Grassroot activists are often up against it – taking on institutions with resources and connections well beyond their own. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have advantages they can use. In fact it’s often activists who have to bootstrap that…
Last month we published our research on public perceptions of think tanks in the US, Forging the Think Tank Narrative. Since then we have had the honour of being invited to a number of think tank summits and round-table events…
When was the last time you had to push for communications budget? Or convince colleagues that trying a different – or heaven-forbid innovative – format was a good idea? Being a communications professional sometimes feels like going into battle. Well,…
At the National Housing Federation, we’ve recently updated our social media strategy. As the digital world is ever changing, our strategy needs to evolve too. It clearly sets out how we use social media as an organisation and how it…
This time last year Nick, Richard and I recapped over the year in wonkcomms, looking back at thirteen tools think tank communicators used to promote and publicise their work. I was struck by the sheer diversity and creativity of the…
Think tanks exist to find the best ideas for the good of society. How can they do that if no-one reads what they are producing? Or if their only metric of success is the amount of coverage they generate? Think tanks are much more than publishers, but reports are one of their principal outputs – and right now they are not working. This is the problem Think Tank Review was created to solve.
The last three WonkComms events considered the ‘why’, ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘where’ of think tank communications. This event turned its attention to ‘who’ – the human resources think tanks can call on for their communications, what skills are needed to progress in the sector and how to develop them.
I’m writing this blog with trepidation, as I’m very aware that I’m not a Twitter expert, and the @MRCCTU account is tiny in comparison with others. A couple of months ago there was some discussion on the WonkComms LinkedIn group…