The Communicate Influence Podcast

Sharing the climate change message with employees

James Murphy is a Climate Reality Leader who studied under Al Gore in 2019. Based in London, England, James now delivers the climate reality message to businesses and organizations that are committed to sustainability or implementing sustainability programs. He meets with communicators, marketers, sustainability teams, or risk management teams to discuss ideas, messaging, channels, follow-up, and evaluation.

James moved into the climate reality field after being in rehab in 2017. That was a difficult time in James' life, but he realized he was being given a second chance, and while in rehab, he discovered his love for nature and became determined to work in sustainability.

If your organization wants to implement a sustainability program or refocus an existing program, this podcast will give you lots of information and resources about where to start. And for marketers and communications, James provides suggestions for strategies and winning employee buy-in. He also sounds a note of caution regarding people with lower incomes. He also discusses actions that really make a change and those that don't.

In this podcast episode:

02:20 - James Murphy on transitioning his business from employee engagement to becoming a climate reality leader

04:05 - Studying with Al Gore

05:09 - Using storytelling to deliver the climate reality message

05:35 - How James' deeply personal experience of going into rehab led him to realize he'd been given a second change; he developed a love of nature and decided to refocus his business on climate reality and sustainability

07:45 - How to deliver a message that some people don't believe or can be viewed as controversial

09:40 - Using simple, easy-to-implement examples to deliver the sustainability message

09:58 - How to handle a disinterested or uncaring audience

12:00 - Start-ups with a vibrant, young culture and generally more receptive to climate reality and sustainability messages

12:30 - More established organizations may require a slower start, with smaller steps forward as ideas

15:35 - James' first points of contact in an organization ahead of delivering a message

16:05 - Tools, strategies, and tools

17:30 - Project Drawdown: the science behind climate change and transitioning to being carbon neutral by 2050.

The simple way to success with social media

Host Sheelagh Caygill and guest Kim Scaravelli, a digital media strategist, connected on Twitter by chatting and sharing knowledge. Three or four months later they created this podcast and have a good, professional relationship! That's the positive power of social media!

Kim, owner of Trust Communications, works with businesses to develop a presence on social media. She does this by finding the best mix of technology, platforms, and content to build awareness and grow business. In this episode, she explains how you can harness social media for your own organization and direct new contacts to your website. That's where you'll have a strong, well-designed call to action.

If you're unsure about how to start with social media or are not having any success with your current approach, Kim presents the steps necessary to begin on Twitter and LinkedIn. She explains the need for a strategy, how to be conversational and avoid selling or sales talk, and the time frame needed for this approach.

Kim has created many successful digital strategies for clients and has transformed failing approaches into winning ones for businesses frustrated with their inability to create connections on social media.

In this podcast episode:

02:16 - Avoiding the mistakes of being on too many social media platforms and not having a strategy

04:10 - A digital strategy should begin with a website first, then the right social media platforms

05:40 - Building a robust website

08:05 - How to create a social media strategy

10:42 - Researching your audience

12:44 - Connecting research and messaging

14:42 - Socialize about your product or service benefits

16:00 - Understand why people are using a platform, and think about tone, let go of selling

19:02 - Tools for analysis and insight

20:12 - How to do social media without it taking over your time

21:04 - Start with a couple of platforms and read useful articles

21:25 - Struggling? Get help, but make a goal of managing your own social

21:45 - Tools to manage your social media

23:30 - Why you shouldn't over-automate

25:38 - "What should I say?" AKA "How do I post engaging content?"

26:35 - Socialize by following the conversation

28:39 - Jumping into the conversation

30:35 - Stop chasing follower numbers - it's the quality that counts

32:05 - Is social media saturated?

34:00 - Don't get wrapped up in just one social media platform

34:18 - Remain aware of trends, be flexible, and never forget that social is rented space

36:44 - Social media's place in marketing

Resources:

Find Kim at trustcommunications.ca. Social media tools: Buffer, Hootsuite

Satya Das, Edmonton writer, on his new book Us.

Satya Das is a writer, journalist, and strategist living in Edmonton, Canada. He is a frequent commentator and public speaker in both French and English, in media and on stage. Satya’s volunteer work is deeply informed with a lifelong commitment to human rights as a way of life and the principles of human dignity espoused by Mahatma Gandhi.

In a wide-ranging interview with host Sheelagh Caygill, Satya talks about his new book, Us. Us is grounded in the philosophy of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Nelson Mandela. Its essential message is a call for a new kind of politics - one that is pluralistic and based on collaboration, community participation, and love. Satya discusses the experience of writing Us, what it takes to find one’s voice as a writer, and his advice for young writers.

He looks at the state of journalism in Canada and other parts of the world, along with the decline of community reporting. Satya explores the fact that liberal democracy is broken, and why now more than ever global citizens need to engage in respectful conversations, listen more, and embrace community involvement. You can find Satya online at usthebook.ca (and also buy Us there), on Facebook at The Community of Us, and on LinkedIn. 

On communications and leadership

Damian McAlonan, CEO, a manager, and employee engagement specialist in London, UK, talks to host Sheelagh Caygill about the importance of leaders being outstanding communicators and how poor communication can impact all aspects of an organization, including employee engagement, customer relations, performance, and profitability. 

Damian has extensive experience in coaching leaders and members of the c-suite on communication and employee engagement. He also runs leadership and management courses and advises clients on competitive business models, revenue approaches, and marketing strategies.

Damian has been described as someone with a "unique ability to instantly get people feeling positive, optimistic and confident while delivering meaningful advice in a straightforward way."

Alice Major is an award-winning poet and essayist in Edmonton, Canada. In this episode she explores how reading poetry can make you a better writer, whether you’re a copywriter, content writer, essayist, or journalist. Alice has published eleven collections of poetry, two novels for young adults, and a collection of essays about poetry and science.

Alice grew up in Dumbarton, near Glasgow, Scotland. Her family came to Canada when she was eight, and she grew up in Toronto before coming west to work as a reporter for The Williams Lake Tribune in British Columbia. 

Alice is an active supporter of the arts and writing community: First poet laureate for the City of Edmonton (2005-7); Past president of the League of Canadian Poets; Past president of the Writers Guild of Alberta; Past chair of the Edmonton Arts Council; and Founder, Edmonton Poetry Festival.

Find Alice Major online

Alicemajor.com and LinkedIn

Links mentioned in the show

Poem-A-Day

League of Canadian Poets

Poetry Daily

Welcome to the Communicate Influence podcast! I’m your host Sheelagh Caygill, and I’m a journalist, writer, and comms professional based in Toronto, Canada. Why a new communications, marketing, and writing podcast? Well, I’ve been writing and blogging for years now. My current side project, communicateinfluence.com, is an excellent resource of question-and-answer interviews with industry leaders and creative thinkers.

Shifting to podcasting seemed to be a natural evolution. But not simply for the sake of podcasting. In our area of work, success, and creativity arise from a range of factors – in particular, continuous learning in the broadest sense of the phrase. Equally, success comes from many areas beyond our immediate focus. These areas include identifying trends, understanding the psychology behind motivation, and finding new ways to inspire and maintain creativity. So as much as this podcast will explore some of the essential aspects of communications and marketing, it’ll also dig into important influences that can shape your work and creativity for the better.

Anyone who wants to achieve a higher level of success in life, work, or creative ventures can join me here at the Communicate Influence podcast. Just like my website, communicateinfluence.com, I’ll feature an impressive lineup of guests from diverse work and creative and artistic backgrounds. I will give listeners solutions to common problems and actionable tips. The format will reflect the website: questions and answers. I’ll produce a minimum of one new episode a month, sometimes more.

Not least, what’s a podcast without listeners? I want to hear from you. What questions do you have, and what subjects do you want to explore? Who would you like to see interviewed? Contact me via the communicateinfluence.com website or reach out on LinkedIn. If you like the show, please subscribe to the Communicate Influence podcast wherever you find your podcasts. And remember, positive reviews are sweet., so if you like the show, please leave a review. Thank you!