How much does media training cost? Well, the answer would have been staring you in the face if like me you read the ‘i’ newspaper this morning. A story, quoting a response to a Freedom Of Information Request, says that Scottish Government Finance Minister Derek Mackay underwent a course of public speaking training last year at a cost of £972.12. It wasn’t Comsteria who delivered that work but we have run similar courses either for Read more…
Increasingly communications teams want to produce regular video content in-house using smartphones or DSLR cameras. I’ve seen this strategy used to great effect to connect with internal and external audiences on a regular basis. I’ve also seen first hand the obstacles communications teams face. Sometimes before they’ve even got their video dreams off the starting line. A closed company culture, lack of access to equipment, strained budgets, poor ICT support, and most of all Read more…
It’s not the old trains, the delays, the WiFi or the political climate. Scotrail’s biggest problem is that no-one feels valued. It starts with the staff. The company has given them the impression that it’s more important that they attend to menial chores around the station than deal face to face with customers. So we see those appalling signs in front of the closed ticket booths saying ‘I’m currently dealing with essential tasks’, such as Read more…
Building an employee brand I’ve written before about how the superhero story structure or Hero’s journey can act as a template for external communications teams to craft strong brand videos. These stories can cut to the heart of your company’s values and communicate the big picture of your organisation to a large audience. This story structure is also effective for internal communications professionals. It can help you perform one of your key roles which is Read more…
You know that video content is more effective than the written word alone when it comes to getting your business noticed so you’re thinking of enlisting the services of a production company to help kick start your organisation’s video output. But what can you expect when working with an outside video expert such as Comsteria? And what is your role in the whole process? Whether you’re a communications professional or a small business owner, we’ve Read more…
Much has been made recently of Global’s purchase of two leading ‘Out Of Home’ advertising companies, which gives the radio and entertainment giant based at 30 Leicester Square a huge market share of what we used to call ‘billboard’ or ‘poster’ advertising sites. Various commentators are throwing their opinions around regarding what it all means and what might happen next. It seems to me that the big race in advertising right now is to be Read more…
Every business should be aware of its intellectual property. It can become a very valuable asset and where better to start than, with your own business name. Assuming you’ve chosen a name that falls within the acceptable criteria, then you should be able to trademark it and you don’t necessarily require a ‘trademark lawyer’ to do it for you. The Intellectual Property Office has a very straightforward system called ‘RightStart’. This means you pay £100 Read more…
Colin Kelly is the voice of the new radio ad for Scottish takeaway app ‘Scoffable‘. You can hear the commercial on Clyde 1 throughout November 2018. If you’d like Colin Kelly to provide the voice for your next commercial, e-learning project or corporate video, please visit www.colinkellyvoice.com where you’ll be able to listen to a selection of voiceover showreels. Colin can deliver voiceovers from our Comsteria studio in Glasgow city centre and from his home Read more…
We’re quick enough to have a rant about the things we don’t like, so let’s sing the praises of an amazing business we’ve encountered recently. It’s called ‘Karrdale‘ and they’re a training and consultancy provider, dedicated to helping organisations get the best out of their people. Issues like leadership, safety, adapting to change and performance management are all part of what they do. We saw one of their team, Chris Woods, hosting a session at Read more…
Our ‘Secrets Of Successful Podcasting’ workshop ran in Manchester yesterday. Big thanks to all the participants who were brilliant, taking part with such enthusiasm and energy and making terrific progress throughout the day. The event was organised by the CIPR North West (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) and hosted at the excellent training room facilities at the Doubletree by Hilton, Manchester Piccadilly. I keep this course as practical as possible – you really learn how Read more…