December 2022
Spreading The Word
We are determined to go out of 2022 with the same passion, focus and purpose we entered it with and what better way to do so than by focussing on a Leadership Theme that has the power to raise the visibility of an ERG/Network and increase its reputation, recognition and reach – the topic of communication.
This month we will help you to navigate the ‘communication challenge’ of getting the language, tone and pace right when it comes to discussing the complex and often misunderstood or shied-away-from territory of ‘disability’.
Establishing a brand identity for your ERG/Network and then communicating that within and across your organisation can reap huge rewards, far outweighing the time spent thinking about purpose, creating key messages and befriending the Communications department. In doing so, take on board these tips about branding from Joanna Allen, Graze: “Iconic brands do two things particularly well. One is that they tell human stories, and the second is that they do that consistently over time”, and from Angela Lewis, Companies House: “Think of the essence of who your organisation is culturally. Then build on those core values.”
Tap into our resources and peer engagement opportunities this month (listed below) to assist you in spreading the word about the work and purpose of your ERG/Network in the most powerful way. Invest the time, capture the essence, make it iconic.
December learning & development opportunities
Connect with your peers at one of this month’s peer group learning sessions – these small, interactive one-hour sessions for ERG/Network leaders and those working towards disability inclusion are a great way to share good practice, swap ideas, share challenges and opportunities and build your leadership capabilities.
We have two sessions to choose from:
Further reading & helpful resources
Our extensive Resource Library has a number of resources to support you in embedding this month’s theme, including:
- Stance: Short guide about communicating your work on disability and building your organisation’s ‘disability identity’.
- Virtually Purple: Briefing paper for those wishing to explore with their organisation the pros and cons of using social media to drive disability confidence from the inside out.
- Branding Disability: Short briefing paper on how and why to build a great brand proposition.