CharityComms: My biggest comms inspiration

Lessons for a Rookie PR

Myra Johnson - director of communications and engagementTogether for Short Lives@Tog4ShortLives @Myra6767

There are 50,000 children and young people with

life-shortening conditions, and the number is rising

Together for Short Lives’ vision is for children and young people with life-shortening conditions to have as fulfilling lives as possible, and the best care at the end of life.

Cast your mind back to 1989…

The start of my comms journey

PR was a different world and tools

were limited

Enter my Hero: Professor Nick

Hardwick

Lesson 1 – Telling stories, keeping

people at the heart of your work

“When we think of people just as numbers we do terrible things.

Telling the story of the individual human being behind the numbers helps us do the right thing”

Professor Nick Hardwick, September 2016

Real people, real words“No treatment. No cure. James would not live beyond 5 years old.

We were given a sheet saying that over time children suffer mental impairment and worsening seizures.

Children with Batten disease go blind, are bedridden and demented – it is always fatal. To say we were devastated, heartbroken, shocked, crushed just doesn’t come close.”

Mum, Amanda Harrison

Lesson 2 – Keep an eye on the horizon

and embrace change

Lesson 2 (cont)

Lesson 3 – Keep your mouth shut

Lesson 4 – An empowering leader

And how to end up in a bedroom with a

Duke

Thank you

Visit the CharityComms website

to view slides from past events,

see what events we have

coming up and to check out

what else we do:

www.charitycomms.org.uk

29 September 2016

London

#CommsInspiration

My biggest

comms inspiration