There is an election where I live this Thursday, Who knew?
For you Anglicans out there, don’t be fooled by the headline, we are being invited to select our Police and Crime Commissioner, but I suspect most people know nothing about it, who the candidates are, or the issues they want to address.
As a result, all the predictions are that turnout will be very low; although many local residents care deeply about policing and crime. Why is this?
If we asked people why they did not vote, many would say that they had not received any information and, even if they did know there was an election, did not feel they knew enough to take part as a result. Whatever we may feel about this particular election and the likely turnout it does throw into sharp relief the importance of effective communication.
Whether you are involved with a charity, church or other organisation, I am sure that you have great news to share about the things you have on offer and I am pretty certain that you wished more people knew about what you did. Surely, if only they knew, people would love to get involved?
Charities are often criticised for spending too much energy on communication and not enough on the actual good cause, but if the upcoming election teaches us anything it is the importance of telling our stories well.
This does not necessarily have to be via an expensive marketing campaign; contact me if you would like to talk about how you might go about doing more to get the story you have to tell out there.