISE.
Read brilliant career tips from Chloë Marsh, Catherine Martin, Bryony Gundy and moi.
There's no time limit on these challenges, so if you have advice you can share, remind yourself of the challenge and get blogging.
And the first one of you to post your October comms creative challenge efforts to Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn (with the hashtag) gets a Comms Cartoons mug.
OK, there are seven regular features - here's what we have this month:
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This month's article: creative like kids
One of the things I've loved about being an aunty in the past ten or so years, is reawakening my love of creating things.
We pass the time telling made-up stories, drawing, Sellotaping, moulding and unleashing our imaginations.
I feel free to try out all sorts of things with my niece and nephew.
I often think, 'what age did I tell myself this was no longer fun?'
I was reminded about the importance of behaving like a child on holiday in Colombia a few weeks ago.
 25 years ago, the city of Medellin was the most dangerous place on earth.
But I walked through Comuna 13 with @Doctorsantiago to see how the community use hip hop culture & creativity to be a place where love beats violence.
I discovered this slide which is a memorial to a young boy who was shot & killed.
Instead of a statue, they built a slide that symbolises the boy’s sense of fun & also the two qualities adults must learn from children to stay happy, creative and out of trouble.
1. Change: a child loves speeding down the slide.
But after a while that becomes boring, so they change how they slide, making it interesting again by sliding down backwards, or on their chests.
The point being that if we change one step in our routines, we’ll find more joy in our days. Maybe a different route to work, or trying out a new restaurant - it can keep us young & open us up to new experiences and ideas.
2. Forgiveness: when sliding down, kids often bang into each other, or fall out over who goes first.
But they quickly forgive each other & get back to playing. The slide is a reminder that we should throw off grudges, & forgive quickly.
That’s what I call a memorial. And yes, I did launch myself down the slide, & it was awesome.
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 All of my masterclasses are designed to helps comms pros tap into their creativity - give me a shout if you fancy working with me.
Next month I'm going to write a bit about what I'm learning about creative communications from the stand-up comedy lessons I'm taking.
Let me know if you have any thoughts or examples to share on that.
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Recent creative
comms stuff I liked
Cartooning complex subjects
Paul Brook from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shared a blog post where he has taken on the complex and often misunderstood subject of poverty in the UK.
And he's done it with drawings.
This sketch shows how people can become squeezed and locked into poverty. (Thanks to Paul for letting me share it here).
 As he says: "Deeply held beliefs and diverse cultural and political narratives mean that messages about poverty can get lost in translation.
"We can't just publish some stats or reports and assume everyone views them in the same way."
Many of us working in comms know that we need to communicate in different ways to ensure our audiences truly understand what we're saying.
For someone like me who has limited time to read reams of research, his five drawings help make the discussion much easier to access.
As well as understanding the elements contributing to poverty, I feel empathy. It's simple and excellent.
Brace yourself, because you're going to have a go at something similar in the #CommsCreative challenge later.
Walkers crisp packets in the post
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It's a simple idea, but very effective. When people have an easy task, and can a take a selfie doing it - it empowers them and tells the story to their friends.
Some people argued that people should just stop buying the crisps. 36 Degrees said, "There shouldn't have to be a conflict between eating your favourite snacks and caring for the environment."
The debate just made the story get more talked about.
Did you like this campaign?
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Creative tip of the month
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Easy dictation!
If you want to write with a more natural, conversational style - this could be the trick for you.
Have a look at this quick video to see how easy it is to use Google Voice.
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How to use Google voice to write stuff
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Let me know if you've had a play with it!
Or share it with us all on Twitter or Instagram with the #CommsCreative hashtag.
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Special guest Q&A - back next month
I've been on holiday, was working hard on lots of new projects this month, plus other bad excuses.
It means the best bit of this newsletter is missing - BUT I have a brilliant bunch of creative guests lined up for the Q&As in the next three issues.
In the meantime, you can read the past Q&As with two creative powerhouses: Philippa Davies and Sarah Hall.
 
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@CommsCartoons
If comms life was always like the dream scenario on the left, we'd be unstoppable creative wizards!
But the reality is often more chaotic than that, right?
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This month's #CommsCreative Challenge
The three rules of the #CommsCreative challenge
1. The thing you create doesn’t need to be brilliant, it’s about playing. Van Gogh was probably rubbish the first time he tried painting.
2. Taking part is fun, but also a good opportunity to think about things a bit differently.
3. Share your efforts on Twitter and Instagram and chat with people who have shared theirs! We’ll keep each other motivated and inspired.
October: Draw a problem (20 minutes)
So much of our creativity as communicators is about problem-solving - whether you're selling a product or communicating an idea.
We can be better problem-solvers if we're really clear in communicating what the problem is exactly.
For example, I did this diagram to show the problem of an ever-increasing workload experienced by many comms people.
So let's have a go at drawing a problem.
WHAT YOU NEED
- A pencil, a rubber, a pen and some blank paper.
- A problem
STEP 1. PROBLEMS
🤨 What challenges does your organisation face?
🤔 What problems do your audiences have?
🧐 Have you yourself got some issues that cause you difficulties?
Pick a problem that you think you can explain.
- Maybe your workforce don't communicate effectively between teams. Or they are demotivated for some reason.
- Or, similar to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation example we looked at, your audiences might face difficulties.
STEP 2. DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM
🤨 What are the factors that contribute to this problem?
Jot your thoughts down.
STEP 3. VISUALISE THE PROBLEM
In pencil, try to sketch the problem.
🤔 Do any mental pictures pop into your head?
🧐 Do any analogies come to mind?
- Maybe a see-saw or scales to represent balance or inbalance
- A Venn diagram to show overlapping ideas or tensions
- A flowchart to show thought processes
Or just do a mindmap, where you show your problem in a circle the middle with your thoughts on the outside.
If you get really stuck, just draw a picture of a cat telling people the problem in a speech bubble. Everybody likes cat pics.
STEP 3: INK IN, RUB OUT
When you've described the problem and you're ready, go over it in pen.
Erase out your pencil marks and if you like, add a splash or colour.
STEP 4. POST THE PROBLEM
Publish it for other people to find.
Take a picture on your phone (or scan it if you're fancy) and post it to your social network of choice.
STEP 5. DON"T FORGET TO TAG IT WITH #COMMSCREATIVE
Have a look for other people's posts and get a chat going with other creative comms people.
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Comms training with me
If you need a masterclass in creative communications, I am your woman.
You can book me to come to your offices to deliver training, or have a fab away day at a snazzy London hotel.
You get workbooks, goodie bags and most importantly, skills and confidence to bring back to your desk.
Public masterclasses
My last two public courses still have places available - BOOK NOW!
🔥How to create more engaging content masterclass in BIRMINGHAM, October 24th in the Fazeley Studios.
🔥Write your social media strategy in MANCHESTER, October 26th in Manchester Convention Centre.
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Free 35 minute video learning module!
You CAN get more likes, shares and comments.
In this video I teach great tips about how to:
- Make more creative content
- Get LOADS more likes, shares and comments
- Get your audience excited to see your next post
And you get it for absolutely free, because I'm terribly generous like that. |
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