Making connections
Reporting on a school trip to the battlefields of WW1 proves a powerful lesson in how personal stories connect us to the bigger picture. A small boy stands solemnly …
I help organisations to engage with their employees and with their customers.
Much of the time, I’m a storyteller. I might be explaining a business strategy in a way staff can relate to, or encapsulating the appeal of a product or service, or bringing to life a complex engineering project. The medium could be a magazine, blog, brochure, speech or a website. It’s the narrative that matters.
Before the storytelling gets underway there’s some strategic thinking – helping clients to nail the rationale behind their communications campaign. The best writers are not just compelling storytellers: they need strong business acumen too. Writing also relies on relationships. I couldn’t do my job without winning the trust and confidence of people at all levels in an organisation.
I work mostly with engineering and technology companies – those in the energy, automotive, aviation and healthcare sectors – but happily explore other worlds.
Sometimes I’m commissioned to simply write a feature. Often I’ll be asked to produce a brochure or magazine – project managing the design as well as writing the copy. On other occasions I’ll help to develop a broader communications plan, where there’s some strategic thinking needed too.
I’m not good at corporate jargon. I think business writing should be simple and direct. If I ever write ‘Going forward, we need to work on maximising synergies, aligning our messaging and trackable engagement’, fire me. When I interview someone I want their real voice to be heard. Here’s a small selection of stories.