If you could hand your children one skill, and only one, what would it be? Storytelling? It might be the single most useful thing a human being can do.

A first-time public consultation needs a single, experienced communications partner managing engagement from the start, not a form thrown online and a press release announcing it afterwards. Here is what to look for in a partner if this is the first major consultation your team has run.

A step-by-step guide to preparing police, council or public sector spokespeople for difficult media interviews, written from the journalist's side of the table.

Most people working in communications are trying to do the right thing. They want to steady the situation, reduce harm, and keep trust intact. But "strategic comms" can slide into defensiveness easily, and the response can end up sounding more like protecting credibility than listening.

This article explores seven of the most common communication mistakes local authorities make and offers practical solutions that communications teams can implement immediately.