Communicating to win hearts and minds - next event from the CIM Charity and Social Marketing Group

To affect change, we need people to connect with our causes and take action. In this practical workshop lead by the Equally Ours team, learn how behavioural science can help us understand why people respond to different messages and how you can write communications to influence your target audiences. Booking open now.

The benefits of using behaviour science insights when planning communications is a fast-growing trend in social and charity marketing. Drawing on the growing body of evidence that says we can shift public opinion and policy in a progressive direction if we understand what people really think about a social issue and why, and then show how our work is deeply connected to the things they care about. Once we have established those connections, we can then influence people to make changes, take action, support our efforts, and even raise money for our causes – using an approach known as ‘strategic communications’. 

Strategic communications take the insights from behavioural science to understand why people respond to some messages over others, and then uses techniques of ‘values’ and ‘framing’ to create messages that change hearts and minds.

The next Charity and Social Marketing Group workshop condenses the theory and practice of ‘strategic communications’ into a bite-sized practical event. You will leave having learnt the key ingredients of this powerful approach so that you can test it out in your organisation. You will also hear about the benefits that one of the UK’s leading charities, the NSPCC, is seeing since adopting this approach.

The workshop will be led by Kathryn Quinton and Alice Jennings from Equally Ours. Equally, Ours brings together people and organisations working across equality, human rights and social justice to make a reality of these in everyone’s lives. Their strategic communications programme has been spearheading this evidence-based, value-led approach to social change for seven years. Their next training Communicating for Changeworkshops are now open for booking at www.equallyours.org.uk/strategic-communications/strategic-communications-training

The NSPCC is an early adopter of strategic communications. They commissioned behavioural science research into how their target audience thinks and feels about the key issues they campaign on and are using those insights to shape their communications – internal and external. Ruth Bull from the Strategic Policy Unit will talk about how this approach has changed their internal communications across the organisation and the benefits they are seeing as a result. They have also been using the techniques of strategic communications when working with external partners including the police and local authorities to help partners develop a ‘shared language’ around child safety. The practical process of developing a shared language has been a really important step in collaborating with partners and everyone being clear about the changes that are needed. You can read more about the work of the NSPCC at www.nspcc.org.uk

Event details: 7 May at 6pm for 6.30pm start. 

Mintel, 4 Playhouse Yard, London EC4V 5EX

Charity employees ￡10. Ring the Regional Events team on 01628 427340 and tell them your charity name and registered charity number. 

Event details and book online at www.cim.co.uk/event/96348