The Independent Minds

Chris Norton is the founder and managing director of one of the largest PR consultancies in the North of England, Prohibition PR. 

In this conversation with Michael Millward of Abeceder Chris explains why companies and brands use Public Relations Consultancies.

He also explores how the role of public relations is changing to meet the needs of both businesses and their customers as the technology used for communicating evolves.

Chris explains how as the speed of communication increases regardless of whether they sell to other businesses or to consumers, how and why every company needs to have a proactive PR strategy that is ready and capable of promoting the right messages about their brand in the right way at the right time.

Chris co-hosts the Prohibition PR podcast Socially Unacceptable 

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr.

Zencastr is the all-in-one podcasting platform, on which you can create your podcast in one place and then distribute it to the major platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Google. It really does make creating content so easy.

If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing and use our offer code ABECEDER.

Travel to Leeds and West Yorkshire

Like Abeceder Prohibition PR is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

If you would like to visit West Yorkshire, a good place to plan your travel is The Ultimate Travel Club. It is where you will get trade prices on travel including flights, and hotels.

Visit the Ultimate Travel Club and use our offer code to receive a discount on your membership fee.

· ABEC79

You can find out more about both Michael Millward, and Chris Norton at Abeceder.

Three – the network

If you are listening to The Independent Minds on your smart phone, you may like to know that Three has the UK’s Fastest 5G Network with Unlimited Data, so listening on Three means you can wave goodbye to buffering.

Visit Three for more information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three. And the special offers available when you quote my referral code.

• WPFNUQHU

Being a Guest

Matchmaker.fm

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if like Adrian, you have something very interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where matches of great hosts and great guests are made. Use our offer code for a discount on membership.

MILW10

We recommend that potential guests take one of the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you have liked this episode of The Independent Minds, please give it a like and download it so that you can listen any time anywhere.

To make sure you do not miss future editions please subscribe.

Remember, the aim of all the podcasts produced by Abeceder is not to tell you what to think, but we do hope to make you think!

Thank you to you for listening.

In his book Throttle UP: How to Accelerate the Impact of 21st Century Leadership John Dentico asserts that leadership in the 21st Century is different to leadership in the past. 

Traditionally leaders were seen as special, people who were born not made, because they possessed traits that could not be learnt by lesser human beings.  

What, were seen as an exercise of the abstract ostensibly possessed by the heroic or gifted few will says Dentico in the 21st Century be skills and knowledge that can be learned.

In this episode of The Independent Minds John Dentico discusses with Michael Millward from Abeceder the difference between being a leader and doing leadership can be learnt. 

If you use links on this webpage and make a purchase Abeceder may recieve a payment

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr.

Zencastr is the all-in-one podcasting platform, on which you can create your podcast in one place and then distribute it to the major platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Google. It really does make creating content so easy.

Visit Zencastr to start your podcasting journey and use our offer code ABECEDER. 

Travel to the USA

John Dentico is based in the USA.

If you would like to visit the USA, a good place to plan your travel is The Ultimate Travel Club. It is where you will get trade prices on travel including flights, and hotels.

Access the Ultimate Travel Club and use our offer code to receive a discount on your membership fee.

• ABEC79

You can find out more about both Michael Millward, and John Dentico at Abeceder.

Matchmaker.fm

Thank you to the team at Matchmaker.fm the introduction to John.

If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if like John, you have something very interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where matches of great hosts and great guests are made. Use our offer code for a discount on membership. 

MILW10

Three – the network

If you are listening to The Independent Minds on your smart phone in the United Kingdom, you may like to know that Three has the UK’s Fastest 5G Network with Unlimited Data, so listening on Three means you can wave goodbye to buffering.

Visit Three for more information about business and personal telecom solutions from Three. And the special offers available when you quote my referral code.

WPFNUQHU

Being a Guest

If you would like to be a guest on The Independent Minds, please contact us at Abeceder.

We recommend that potential guests take one of the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

 If you have liked this episode of The Independent Minds, please give it a like and download it so that you can listen any time anywhere. 

To make sure you do not miss future editions please subscribe.

Remember, the aim of all the podcasts produced by Abeceder is not to tell you what to think, but we do hope to make you think!

Thank you to you for listening.

Storytelling is much more than a buzzword, it's a true superpower especially in the social network era.

Tovit Neizer of Yellow Bricks Consulting specialises in helping companies that sell to other companies (B2B) to tell their story in a way that builds their business, by building relationships with their customers.

Tovit explains to host Michael Millward of Abeceder how Companies can create stories that work for attracting both clients and employees.

Michael and Tovit discuss the similarities between, what makes a good novel, and what makes a good corporate story.

During their discussion Tovit asked Michael about the books he had enjoyed reading.

If you use the links in this description and make a purchase, we may benefit financially. 

• The Chase by Ava Glass
• Murder at Church Lodge by Greg Mosse
• The Counterfeit Candidate by Brian Klein
• Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson
• Better Broken Than New by Lisa St Aubin de Teran
• A Bankers Journey by Edmond Safra
• The 100 Trillion Wealth Transfer by Ken Costa
• The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys by Jack Jewers
• Child of the Ruins by Kate Furnival
• The Drovers are Coming to Wetherby by Robert Gray
• Lorna Doone by RD Blackmore 

The Independent Minds is Made on Zencastr.

Zencastr is the all-in-one podcasting platform, on which you can create your podcast in one place and then distribute it to the major platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Google. It really does make making content so easy.

If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing and use our offer code ABECEDER. 

Travel to Canada and Toronto

Tovit is based in Toronto. The best way to book travel to Toronto, or anywhere else in Canada is with the Ultimate Travel Club. 

The Ultimate Travel Club at is where you will get trade prices on travel including flights, and hotels. Use our offer code to receive a discount on your membership fee.

ABEC79

More information about both Michael Millward, Tovit Neizer, of Yellow Bricks is avaialble from Abeceder. 

Being a Guest

The team at Matchmaker.fm introduced Tovit to The Independent Minds. If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests or if like Tovit you have something very interesting to say Matchmaker.fm is where matches of great hosts and great guests are made. Use our offer code for a discount on membership. 

MILW10

We recommend that potential guests take one of the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you have liked this episode of The Independent Minds, please give it a like and download it so that you can listen any time anywhere. 

To make sure you do not miss future editions please subscribe.

Remember, the aim of all the podcasts produced by Abeceder is not to tell you what to think, but we do hope to make you think!

Thank you for listening.

How the space in which we work is designed will impact the way in which we work in that space.

It may seem obvious that elements like heating, and lighting will impact how we feel about being in a space, and consequently how we feel about the activities we are required to undertake in that space.

Which means that if we don’t like the space we are in, we will be less productive than if we are in a space that we like.

In this episode of The Independent Minds Khuzema Hussain of Collective Works, an architecture and interior design studio in London discusses with Michael Millward the history of work space design and the impact that has on today’s work spaces.

Khuzema also explains some of the simple elements we can integrate designs that will enhance wellbeing and improve productivity.

The Independent Minds is Made on Zencastr.

Zencastr is the all-in-one podcasting platform, on which you can create your podcast in one place and then distribute it to the major platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Google. It really does make making content so easy.

If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing and use our offer code ABECEDER. 

Travel to London

The best way to book travel to Glasgow, or anywhere else in Scotland is with the Ultimate Travel Club. 

The Ultimate Travel Club is where you will get trade prices on travel including flights, and hotels.

Access the Ultimate Travel Club at  and use our offer code to receive a discount on your membership fee.

ABEC79

You can find out more about both Michael Millward, and Khuzema Hussain, of Collective Works at Abeceder.  

Being a Guest

If you would like to be a guest on The Independent Minds, please contact Abeceder.

We recommend that potential guests take one of the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you have liked this episode of The Independent Minds, please give it a like and download it so that you can listen any time anywhere. 

To make sure you do not miss future editions please subscribe.

Remember, the aim of all the podcasts produced by Abeceder is not to tell you what to think, but we do hope to make you think!

Thank you for listening.

The law exists to protect people and help them to achieve justice when they have been wronged by the actions of another person or an organisation.

Billy Smith of a law firm headquartered in Glasgow which trades as both Complete Clarity Solicitors and Simplicity Legal believes that accessing the law, for many people, means instigating legal action.

Billy says that legal action should not be a foregone conclusion of a visit to a solicitor. Legal action is, a daunting prospect, it will undoubtedly be expensive, even for the winner and an incredibly stressful experience for everyone.

In this episode of The Independent Minds, Billy explains to Michael Millward that he believes the law provides a structure to help people to resolve problems, and how win-win outcomes can be achieved by solicitors without the need for legal action.

The Independent Minds is Made on Zencastr.

Zencastr is the all-in-one podcasting platform, on which you can create your podcast in one place and then distribute it to the major platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Google. It really does make making content so easy.

If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing and use our offer code ABECEDER.

Travel to Glasgow

Complete Clarity Solicitors and Simplicity Legal are based in Glasgow,  the city that smiles better.

The best way to book travel to Glasgow, or anywhere else in Scotland is with the Ultimate Travel Club. The Ultimate Travel Club is where you will get trade prices on travel including flights, and hotels. Use our offer code to receive a discount on your membership fee. ABEC79

You can find out more about both Michael Millward, Billy Smith, Complete Clarity Solicitors and Simplicity Legal at Abeceder.co.uk.

Complete Clarity Solicitors has offices in

• Glasgow 
• Dumfries 
• East Kilbride and
• Edinburgh 

Simplicity Legal has offices in

• Glasgow 
• Dumfries and
• Edinburgh 

Being a Guest

If you would like to be a guest on The Independent Minds, please contact Abeceder.

We recommend that potential guests take one of the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you have liked this episode of The Independent Minds, please give it a like and download it so that you can listen any time anywhere.

To make sure you do not miss future editions please subscribe.

Remember, the aim of all the podcasts produced by Abeceder is not to tell you what to think, but we do hope to make you think!

Blueprint Media facilitated this episode of The Independent Minds.

It is reassuring to know that anyone who arrives at my home to work on a gas appliance, boiler, cooker, or fire has been trained and has passed exams. That is because gas engineer is a regulated profession. 

The list of regulated professions includes:

• Primary School Teacher
• Dental Hygienist
• Solicitor
• Social Worker
• Air Traffic Controller
• Farrier 
• Door Supervisor

Missing from the extensive list is Electrician.

This means that the person who arrives at my home, or workplace to work on anything from rewiring a light switch to fitting solar panels or an electric vehicle charging point does not need to have been trained or registered with an official organisation.

Alan Wilson is the managing director of SELECT, the trade association for the electrical contracting industry in Scotland and is also Scotland's largest construction trade Association. 

In this episode of The Independent Minds Alan tells Michael Millward how anyone can call themselves an electrician regardless of the training they may or may not have had.

As our lives become increasingly dependent on ever more complex electrical systems this is something that SELECT are hoping to change.

We found a video on YouTube that sort of sums up the problem.

Other Websites Mentioned in the Episode of The Independent Minds

• Joint Industry Board of the Electrical Industry 
• Electrical Contractors Association England, Wales, and Northern Ireland 
• National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) 

This description includes advertising links.

The Independent Minds is made on Zencastr.

Zencastr is the all-in-one podcasting platform, on which you can create your podcast in one place and then distribute it to the major platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Google. It really does make creating content so easy.

If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing and use our offer code ABECEDER. 

Travel to Scotland

If you would like to visit Scotland where SELCT is based, a good place to plan your travel is The Ultimate Travel Club. It is where you will get trade prices on travel including flights, and hotels.

Visit the Ultimate Travel Club and use our offer code to receive a discount on your membership fee. ABEC79

You can find out more about both Michael Millward, Alan Wilson and Select at abeceder.

Being a Guest

We recommend that potential guests take one of the podcasting guest training programmes available from Work Place Learning Centre.

If you have liked this episode of The Independent Minds, please give it a like and download it so that you can listen any time anywhere. 

To make sure you do not miss future editions please subscribe.

Remember, the aim of all the podcasts produced by Abeceder is not to tell you what to think, but we do hope to make you think!

Blueprint Media facilitated this episode of The Independent Minds.

In 1983 Elias van den Akker, popularly known as Al founded Ideal Schools in Glasgow.

To celebrate forty years of successfully delivering professional education to the financial community, and his retirement Al joins Michael Millward, the managing director of Abeceder.

Al explains how the student-centred approach to professional education provided at Ideal Schools helped the company to establish itself in a crowded and competitive market place. It is an approach that created an engaged student body and an active alumni network. Many of whom joined Al at his retirement party.

Michael and Al discovered similarities in their own professional education and discuss how their education as HR professionals and employee relations influenced their approach to customer-care.

Successful employee relations and successful customer relations require the same skills and the same focus on delivering what the person needs to be successful

Al has transferred leadership of Ideal Schools to his son Scott,

If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing and use my offer code ABECEDER.

Ideal Schools is based in Glasgow, Scotland. If you would like to visit the city of Glasgow or Scotland, the best way to plan your travel is with The Ultimate Travel Club.

Visit https://www.ultimatetravelclub.com/and use our offer code ABEC79

In professional services, like legal, financial services, management consultancy, the client always comes first. It is the sort of commitment that means professionals must often work long hours. Family and other commitments take second place.

So, what happens when a legal firm decides to find a way of working that will both enable their professional team to improve their work life balance without dropping the client always comes first commitment.

Michael Millward the managing director of Abeceder finds out how London based legal firm Tan Ward achieved this objective from employment law partner Daniela Korn.

Michael Millward the founder of Abeceder and the host of The Independent Minds introduces the podcast.

MIchael explains the reasons why he wanted to have a podcast about independent out of the box thinking, and how that fits with his approach to doing HR management.

Anthony Lewis a director of Tile Hill, a recruitment company and provider of interim management services explains to The Independent Minds host and managing director of Abeceder, Michael Millward what it takes to create a successful career as an interim manager.

The interim manager market is changing, and demand for people with experience of creating and managing change is increasing over the long-term. Anthony explains to Michael what clients look for when selecting an interim manager. They also discuss the experience, skills, and knowledge that a prospective interim manager needs before they embark on a career as an interim manager.

For more information about Tile Hill and to access the resources discussed by Anthony please visit the Tile Hill website here

Access the Institute of Interim Management 2023 Report at this link