Win hearts and minds for your charity’s work
The need for social change has never been clearer – it’s vital people come together to create a more equal world.
Strategic communications can help make that world a reality, helping people see social issues in a new light. They use evidence-based methods to tap into our shared human experience and motivate people to support progressive change.
Equally Ours is offering free training and consultancy to share this powerful way of communicating with organisations in London, so you can share the value of your work and move public and policy-makers’ attitudes and behaviour on the issues you care about.
The training will provide a broad grounding in strategic communications, giving you:
- Insight into how and why people form attitudes
- Find ways to connect people to your cause through values
- Discover what to say and why, and how to say it
- Explore how other charities have used this approach to change public views on poverty, migration and race
What are strategic communications and reframing?
Did you know that myth-busting often leaves people believing the myth more? Or that when people see how huge a problem is, they’re less likely to do anything about it?
Strategic communications explains these phenomena. It looks at ‘frames’ that many people hold – familiar stories and concepts that help us understand the world, but can end up being barriers to new ideas and progressive change. Reframing shows us how to work with these frames and change them, so that people see social issues more clearly.
Strategic communications explains why people respond more strongly to some messages than others, and shows us how to root our communication in important values, using techniques and structures that can help people understand complex issues and change hearts and minds.
What does the programme include?
- Welcome session to meet everyone on the programme, and hear about how we’ll work together
- Three half-day workshops, carried out on Zoom. The sessions build on one another, with practical exercises and results you can use straight away
- Three practical community of practice sessions, to work through exercises and share thoughts, ideas and feedback
- Half a day of free consultancy for advice on producing or embedding strategic communications, or any other area of comms
- Resources and recordings of sessions
- A learners community for everyone who has attended the course to stay in touch, hear about the latest research, and share successes
Who should join?
The programme is tailored to organisations in London working to influence locally on inequality and disadvantage.
It is particularly suited to advice and advocacy services, campaigning organisations, food banks, DDPOs, racial justice organisations, trade unions, violence against women organisations, LGBTQ+ charities, regeneration charities, mental health organisations, organisations working for children’s, young people’s and older people’s rights, faith groups working on social justice, refugee groups, and more.
We will prioritise equality organisations (those led by and for a community of people) and Trust for London funded projects. Two places are reserved for organisations working in the racial justice space.
Anyone who communicates externally for their organisation will benefit from this learning, particularly people with roles in campaigning, communications, policy and public affairs, leadership positions and spokespeople.
Experts by experience and spokespeople with lived experience of the issues being addressed are particularly encouraged to join us.
If you’re unsure if this programme is right for you or your organisation, email us and we’ll be happy to talk things through.
Accessibility and inclusion
A range of accessibility features are included in the programme, to make it suitable for as many people as possible. This includes:
- Regular breaks
- Written and verbal instructions for exercises
- Material suitable for a range of neuro-diverse people
- A mix of content and learning styles
- Large group, small group and individual learning
- Videos of sessions
- Visually accessible training practices
- Captions
STTR captioners, BSL or Sign Supported English are available on request. Please share your requirements when booking and we’ll get in touch to make arrangements.
Where, when and how much?
This training is free to organisations who meet the criteria above, thanks to funding from Trust for London.
There are regular short and long programmes throughout the year. To receive announcements about these please join the Equally Ours mailing list
Other learning options
We know that the funding criteria for this programme may mean great organisations cannot attend. Equally Ours can provide low cost learning across the UK, including:
- Online or in person workshops and programmes
- Introductory talks and conference workshops
- Reframing and strategic communications consultancy
To commission sessions for your event, grantees, local area or sector, contact Cat Whitehouse, Head of Strategic Communications: cat.whitehouse@equallyours.org.uk.
