With Muckle Media, Managing Director Nathalie Agnew and guest speaker, Connect Three, Client Development Director Shona Marshall. We’re halfway through our #CommsCamp series with this week’s workshop focussing around ‘capacity’ and how you can use the resources you have to best create a long-term plan. We also delved into the ‘insights programme’ and explored what a colour coding system says about your personality and how you interact with your colleagues and peers. How does your organisation work? Due to the current climate situation many organisations are reforming and adapting their team structures. It goes without saying but diversity is key across the entire organisation not only communications. The breadth of ideas and scoop of understanding is endless, have a look at this within your teams and from a recruitment perspective. A few examples of the most common structures include;

• Hierarchical team Traditional structure which includes clear job titles Everyone reports into the next level up Often found in big organisations and places like the army Decisions get made at the top and passed down the chain Easy to manage

• Flat organisation Completely flat People have choice over what direction things go in Needs really good organisational culture to ensure things get done More businesses are embracing this flatter structure, in particular purpose led organisations

• Holacratic People work in bubbles to support each other

• Servant leadership Hierarchical structure flipped The leader of the organisation sits at the bottom and asks how they can help and support their employees

Nathalie favours the servant leadership structure and believes a good exercise for the team is to think about what structure you want to have, is it built for the future and true to the companies’ values? Personal development They say every day’s a school day and this applies to our personal development where a huge blend of skills is required in marketing, communications and PR. The PESO channel model (paid media, earned media, shared media and owned media) covers a huge range of skill sets and behaviours from analytical thinkers to creative, extroverts – we can’t expect to be able to do all of this at an expert level. Nathalie believes there is a big issue when it comes to appreciating these unique skills as a lot of organisations look for people experienced in all areas as opposed to a more specialist role. Think about what you enjoy doing and are naturally good at and you are more likely to achieve better outcomes. No matter what level you get to in your career, there’s always room for evolving and developing your skills. A few places you might want to consider going for extra training are PRCA, CIPR, Marketing Society, college/university courses or the IoD. The CommsCamp series is included in the CIPR CPD database, so don’t forget to log your points if you are a CIPR member! High & lows of teamwork As a high-performance team, how can understanding insights help achieve big things? Shona believes this can be accomplished by four fundamental things: process, focus, climate and flow. Each of us has a unique perspective on how important they are for us as individuals, but ultimately the combination is vital for a high performing team and here are some things to consider; Process – People want to know how it works from a people process point of view. What level of clarity do people have about the ‘norms’ within the team? Is there the right blend of skills? Focus – Is there a shared purpose that every team member understands and believes in? Is there a purpose and desire to deliver accountability? Climate – Consider the current climate, the more variable circumstances within a team the more challenging it can be for people to communicate. Flow – You know you’re in the flow when you’re in it! If you’re in the flow of a great team you’ll remember it and feeling it brought you. The Insights® system is a really accessible way for people to find out where they fit within a team. Shona uses four colour energies to determine behavioural aspects. You may have a preference for one over the other, but it’s important to remember we’re not solely one colour, the mix of colours help us bring different and unique things to the table. Typical traits include;

• Red: Extrovert, Focussed, Competitive, People Orientated
• Yellow: Extrovert, Socially Dynamic, Persuasive, Enthusiastic
• Green: Introvert, Feel, Care, Inclusive, Empathy (which we can see being dialled up during the pandemic)
• Blue: Introvert, Cautious, Precise, Detail Orientated

If you’d like to explore the insights programme and self-awareness more to become a high performing communications team contact Shona [email protected] #CommsCamp runs every Thursday 09:30 – 10:30 via Facebook Live & live updates on Twitter. If you missed the capacity session you can view it back here: https://fb.watch/1XyCKk2zg/ For more information regarding our media training courses, please e-mail [email protected]