From the Comms Cupboard

Should we talk openly about our salary to help transparency in the workplace, or would we be opening a can of worms? John and Shaun discuss the pros and cons. It gets complicated when you think about income disparity, knowing your worth, and salary banding. It's even harder if you don't know what down-balling means, if it means anything at all! Produced by Shaun Weston Media. Music by CyrilNikitin, Music Standard Licence.

From their dimly lit isolation cabin, John and Shaun consider the difficulties of asking for more money or resources. Are all communications departments under-resourced? If they are, convincing the leadership team that extra help is needed can be a tough task, especially if it’s difficult to demonstrate value. We may hear about dogs, Game of Thrones and the ignominy of being called a “support function”. Podcast produced by Shaun Weston Media.

Does experience trump being a jack of all trades? From their lily scented closet, John and Shaun talk about finding a new comms job. While the value of the internal communications professional may have more gravitas these days, it seems the young videographer may have a better chance to land the comms role than you do. Do businesses actually know what they want, or is it all smoke and mirrors? Whichever way you look at it, the highly skilled pros out there, in a variety of professions, may find they’re being passed over in favour of those who can do a little bit of everything. Podcast produced by Shaun Weston Media.

John and Shaun say it doesn’t matter whether you’re a large or small business, the basic principles of communication are universal. It’s hard to put a number on how many employees indicate a tipping point for hiring a comms professional. If you’re a leader, how do you know when you need to step back and hire someone? Perhaps that’s a step too far for some, especially if they come from the school of Steve Jobs. Podcast produced by Shaun Weston Media.

John and Shaun chat about what employee engagement means while falling off their comms cupboard chairs. What does employee engagement mean, how do we create engagement among hundreds of staff, and is staff a nice word? Plus, is a business responsible for people’s happiness? Kerry Weaver from ER may have all the answers. Podcast produced by Shaun Weston Media.

John and Shaun discuss the practicalities around delivering bad news, while sat in their pitch black cupboard. It’s an episode about being prepared, having empathy, avoiding the grapevine, being honest and being available. And George Clooney may pop up somewhere, which is always a good thing. Podcast produced by Shaun Weston Media.

Stuck in the black fixings of their humid cupboard, John and Shaun talk about the various skills of a communications professional. Some skills are learned while some are innate. What makes us good communicators, and why is John obsessed with planning? (Probably because it’s a good thing.) Shaun also has a pop at lazy/unrealistic writers of job descriptions. Podcast produced by Shaun Weston Media.

A pat on the back can mean the world to somebody. From the sticky gloom of their cupboard, John and Shaun discuss being kind in the workplace. Simple acknowledgment of a job well done can go a long way towards improving communication in the workplace. And how many Take That songs did Shaun mention? Podcast produced by Shaun Weston Media.

John and Shaun ruminate on the flexibility required for global communications while stuck in a hot cupboard. What works in one country may not work in another, so the discussion covers local leadership, centralised content, automated messages, sharing success and collaborating properly. You may also hear about the smell of barbecued food. Podcast produced by Shaun Weston Media.

Social distancing may be easy to talk about, but what about the practicalities of returning to the office? John and Shaun discuss the ins and outs in their dark isolation. Does the office model have to change now that people may have become accustomed to new ways of working? Are others excited by the prospect of getting back to the commute and life behind a desk? Podcast produced by Shaun Weston Media.