People buy People

Since I started working in public relations 20+ years ago, things have changed big time! From technology evolving to consumer habits changing, the economy, Brexit, COVID, Russia's war on Ukraine and the cost of living crisis. But some things remain the same. We focus on engaging real actual people and we still need to listen, act, adapt and build relationships, in order to build trust. Plus a few other thoughts! Thanks for tuning in, don't forget to leave a review and subscribe! Laura

Since relaunching Aura on World Environment Day, with a specific focus on sustainable business, I've been conducting a lot of one-to-one webinars. The webinars are meant to help explain my proposition and how the Synergy Framework© works. Along the way, I've been tweeking my slides for different audiences, (agencies, consultants, business owners, CEOs…) and taking note of things people have taken an interest in and also noted that may have been missing. On a recent webinar where I was talking to the Head of Corporate of an agency and the person asked me about governance, as I focussed a lot on sustainability. Sustainability is more than ‘just' the environment This is a misconception about sustainability, that it only focuses on environment. It's one I try and address head on in the presentation by explaining sustainability is about people, communities, the economy and the planet. Sustainability means that there is a future because you've future-proofed your business/organisation having recognised that change is inevitable. So, we were talking about that then I flicked back to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and referenced inclusion and equality. Then looked at Synergy© at the very first point, ‘Clarity', where we would clarify the current governance of the business/organisation before we even start. Why? Because how we can make it part of the transformation if we don't know where we are and where we are going? Don't leave it until the end Governance in ESG is also something I was talking to a fellow consultant about, and how it's often not considered until the end of the process, after a strategy and plan has been developed, often because part of the governance structure is broken in the first place and needs fixed for the strategy to work. It comes back to purpose, the make-up and role of the Board of Directors, values being aligned, ethics and transparency. Also, if there are shareholders, structure, reporting, risk and systems are measured. Listen and act Good governance means listening to stakeholders. Things that matter to them and high on the corporate agenda could include benefiting customers, employees and communities, as well as shareholders. This is why the stakeholder relations part of Synergy© is so important - you need to know them intimately in order to represent them and engage them. Diversity and equity is also much talked about, although not always acted on, with better representation, equal compensation being top of the list. The financial benefit of creating inclusive workplaces has already been proven, so what's stopping them? In summary, although the ‘G' of ‘ESG' is at the end, don't leave governance until the end of your process. It, like all other aspects, need to be fully integrated in order to be a) lived/practiced and b) have an impact. Please remember to subscribe to my podcast and also leave a review! And if you'd like to get in touch with me to work together, collaborate on a project, discuss my private client mentoring and development, or just to connect, drop me an email laura@auraadvisory.co or find me on socials @laurafromaura :)

Last week, the PRCA's Misinformation and the Climate Crisis Strategy Group launched its annual findings of the industry and the consumer research. It revealed that we must be more brave and lead the way in ethical communication. More than 9 out of ten (96%) of PR professionals now advise their clients and colleagues to understand the climate crisis and how they can effectively communicate the part they play - up from 82% last year Almost half (45%) have noticed their clients or organisation attempting to greenwash, however 89% have pushed back on this and 57% managed to change the approach as a result Almost all (97%) said they have taken action to address the climate crisis but only 48% measure their carbon footprint 71% of consumers say they would stop buying from a brand if they knew it had misled its customers about having a positive environmental impact 57% of the general public don't know the outcome of COP26 and a third (33%) felt the agreements made at the conference didn't affect them You can read my blog here and PRCA's news release and infographics here. I mention Aura's ground-breaking Synergy Framework again and I urge small businesses and agencies to get in touch to have a chat to see how I can help you get started. The worst thing you can do is nothing! I'll help guide you and give your teams the tools to do the graft.  View the framework here and please do get in touch!

In this episode, I talk about the 7 key messages from the Climate Change Committee Report, specifically on the UK's progress. Edie has kindly done the work for me and so I'm just picking out points to discuss for the show. Here's the blog and link to the report. Key points: 1) The UK is almost halfway to net-zero emissions… 2) …But less than 40% of future required emissions reductions are covered by policy 3) EV sales are ahead of predictions and trajectories 4) Buildings are a real problem point 5) The energy crisis hasn't been accounted for by Government 6) There could be too much reliance on unproven technology 7) The UK's land use needs a revamp   I refer to the Zero Waste Scotland funding and you can find that here www.circulartextilesfund.scot  I refer to the PRCA/Work Crowd sustainability event and you can find that here https://theworkcrowd.com/events/twc-prca-achieving-sustainability-in-2022  SCDI Business Purpose report for Scotland https://www.scdi.org.uk/business-purpose-commission-for-scotland-about/  If you need more information on how I can support businesses and organisations to a sustainable future and how to bring along your stakeholders, then do get in touch.  Please leave a review and subscribe! Thanks!

Laura refers to the article she read on McKinsey recently, about the 21st Century CEO. You can read it here. It talks through the six components of a great CEO:  - Be bold -Treat the soft stuff as the hard stuff - Solve for the team's psychology - Help directors help the business - Start with “Why?” - Do what only you can do Laura talks through the article and her thoughts about each of the points. There is a lot of resemblance to Laura's former campaigns, blogs and thinking. Please do share the podcast if you enjoyed it and don't forget to leave a review. You can follow me @laurafromaura or my consultancy @AuraAdvisory and my new website is www.auraadvisory.co 

Today is World Environment Day and it seemed appropriate to relaunch Aura on a day which mattered. Visit www.auraadvisory.co for the new website! Laura has been thinking and developing ideas over the last couple of years and these last few weeks everything has come together. Aura's senior communication and business advisory is now launched and ready to help organisations accelerate to a sustainable future. Responsible businesses are sustainable businesses. Aura also launches its ground-breaking ‘Synergy Framework©', which aims to bring businesses and organisations, their strategies, policies and decision-making, into alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through research, collaboration, integration and strategic communication. It's flexible and scalable depending on sector and size of organisation, and the starting point for any business which wants to work towards a sustainable future. To be sustainable, a business has to be profitable, it has to recruit and retain the best talent, it has to advance and modernise with technology. Stakeholders demand that businesses and organisations be more sustainable but too often businesses don't know where to start or jump right into offsetting, or worse, greenwashing. The only inevitable is change and will only accelerate further in tech and innovation, ways of working, culture and more. Organisations need to consider the impact of their decisions on their staff, customers, community, and environment, to ensure a sustainable future, good reputation and great relationships. Tangible SDG successes and failures are felt most directly in towns, neighbourhoods and villages, in homes, workplaces and communities, and that's where the work of public relations and communication professionals impacts – everyday lives. Aura's integration of strategic communication and stakeholder relations fits seamlessly with the framework, bringing everyone along on the journey.  Fancy a chat about how we could collaborate and accelerate change? Drop me an email laura@auraadvisory.co or a DM on Twitter @auraadvisory @laurafromaura  The only inevitable is change. Are you ready?

In this solo episode, Laura talks about Aura's carbon footprint over the last 12 months and how she's included her own personal mileage, Aura being Accredited by the Good Business Charter and the BIG news coming your way on Sunday 5 June. It's been a busy old month so far! The PRCA's survey I mention is here https://survey.opiniumresearch.co.uk/p?qif=ce267b93-554f-4649-84c6-9c9498cd3e22&qsid=cbaf7c61-677e-448c-a18e-0ae92ea15a9c You've got until Friday to complete it and be in with the chance of winning £100 Amazon voucher. As always, please share, subscribe and leave a review!  Speak soon! Laura :)

Last week, CIPR Wales asked me to chair a panel event around reputation, following a keynote from Amanda Coleman about reputation and crisis communication. Last week was also #GetChartered week, so fittingly, I split the conversation into three categories which the Chartered assessment is centred round - leadership, ethics and strategy. Tune in to hear about proactive and reactive reputation management, the role leaders must play and how we must be more brave in our roles. Thanks for tuning in, please remember to leave a review and subscribe. Also, follow @CIPR_Cymru for when they share the Senior Practitioner Forum webinar and podcast! 

In this solo episode, I talk through the challenges I've faced in Q1 and what's to come in 2022, including the following: - PRFest and PRsUnite update - the importance of line managers - the importance of pushing back and having a good reason - giving permission to your team to take time out - being nice - the feeling that 2022, the year that was supposed to be 'better', is a long way off, with food and fuel poverty, war, rising COVID cases and more uncertainty. As always, please leave me some feedback and a review and please share this episode so others can tune in. If you've got a project you'd like me to work with you on, please drop me an email laura@aura-pr.com to discuss or give me a call on 07764 936840. I have availability to work on stakeholder relations, crisis planning, audits and research from April.

Every year it's good to revisit what your podcast show is about and so this year, I want to focus again on relationships and trust.  I want to bring you my professional experiences and discuss them, giving you helpful advice based on real scenarios. The single biggest challenge I've experienced is that businesses still think of 'comms' as sending out messages. The art of communication is data-based, human and should be developed with behaviours and actions at the heart of it.  I'll cover everything from working remotely to better engaging audiences, plus segmenting audiences and being truly targeted to get better results.  Tune in on your podcast app, if you're a subscriber already, please do leave me a review, and if you'd like further information about how you can work with me, please visit www.lauramsutherland.com. You can follow me @laurafromaura on most channels. Thanks and look forward to your feedback!

Chris Love, of Love PR, went back to do a Masters degree during lockdown and chose an area of his work, to research and explore. He chose to look at communication in organisations who work in the domestic and sexual trauma sector in the UK.  A fascinating read and discussion covering learnings, opportunities and a festive greeting from me! Thanks for tuning in to my show in 2021. It's been up and down, just the nature of the year, but I promise to do better in 2022! I'll plan ahead! If you'd like Chris' report, please follow him and drop him a DM on Twitter @chrislovepr or email chris@lovepr.co.uk  If you've enjoyed the show and past episodes, please consider recommending and sharing the link with your network.  If you've got any feedback or suggestions, please email me laura@aura-pr.com  Happy Holidays and all the best for 2022!  

John Brown is not only CEO of agency Don't Cry Wolf, he's also Chair of the PRCA's Misinformation and Climate Strategy Group, which I'm also part of. We're pushing ahead with plans to educate our industry and enable them to have access to resources and tools to help spot misinformation, call it out and to celebrate best practice. In this episode, John and I talk about the group's plans, but more importantly, what and how we can help our clients and organisations get real. If you'd like to support the group by sending us a great case study, offer a spot on your podcast, or guest blog for the new online hub we're developing, you can get in touch with John (or me) john@dontcrywolf.com (laura@aura-pr.com) . Follow @PRCA_HQ @brownbare @laurafromaura. Please share this episode with your network to help spread the word and get more people involved in the conversation and taking action.

Community building isn't new, but there's a real opportunity for PR and communication professionals to use their existing skills, and build on them, to build communities. In this episode Michelle Goodall, who's CMO at Guild, talks about the opportunities and the challenges. Some great learning points in this episode about the difference between community platforms vs social media platform groups, too. You can find Michelle on Twitter @GreenWellys and Guild here.

People are one of the biggest risks to businesses. From health and wellbeing to unethical behaviour and more. In this episode I talk about the top 10 risks identified from a Mercer report to the UK and slightly differently, globally. I'll be talking over a further 10 episodes about these specifically. This relates to so much of my thinking and some of my recent work. M&As will be on the horizon, businesses have been relaunched, but these are the risks to manage and the opportunities for the future.  If you'd like to be a guest on the show to discuss any of these 10 points, please get in touch. I'll be kicking off next week with the first.  Thanks for tuning in! Please remember to leave me a lovely review and some feedback plus, remember to subscribe to get the next episode directly to your app!     

I had the pleasure of speaking to Mark Bond, sorry Webb, earlier in the week and we had a great conversation around disability, having empathy and being human. Some great lessons in here from Mark about how to approach someone with a known disability and also, a great case study about the changing nature of disability and how someone performs. Mark Webb is a public speaker and campaigner for disability and indeed all flavours of diversity. He is also Head of Comms for Shift.ms, the social network for people with Multiple Sclerosis, especially the newly diagnosed. Mark's career has taken him through the PR gears at Disneyland Paris, The Walt Disney Co, David Lloyd Leisure and Dixons Retail. He plays Wheelchair Rugby badly and tweets too much.   Website: Shift.ms Blog: onemanandhiscatheters.com

In this episode Laura talks to Rod about defining issues and crises, leadership, the role we play and ESG.  Rod has launched a new model and we get around to talking about that too. I really enjoyed this episode as it shows how conversation can extract good practice, share with listeners and hopefully get other leaders to start to understand the true value of this type of work.  You can find Rod @RodCartwright on Twitter. For any suggestions of speakers or topics for the future, please drop me a DM or email. @laurafromaura or laura@aura-pr.com    About Rod Rod is the Founder of Rod Cartwright Consulting – a strategic communication consulting firm with a simple mission: to enhance human preparedness, organizational resilience and business performance. He has 25+ years of communication consulting and training experience, specializing in issues management & crisis communication; corporate reputation & thought leadership; leadership communication & executive preparedness; public affairs & stakeholder engagement; and, integrated communication strategy. Rod has held board-level positions at three international top-10 communication consultancy networks (GCI, Hill & Knowlton and Ketchum) – rising to Partner and Global Corporate Practice Director at Ketchum, before becoming EMEA Regional Director at Text100.   He has advised major corporations and brands ranging from Nissan, IBM, Dell, Accenture, Gazprom, KFC, Nutricia and DHL to IATA, Toyota, Quorn, Western Union, McKinsey, P&G and Takeda. His front-line experience in crisis communication and board-level support includes being a key part of the three-person team advising the Chairman, CEO, legal counsel and Emergency Operations Centre team of Malaysia Airlines in the months following the disappearance of Flight MH370 and then advising its sovereign owners on the subsequent restructuring of the airline. He is a Founding Fellow and former board member of the PRCA, was Deputy Chair of the PRCA's COVID-19 Global Taskforce and leads the Crisis & Risk Communication Working Group of the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD). He is a regular international conference speaker and panelist on crisis communication, reputation management and leadership communication.   Connect with Rod on LinkedIn.    

Five jam-packed days of content from some truly inspirational speakers from around the world. PRFest has once again changed its game to be fully virtual and using three different platforms to run the event, taking PRFest to where PR pros already hang out. £50 for 5 days, which is £10 a day, to learn from other people's experiences, research, discussions and an opportunity to figure out how you will then take all of that away and apply it to your own practice.  I'm so excited about this year! We're also donating £5 per ticket to the Taylor Bennett Foundation which PRFest has supported since 2017. You can find all details and book tickets at www.prfest.co.uk  Any questions, give me a shout.  I'd be SO grateful if you'd considering sharing the podcast to encourage other people to sign up. 

In this special episode, I get a bit excited but rightly so.  My PR business has been re-imagined inline with my passion, what I'm best at and will give me an excellent work-life balance. What else could I ask for?! I talk about focussing on my specialism, stakeholder engagement, and about how every single business and organisation should be reviewing their stakeholder plans, as everything has changed. Tune in, leave a review and on this occasion, I'd be so grateful if you could share my podcast. You can now find me at www.lauramsutherland.com     

In this episode of People Buy People, I chat to Steph Bridgeman who runs her own measurement business, Experienced Media Analysts, and is also a Director of AMEC.  As you know, measurement and evaluation is something I preach about often, so this was a great conversation.  It's also interesting to hear how Steph changed her business. Tune in to find out why, how and the impact its had.  You can find Steph here: www.experiencedmediaanalysts.com  https://twitter.com/stephbridgeman https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-bridgeman-134b7014/ https://amecorg.com/ - foundation course, fully online half day course launching in Q2 2021, watch this space!

Just off the backstage at the PRCA Virtual Summit and had to record this extra episode of the podcast!  Please let me know if you need support in this area.

Helen Jane Campbell is a former PR practitioner and is now a coach to the freelance, founder and creative community. Her now book lands NOW (there's a discount code if you listen to the podcast!), and we talk about why she left PR to be a coach, how the book came about and there are some really useful tips around mindset and how we can approach our work/life. You can find Helen @coachingbyhelen on Instagram or here on Facebook. As always, thanks for tuning in to People Buy People and I'd love it would leave a review/feedback. Don't forget to subscribe so you get the next episode right to your app!

Shayoni Lynn, Founder of Lynn PR, is my special guest today on International Women's Day 2021. Shay and I have known each other for a couple of years through work with the PRCA. Lynn PR's work, using behavioural science as its roots, to determine the communication strategy, is a shining example of robust methodology and approach to measuring impact, not least actually affecting behaviour change. You can find Shay on Twitter @shayonislynn or LinkedIn, here.  As always please do leave a review and don't forget to subscribe for more discussions!

For the last year, Claire and I have collaborated on a Zoom/Insta Live journey to help SMEs navigate lockdown and keep communicating with their audiences.I was pleased she agreed to come on the podcast and talk about stuff we chat about regularly, because I don't know if everyone is on the same page?This conversation got interesting when we chatted about community building and how Facebook is evolving with a beta of 'stars', which to me, looks like the start of crypto currency on the platform.Tune in, leave a review for us, and please remember to share and subscribe! I'd love to keep my conversations going with PR and communication professionals, giving different perspectives and food for thought. If you're up for being a guest, get in touch to tell me about your episode idea!

My first guest episode of People buy People in 2021 features a discussion with Simon Francis, Founding Member of Campaign Collective and past Chair of PRCA Council. We talk about social impact, the need for collaboration, the need to work closer with business organisations and government, plus the upcoming COP26 in Glasgow. LOTS to discuss and there will definitely be a follow-up episode!Please remember to leave a review and if you want more episodes automatically in your app, remember to subscribe! You can find Simon @si_francis on Twitter or visit https://campaigncollective.org Thanks for tuning in!

Hello and Happy New Year!Another year, another lockdown...Welcome to the first episode of People Buy People in 2021. I wanted to kick off with a quick summary of what's on and an invitation to those of you in PR and communication, to join #PRsUnite on 13th and 27th January at 3pm. It's a global Zoom call for people in PR and communication who want to chew the fat, ask questions, bust myths or generally just want to find a good community of colleagues. In this episode I talk about PRCA Scotland new Vice Chairs, my role in a new PRCA working group on COP26, losing some business due to lockdown but the opportunities for my mentees and SMEs to work with me and understand the value of strategic public relations. Please do leave a review and subscribe for the next episode, coming 19 January! 

In this final episode of the year, I talk about my experience of the last six months or so and an exciting new business I've set up as a side hustle www.wonkypickles.com (shipping across the UK in the New Year!).From setting up #PRsUnite in March for the global PR community to developing the CIPR's new mentoring scheme for members, to developing and launching my own development and coaching programme for private clients, then developing a framework to help existing and new clients re-ignite out of lockdown... it's been a busy and productive year, despite losing business so early-on.Don't forget to subscribe so you can get the latest episode straight to your streaming app AND if you've listened to my show this year, I'd really appreciate some feedback and a review on your streaming app.Thank you for tuning in! I wish you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous Christmas and New Year.  

Darryl Sparey of Hard Numbers, a new agency born in lockdown, chats to Laura about his latest addition to the family, how he plans to cope with work and life and about being a transparent industry.And no podcast featuring Darryl wouldn't be complete if John Brown from Don't Cry Wolf didn't get some love! lolYou can follow Darryl on Twitter @DarrylSparey - feel free to drop him a note.Also, as I indicate at the end of the show, I'm looking for guests for 2021 show. If you've got some PR, digital, communication diamond chat, get in touch and let's discuss! laura@aura-pr.com 

In this extended podcast episode, I chat to Katy Howell, CEO of Immediate Future, about a lot of things.Many laughs were edited out! lolKaty and I discuss back to basics of engaging on social media, the need for fun, proof points and we talk about cancel culture and how its evolving.Tune in and listen to our chat, and if you want to follow Katy, you can find her @katyhowell on Twitter or follow Immediate Future @iftweeter Thanks for listening! Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe! 

Angharad is Head of Client Success at Radioactive PR, was promoted earlier this year and has been on maternity leave but her focus has firmly been on the team and clients since she returned. Tune in for a great conversation about her leadership style, our thinking on industry leadership and what's required, plus some of the usual tangents!You can follow Angharad @Welsh_PR on Twitter.

It's fair to say Rax and I have a whole lot in common. We're both Virgos, love food, love chatting, straight talking and we both LOVE PR.In this episode, we talk about Rax's career journey, experiences and we both agree about up-skilling, robust measurement and being curious.I think I'll need to do a follow-up soon, so I can capture what was cut off by zoom! You can find Rax @RaxLakhani on Twitter. He's always on there ;)As always, please do leave a review and some feedback and it would be great if you could share the link and subscribe! 

Kirk Hazlett is a Professor, a Fellow of the PRSA and the stories he tells in this episode are gems.We talk about ethics, doing the right thing and following up what you say you'll do, with action.You can find Kirk @KirkHazlett on Twitter and here's his blog https://kirkhazlett.com Please do leave a review, your feedback or thoughts and don't forget to subscribe on your streaming app, so you get the next episode as soon as it's available.Tune in next Tuesday for my chat with Rax Lakhani!

Kerry Sheehan is CIPR's AIinPR Chair and has been talking across the world about 'the PR industry is sleep walking into AI", in other words, it doesn't have a clue!In this episode I put on my geeky hat (worn most days) to chat in simple terms about what AI is, what it can do for businesses and what PR practitioners need to be thinking about in terms of upskilling to keep up-to-date with the fast pace we're moving at.You can follow the CIPR's panel using #AIinPR and Kerry can be found @PRKezza on Twitter.As always please do leave a review with some feedback and don't forget to subscribe and share! If you share my content it means others can benefit from listening to the great guests and wide topics of conversations.People Buy People has now switched to a weekly schedule due to the number of guests and interviews lined up, until Christmas! So hold onto your hats!Thanks and see you in a week, when I'll be speak to US-based Kirk Hazlett!

In this latest episode of People Buy People, Laura chats to the lovely Helen Reynolds (@HelReynolds) about her path to creativity, being stuck in a job where organisations keep you down, and onto better things at @commscreatives - a new academy launch, working with her sister and lots more!You can find Helen's business here https://commscreatives.com Warning, there is some toilet humour involved!Please do leave a review/some feedback and don't forget to subscribe to the show!Also, for any ideas and suggestions of guests and topics, please email me laura@aura-pr.com People Buy People is changing to a weekly format from now until Christmas, to squeeze in all the guests! I'll be back on 27th October with Kerry Sheehan and we'll be talking about artificial intelligence! 

Lorna Branton is head of media and campaigns at NHS Digital and has of course faced some of the most challenging times in her career, delivering five year's worth of tech in only a few months.You can follow Lorna @LornaBranton on Twitter. By the time this podcast is aired, Lorna may have left her NHS role.Please don't forget to leave a review or some feedback for me, plus please subscribe and share!

In this episode Laura chats to IC legend Rachel Miller, also known as @AllThingsIC! As well as being a consultant, Rachel has invested in a training hub and we talk about the impact of COVID and how she's navigated that.Rachel and I have similar thinking around being an entrepreneur and how we should go about investing in ourselves. It's a meaty episode with lots of laughs!You can find Rachel's blog on www.allthingsic.com and the Youpreneur community is at www.youpreneur.com Please leave me a review and don't forget to subscribe!

Fiona Hughes is European MD of The Amplify, an influencer marketing agency. Fiona worked in public relations until two years ago and has recognised the changes in PR along her journey. Laura was talking to Fiona, in this episode, about how influencer marketing has changed, the need for budget to spend, long term relationships and much more! Tune in. You can find Fiona @SohoPRGirl on Twitter and Insta or here on LinkedIn.Please share this episode with your network as it might be useful for them and if you have a second, please leave me a review/feedback and give me a rating! Also, don't forget to subscribe so you can continue to get my latest shows to your app!

I chat to Rebecca Roberts about a report she has launched, which looks at communicating with young people. We talk about some of the report findings, the future of work, young people having a voice and we touch on ethics. You can find Rebecca at www.threadandfable.com or @threadandfable on Twitter.If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it to your network. In addition, so you don't miss out on future episodes, please subscribe to the show! I'd also love any feedback you might have and if you could leave a review and rating, I'd be super grateful! The next show will be a chat with Kirk Hazlett about ethical listening, out on 22 September!

Both Paul and I were 'brought up' in integrated public relations. It's always been the norm.As the PESO model was much discussed a number of years ago, the PR industry has been slow to adapt, modernise and it lacks the diversity of thinking and skills (as well as its people), which would enable it to stand up to the big brother, marketing function.In addition, I wanted to ask Paul why in his last podcast, Gini from Spin Sucks, thought PR was dying, according to a recent report in the US.Tune in to find out all the chat, and please don't forget to leave a review and some feedback. Also, why don't you subscribe to get the latest episodes to your app.You can find Paul at @ThePaulSutton on Twitter or you can follow his podcast "Digital Download".Please consider sharing this podcast episode as someone in your network might find it useful!

Nigel Sarbutts is co-founder of The PR Cavalry and to help promote it when it launched, sponsored my event, PRFest.I wanted to chat to Nigel about what being freelance is really like and what the current landscape for the market is showing. I also air some frustrations about not up-skilling and being very media relations focused!You can find Nigel @ThePRCavalry on Twitter.Thanks for listening to another episode of People Buy People. Don't forget to leave me a review with some feedback and if you like, subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes! Link to the freelancer conference is here "The Business of Freelancing".

The final event in the DRIVEN Series and the launch of the DRIVEN Pledge!The podcast dives straight into conversation with panellists, Melissa Lawrence, CEO of Taylor Bennett Foundation, Francis Ingham, Director General of PRCA, Jenni Field, President of CIPR and Alastair McCapra, CEO of CIPR. The discussion is around accountability. It's all very well having pledges and reports, but who will be held to account, how, and what processes are in place? Thanks to Rax Lakhani for agreeing to ask the questions, sourced from the PR community.A video of the event is also available on PRFest's YouTube channel and information on the pledge is available at www.prfest.co.uk As always, please leave a review, don't forget to subscribe and please share the podcast if you found it valuable. 

Laura Sutherland and special guest, Rohan Shah, Founder and MD of Reuben Sinclair discuss how hiring talent based on values and purpose, and open job specs, can help diversity and inclusion within the public relations industry. This event is part of the DRIVEN Series and leads up to the launch of the DRIVEN Pledge, which identified recruitment as a major factor to attracting diverse talent into public relations roles. We will cover three specific areas and there will be time for questions:1. The role recruitment will play in helping PR become a more diverse, inclusive and equal industry2. Open job specs and blind recruitment3. How recruitment policies can be shapedYou find Rohan at @rohmi44 on Twitter. There is also a video of the event on PRFest's YouTube channel.Please don't forget to subscribe as the next episode will be the launch of the DRIVEN Pledge and a panel discussion between CIPR, PRCA and Taylor Bennett Foundation about accountability.

Jim Hawker started his own agency, Threepipe, out of frustration, much like I did. He's been on the acquisition trail and most recently, was acquired by Italian business, Reply. Laura and Jim talk about the agency model, modernising the industry, the current PR economy in the pandemic and what the future might look like. You can find Jim on LinkedIn here. Thanks for listening to our conversation, which included elements of discussion around generational shifts towards a modern leadership in the industry, leaders showing up and being present, new thinking and trying to be different, plus, Jim suggests my next podcast guest should be someone who doesn't agree with any of my points! What do you think?! Please do leave a review, subscribe to the podcast and share on your social channels. Thanks in advance! 

I find that I'm so busy with clients and podcast interviews with other people that I forget to tell people what I've been up to, what my thoughts are and share anything I think you'll value.In this episode I am talking about messages from businesses to customers about making them feel safe and which build trust. I then go on to talk about PRFest and a couple of challenges I faced, back in June, and how I approached overcoming the challenges to ensure a more positive outcome.I mention the two upcoming events about diversity and inclusion in PR, both free to attend, more info here,  plus the launch of the DRIVEN Manifesto, which is on 5th August. A framework for leaders and individuals to use in their businesses to be more diverse, inclusive and equal. Finally, I talk about the "PRs in Lockdown" video I'm creating. I've already got 11 PR pros to submit their challenges and how they overcame them. More info here.Please get in touch if you'd like to have more information or get involved in anything. laura@aura-pr.com 

Next up on the show is Advita Patel. I've known Advita for a few years now and we've done some voluntary work together for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.She's also just launched an amazing initiative which I was keen to hear about, A Leader Like Me.  You can find more information here https://aleaderlikeme.com In addition, Advita has shared some ofher journey into working in public relations, it doesn't paint a very pretty picture. If you want to follow Advita, she's on Twitter @Advita_P and Instagram @advitap  Please do remember to leave a review and of course, subscribe to get future episodes straight to your streaming app.Thanks for tuning in!

In this episode I chat to fellow PR colleague, Elma Glasgow, about her experience moving into public relations, her 20+ year career history and the much talked about subject, diversity and inclusion. This episode also includes some of the content from yesterday's launch of the CIPR State of the Profession survey findings.You can find Elma via the links below.Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pr_for_wellness_ethical_brands/Twitter https://twitter.com/ElmaGlasgowFacebook https://www.facebook.com/ElmaGlasgowPR/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/elmaglasgow/Website: www.elmaglasgowconsulting.com Beginner's PR for Ethical Entrepreneurs course waitlist: https://bit.ly/3irx5m7 

I met Louise at PRFest back in June, in one of the breakout sessions. She's a fascinating lady, with a huge smile and she believes in giving back as much as I do.In this episode, Louise discusses her upbringing and how she was taught to know she can do what she wants, despite her skin colour. From broadcast media into public relations, hear Louise and me talk about her journey.You can find Louise @chandlerlou on Twitter. Please do leave a review for my podcast and if you liked it, remember to subscribe!

This is a short episode of my podcast which talks about the blueprint I launched today, Wednesday, 27 May, 2020, for businesses to re-think, re-imagine and re-ignite.People from my PR business' community, Aura PR,  have been invited to listen and learn about the blueprint and then the idea is that they will ask me to work with them, on their blueprint, for their business.Covering everything from purpose, people and planet to culture, stakeholder engagement and leadership, no stone will be left unturned!Businesses can't carry on as normal. They need to re-imagine their offering and then relaunch with gusto!Please do let me know if I can help your business. Laura@aura-pr.comTo sign up to my Aura Talk emails, click here.

I've recently joined Holly & Co's 'co-mmunity' on Facebook. Many of the entrepreneurs and business owners have struggled to realise what they can do just now to create their own content and help promote themselves.I recently blogged about getting your press kit ready and really harnessing the opportunity to create your own content.Links here http://www.aura-pr.com/news/post-pandemic-press-kit/ and http://www.aura-pr.com/blog/creating-content/ I this episode I talk through the ideas around the press kit and content creation and specifically around knowing your audience.If you've got any question, let me know! Please do share this episode as it could help people in your own community. Also please do take a few minutes to leave me a review!Next episode soon! Thanks for tuning in :)

The Coronavirus has hit the UK, we've got mounting cases across the nation and Scotland has just announced a ban on mass gatherings (of 500 or more), from Monday (16 March 2020).I wanted to give you tips and ideas for ways you can protect your business and your staff. Your staff are the lifeblood of the business and if they are out of action, so is your business.So, listen to my podcast or visit http://www.aura-pr.com/blog/actions-protect-business-staff-covid-19/ to read my blog about it.I'd be deihghted to provide consultancy to any business owner who needs help in developing plans and communication methods. Now, more than ever, it's essential to communicate effectively for we're in the 'before' stage, then we'll be 'in it', then we'll have to recover.Thanks for listening. Please do share this episode as it may help other people. Also, please subscribe and leave me a review!I'll be back soon with another episode of People Buy People.

MakeBox was launched in March 2019 and I chat to Co-founder Hannah Read-Baldrey about the challenges of work-life balance, when things go wrong, building a community and how craft is good for your wellbeing.You can follow MakeBox on Instagram @makebox.coThis is the first time I have used FaceTime to record a podcast with someone, using QuickTime audio. The sounds isn't as crisp as I'd like, but I hope you get the gist of the conversation without too much volume fiddling! I'll know not to use FaceTime next time!Please don't forget to share this episode if you enjoyed it and leave a review of the show!Thanks and stay tuned for the second part of my interview with Gayle Mann, coming later this month! 

Kicking off 2020 with a positive and inspirational chat with my friend Gayle Mann, who just happens to be an amazing business person and someone who has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs to help them get out their own way and improve their mindset to achieve goals.Gayle also has a book coming out in September, with her co-founder, it's called Misadventures in Entrepreneuring, so keep an eye out!You can also find Gayle on @misadventuresofgayle on Instagram.Thanks for giving this episode a listen. I'd love it you could recommend this to friends, as it might help them overcome some business obstacles and recognise it's ok to get things wrong. We're all in the same boat!Also, if you enjoy my show, please do give me a rating and review on whatever platform you listen to it on. I'd really appreciate that!