At election time you often hear the same complaint; “we only hear from politicians once every five years when they want something!” Those MPs or Councillors who have been visible throughout their... Read more
One of the most common complaints I’ve heard down the years from consultants or in house communications people is that their client or colleagues don’t understand comms. You hear it time and... Read more
We love labels. We love giving things a name. We love defining stuff. It makes us feel comfortable. It makes us feel that we know where we stand. That’s right wing. That’s left wing. That’s... Read more
The Greek philophser, Epictetus, said ‘We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.’ Perhaps it is being of Irish/Scouse origin but I hardly ever meet and spend... Read more
A former colleague of my wife would brandish this phrase at his team when they wrote something that wasn’t tailored to their reader’s needs; it was too long, too hard to follow, too clever for... Read more
……I’ll be using my blog to share some of things I’ve seen and learnt over the last 15 years in consulting. It feels like a good time to take stock as my time as PwC comes to... Read more
Digital communications; are you the problem? http://pwc.blogs.com/the_people_agenda/2014/04/digital-communications-are-you-the-problem.html Getting engaged or heading for a break-up?... Read more
With my new wi-fi Sky HD box (get me!) I watched When Corden Met Barlow over the weekend in glorious technicolour. As well as being a very entertaining and revealing hour’s worth of TV charting... Read more
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I really liked recent comments by Nicky Morgan MP about the need for the Tories to be more positive in its language. It is a coincidence that I have been saying this for some time- honestly!... Read more
The recent Court of Appeal case following last year’s European Court ruling has thrown the debate about life sentences or life terms back on the public’s agenda. For the purpose of this... Read more
It has been a hugely rewarding start to the year. I am now two weeks into my new job at PwC and enjoying every minute. It is so invigorating and energising. It offers that brilliant combination of... Read more
The start of a new year is always a time of great promise and great opportunity. Plans are made. Goals are set. Excitement is high. This year is no exception. 2014 looks like being an absolute... Read more
I called one of my closest friends this morning for a quick catch up. He answered the phone but immediately informed me that he couldn’t talk as he was busy – he was sat on the toilet!... Read more
I made that trip that fills most of us with dread today; I went to the dentist. This is my second visit in a week after a healthy (or unhealthy!) break we’ve been taking from each other. I... Read more
My wife and I conducted an experiment this week. Not the most scientific one ever but nonetheless interesting. We have recently noticed a disturbing trend when visiting restaurants. Whenever we go... Read more
I was struck again last week- when reading about the problems at Standard Chartered with the forced apology of its Chairman- that the language of ‘sorry’ is so important. As with all things in... Read more
The President is continuing his strategy of talking directly to the American people to make his case for key policies. He has done this on gun control, the economy and most recently on Friday on the... Read more
There is some inevitable about the laziness of the vocabulary in the coverage of the weather at this time of year. I’m sure there are cold weather bingo games out there on social media sites... Read more
I am re-launching my blog today after making some changes. I now plan to use it now to share views and ideas on a range of topics, including politics, news and current affairs, sport and life in... Read more
I have been writing a blog since the summer of 2008. I use it to share my experiences and views on mental health – I had a breakdown in 2014/15 and live with depression and anxiety – and work life balance.
I am passionate about working on my wellbeing and helping others to achieve and maintain the right work life balance and wellbeing approaches for them. My blog – along with my Twitter feed – comes with one health warning – if you read it you may have to hear about some of my other passions – my family, golf, Liverpool FC, communications, the Boston Red Sox, politics, the West Wing, and horse racing!
This blog was previously hosted on Blogspot and now sits here. I am proud to work at Liverpool John Moores University, where I am the Head of Communications. All the views expressed here are mine.