Communications

Translating your strategy into meaningful communications with your internal and external stakeholders is essential for any professional organisation competing in the modern world. At the most fundamental level, The Knowledge Partnership can help you to develop your core proposition to market and refine this into a set of meaningful key messages that will be integrated across all of your communications channels - generating resonance with the market and impact.

We will customise the communications solution to the needs of your institution, but here are some of the areas we can offer expertise in:

Public Relations
Advising you on how to run events, present open days, deal with VIP visits, and capture the attention of the press is a key area of our expertise. We can work alongside your in-house team, provide management help at times of overload, act as a creative sounding board, or take over the promotion of a particular event in its entirety. We have extensive experience of VIP visits, the opening of buildings, media lunches, press conferences, breakfast briefings, stakeholder receptions, and large scale public events. Our public relations also cover day to day media relations including:

• Media planning and strategic alignment
  
• Media relations (editors and journalists)
  
• Media spokesperson,
• Media monitoring and evaluation.

Public Affairs
We have worked closely with government departments and advisors on many educational issues, and can help you promote your own organisation's political agenda. We have Knowledge Partnership advisors who work at the top level of political affairs.

Media Training
We provide hands on media training for small groups or individuals, working with journalists from the national media. Covering the basics of print and broadcast interviews, we explain how to get your messages across effectively and in the most suitable forum. We also cover crisis press management, writing for the print media, placing articles, launching initiatives, and dealing with journalists.

Crisis Management
We can help create a strategy to prepare you for inevitable crises, unexpected events and times when your reputation is suddenly put at risk. Advice on how to set up a crisis press office, how to deal with your key stakeholders, recovery solutions, and reputation management are some of the areas in which we can offer support.

• Issues monitoring/management
  
• Crisis planning
  
• Implementation strategies
  
• On call crisis response
  
• Media outreach
  
• Community relations
• Evaluation and review.

Communications Strategy
Every organisation needs to think about its key messages, and how to effectively communicate with stakeholders. The Knowledge Partnership has significant expertise in working out purposeful and effective communications solutions. We can offer practical help with structuring your strategy, as well as market research advice with external stakeholders or staff including:

• Internal and external communications
  
• Audience segmentation
  
• Stakeholder analysis
  
• Message definition
  
• Tactical implementation
• Auditing its effectiveness, and adapting it to meet future needs.

Writing for the press and the public
Getting your message across to lay audiences requires a good grasp of straightforward prose, and an understanding of how to present your message in a way that will grab the attention of your audience. The Knowledge Partnership can provide specific help with press releases, news web pages, and publications.

Publications
We have longstanding expertise in production of publications, including Annual Reports, house style guidelines, celebratory publications, media guides, prospectuses, flyers, and research-specific publications. Including:

• Concept
  
• Editorial
  
• Copywriting
  
• Design and imagery
  

Print/distribution
We can help with initial competitor comparisons or customer feedback on existing formats or editorial content. Alternatively, we can project manage publications in their entirety for you, taking care of editorial, design and print buying.

Website and E-Marketing
We can assist you to develop an effective web communication strategy utlising new technologies to maximum effect and impact. We can assist you in lifting your website beyond that of a static ‘notice board’ to a truly represent your school’s personality. Including the following:

• Structure
  
• Content and concept design
  
• Search engine optimisation
  
• Copywriting
  
• Web traffic analysis
  
• Web 2.0 strategies
  
• E-communications
  
• E-advertising

Team leadership and management
Interim management roles plus retainer option for strategic overview and direction of in-house teams.

In-service training for staff and management

• Marketing planning and implementation
  
• Alignment with business planning
  
• Internal/external communications planning.