Jennifer Andre

Thanks to John Johnston for the POLITICO Europe London Influence story on the training gap between white PR Professionals and those from BME backgrounds. The Chartered Institute of Public Relations State of the Profession survey showed that white practitioners are: - more likely to have received training in the previous 12 months (81% vs. 74%) - are more likely to have agreed training needs with managers - and are less likely to have had requests for training turned down (36% vs. 47%).   This represents statistically significant gap in the training experiences and opportunities of UK BME PR professionals compared to their white colleagues. Not only is training vital for an individual’s progression, and internal profile, as it can shape how an employer views their ability and seniority, lack of access can impact overall achievements as well as retention - a key point brought up by Matthew Otubu. And based on previous research and people's lived experience, it’s also a red flag for other missed work opportunities and unspoken barriers to fairness and inclusion. Sadly the training gap is not surprising but it is unacceptable and, in an age of skills shortages, inexcusable. #PR #Comms #DiversityandInclusion #Training https://lnkd.in/eCZypZM8

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📣 📣 📣 INVITATION: As a data-driven agency, we've been experimenting with creating Custom GPTs for public affairs insights, with a commitment to openness and transparency. We are the first UK public affairs consultancy to launch an AI tool - Lodestone AI Policy Pulse 1.0 - designed to create a space where people can easily compare the policies that the Labour Party and the Conservative Party committed to in the run up to the election, free from the deliberate political misinformation possible on social media channels. Big thanks to John Johnston for testing the tool and for his write up in POLITICO - and now we’d like to invite you to get involved in external testing – you can try it out here: https://lnkd.in/ekDeHDFi   💡 Working with leading data expert Alex Waddington we used our own data on the manifestos and policies and trained the tool, which we believe is more accurate, relevant and up to date than if you were to ask the same questions of standard GPT, quicker and more user friendly than if you were to look for the information via an internet search, and less at risk of deliberate political misinformation than if you were to look on social media.   💡 We undertook in-house testing before releasing the GPT, trialling a number of training approaches, and different presentations and formatting of the Lodestone dataset that powers it. The version we have released for wider external testing has value and illustrates the power of Generative AI for political and policy insight, but it is also very much a project in development and to be iterated.   💡 As with all GenAIs, it can be powerful and useful as a tool. But it can also make errors and hallucinate, which we have observed during testing. We are releasing the tool for wider external testing now, and we're inviting you to take part in this process, as we want to hear more people’s feedback, so we can further improve the tool, and because we're setting up a network of people who are interested in developing AI tools for public affairs.   💡 We hope that by the next election tech developments will mean it is possible to create public affairs AI tools that are quick, easy to use, accurate, up to date, that don’t hallucinate and add significant value to public affairs services.   💡 If you have any feedback on the tool please message me - look forward to hearing what you think. And please drop me a line if you are interested in joining the network we are setting up of people who are interested in developing #AI tools for #publicaffairs, and #upskilling in AI.   Thanks and well done for developing this tool Alex Waddington and everyone in team Lodestone Communications especially Eric Robinson, Ella Dunham, Fergus Brown, Harriet Kaye, Martha Dalton and Josephine Dalton, David Wild, Amy Nash, Orlando Wind-Cowie, Niamh McGurk, Oscar Tami, Henry Wright, Kate Troiano, Charlotte Dignam. https://lnkd.in/eDvy4Yxf

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ah the pitch process - contributed a few thoughts to the PR Week piece below - not sure an official code of conduct is likely anytime soon but here are my 10 Pitch Commandments that would make life better for all involved - thanks to Siobhan Holt for the opp 👇👇👇 1.   Timeframe to respond should be an absolute minimum of 10 x working days 2.   Tissue meetings should come as standard and be built into the process. 3.   Large competitive pitches are expensive to partake in – a fee contribution towards agency costs on detailed, resource heavy pitches should come as standard 4.   Pitches with more than 4 x agencies are a red flag - indicates the client hasn’t done their homework. 5.   There should be full disclosure if your agency is the wildcard entry. 6.   Internal budgets should be signed off BEFORE the pitch process begins. 7.   Non-disclosure of budgets is a non-starter. 8.   Decision makers should always be in the room when pitch takes place 9.   Post pitch feedback should be honest and given verbally - this should never be an email received at 5pm on a Friday 10.   Ghosting/avoiding agencies post pitch is never acceptable

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Is it any wonder trust in our politicians is at a 40-year low? - - - Last month, an IPSOS poll found that just 9% of voters thought that politicians generally told the truth. Anger over Partygate, broken Brexit promises and a string of high-profile scandals (Matt Hancock, Neil Parish, Chris Pincher etc etc.) has built to a level where 4 in 5 people are now dissatisfied with the way the UK is governed. But the latest accusations of impropriety - 2 Conservative candidates investigated by the Gambling Commission over bets placed on a July election just days before Rishi Sunak called the election - won't be a cause for celebration in Labour circles. Declining confidence in our political classes isn't confined to particular individuals or specific parties. Each new scandal erodes public faith in our institutions and lowers the standards we expect of elected officials. So when politicians stand up and ask the public to put their trust in them, the inevitable question comes back - "why should we?" It will take a considerable effort to restore public confidence in our politicians - but ultimately it's the only way to inspire genuine optimism that change is possible and things can be different.

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Journos in my network: I read a report from MuckRack surveying the state of journalism in 2024. It has a US focus but I suspect the findings apply as much in the UK; would you agree? - About one-third of journalists express concerns about lack of funding and trust in journalism, consistent with last year's findings. - More than one-third report layoffs or buyouts, with 30% turning to LinkedIn for job opportunities.  - 64% work over 40 hours weekly, with 79% working after hours.  - Nearly a quarter produce 11 or more stories weekly, and about one in four primarily publish in legacy media, despite the digital shift. https://lnkd.in/eys6rqjH

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People Want real Change - Sunak v Starmer: Green groups call on broadcasters to ensure climate change features in TV debates: https://lnkd.in/eqxDwp3N #elections #UK #UKelections #TVdebates #climatechange

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As 2024 comes to a close and we head into the new year, effective communication remains more crucial than ever. Our regional directors have shared their predictions for the next 12 months, including the importance of demonstrating value and ROI, the rise of targeted messaging in a fragmented media landscape, and the need for authentic, purpose-driven storytelling. Take a look.

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The impacts of the strengthening blizzard of noise/misinformation mean corporate decision makers are increasingly reliant on trusted sources to inform their future direction. Day in day out the FT delivers a level of accuracy that meets this requirement.

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In the second article in EOS at Federated Hermes Limited's Q3 Public Engagement Report, Joanne (Jo) B. and George Watson explain how we engage with companies on water #stewardship, to address scarcity and quality issues. #ESG #nature #humanrights #biodiversity https://bit.ly/3AsXTQy

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- I've written a pretty long thread on Bluesky (and 'the other place') on why I think this suggested idea of banning polls in UK for a period during election campaigns is the wrong solution. The problem is less the polling (which has its pros and cons, and does need some reflection next year) and I think more the changes to and between polling orgs, journalism and political campaigns. - For polling orgs, there are far more of them now than ever before. The barrier to entry is lower (which is broadly good), but it's led to oversaturation, some poor research and rushed comms. - For media, there are simply too few journalists with not enough time, and many of whom don't have training or support to sift through research properly. Editorial decision making is often trumping good research as a consequence. - For campaigns, they've becoming increasingly risk-averse and safe, leaving a vacuum for others to fill. They also use polls selectively based on when it suits their narrative. All of this together means a political media environment with what felt like an over-abundance of polls which didn't feel like they made sense and which drowned out other news. It's not just as simple as 'banning polls' for a bit (because the supply and the demand will still be there). Tim Ross

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A big thank you to Maja Pawinska Sims at PRovoke Media for covering the 2024 edition of my 'Reputation, Risk and Resilience' report, which I released yesterday. You'll find access links to an overview and to the full report in the comments. I'd love to hear people's views on these crucial, interlocking issues. If there is one sentiment that seems to have resonated almost universally it is this: that with the right mindset, preparation and action, leaders can use risk management, crisis preparedness and resilience-building as sources of huge positive value, rather than viewing them as irksome, costly insurance policies. I'll be running interactive primer sessions and practical deep-dive workshops, exploring how to apply the report’s findings to individual organisations. Just get in touch if you’d like to hear more. https://lnkd.in/eKGU5cT3 #trust #risk #resilience #reputation #crisiscommunications #publicrelations #pr #crisismanagement #riskmanagement #leadership #management #communications #business #marketing

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The modern public expects more than just acknowledgements of mistakes; genuine remorse and a commitment to change are crucial. Regret, once stigmatised, is now seen as a powerful tool for personal and professional growth. Explore the significance of engaging with #apologyculture and #ageofregret for authentic transformation and effective #reputationmanagement. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ekr7GCRU

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Good report highlighting reverse dependency - China on the West - and how to manage that in a de-globalising world.

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InfluenceMap has released its latest report and is definitely worth a read. It shows how the ‘Big Six’ Advertising firms still work with clients who are lobbying to obstruct policy progress towards the Paris Agreement. It also reveals how companies are representing both sides of a policy debate via their agencies: https://lnkd.in/eHgt4qiM #greenwashing #PR #advertising #media #agencies #csrisnotpr

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I first wrote on the subject of a coming “convergence” of internal and external communication more than 10 years ago.  It keeps coming up, like it did in Sophie Drummond’s piece titled "Rest In Peace, Internal Communication" in the newly resurrected EACD publication, Communication Directors Magazine (link in comments). Sophie makes a lot of solid points.  I don’t disagree, but I bristle at the idea that it’s internal communication that needs to be subsumed into external communication, a conclusion some might jump to if skimming her piece.  In fact, I’d argue the opposite, that internal communication should be seen as a fundamental driver of external communication - and as a discipline with its own distinct dynamics and leverage. Nevertheless, it’s also long overdue for today’s #internalcomms practitioners to get their heads around why the distinction between internal and external comms is becoming more permeable - and a lot more dynamic. My latest post on the Changing The Terms Blog: Internal Comms and External Comms are not the same. And never will be. https://lnkd.in/ercBY_Kq

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Tons of insight here into #newsletter strategy from Jon Connell of The Knowledge, including how trying to overdeliver can end up putting audiences off. Crucially though, I think the key takeaway is that even with a history of successful product launches in legacy media behind them, the Knowledge team is approaching a newsletter business with an experimental mindset https://lnkd.in/edeUkBVR #newsletters #mediabusiness #podcasts

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Would you trust AI to manage your corporate crisis? No, me neither! Listen to the latest episode to find out more and should we laugh or cry at the rise of gilet-man.

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If you’ve ever managed Comms for an organisation that’s in a highly regulated industry, you’ll already know that you have to find the delicate balance between being creative and staying within the boundaries of the regulations that exist. I have consulted for at least two organisations that operated within different regulated sectors and achieving my desired outcomes required extra strategic thinking. I shared some tips in the latest video on my YouTube channel that I believe will be useful for you if you manage Comms within a regulated industry. You can watch the full video here - https://lnkd.in/e2shKHqm As always, feel free to let me know if you have any questions about the topic! #Communications

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