Engagement is intrinsic to good governance. It’s not just about understanding and communicating with your stakeholders about services, strategies and other matters but engaging and involving them in governance.
As an independent and expert team of engagement, communications and governance professionals, we will work with you to:
- run workshops, interviews and roundtables
- create actionable cross-platform integrated communications strategies.
We add value across the spectrum of engagement and governance, including through engagement and communication strategy, stakeholder, resident and community engagement, colleague engagement, events and digital.
We consider the value of local, national and international influence, bringing expertise on systems, residents, community and place. This aligns with GGI's national experience, reputation, networks, and expertise in governance.
Our team provides tailored solutions across the governance, communications and engagement spectrum, enhancing your engagement and governance approach. This includes:
- increasing your influence and impact through resident, staff and stakeholder engagement audits—researching and understanding the perception of key audiences, developing approaches
- reaching the right audiences and aligning communications with your organisational strategy by developing communications and engagement strategy
- positioning your leadership to speak with one voice through narrative development—building simple, creative key messages to enable positioning of an organisation in the right way
- shift understanding and quality of resident and colleague messaging—with the development and delivery of internal and external campaigns
- understand the nuance and success of engagement through measurement—quantitative and qualitative data analysis
- deliver high impact, high influence communications and engagement programmes
- audit, review and understand of the perceptions of key stakeholders, colleagues and partners about their impact and influence as an organisation.
"GGI has not only advised us for this huge creative arts project that has literally involved hundreds of people in the area over the three years we took to build it up but also, in the form of their brilliant design staff, have seriously re-vamped our marketing campaign, with beautiful new-look publicity graphics and a buzzing web-site. "
Your feedback
We have commissioned the Good Governance Institute (GGI) several times and have been impressed with their growth in range and depth of expertise over the years. GGI stands out from other governance-centred consultancies in that they adopt a collaborative and tailored approach, show a real interest in their client’s work and challenges, and are committed to the provision of tools and recommendations which will make a real and positive difference ...
Your feedback
I have found GGI to be extremely well connected and a useful source of information and counsel with regard to negotiating one’s way through the complexities of the NHS. In addition, they have shown themselves to be flexible and capable of providing a broad range of services beyond that which their name alone suggests.
Your feedback
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Why is communication key to good governance?
Excellent communications is key to good governance. It means both being open and honest while also ensuring you are listening to the thoughts of your staff, stakeholders and citizens.
Communications should always be aligned with your organisational strategy and should allow staff members and stakeholders what their role is with any decision, project or task. It should inform, engage and be aligned with key value principles.
How do I communicate about governance?
Governance is often seen as complex. Good communications about governance should make it simple and accessible. Ultimately it is to help people do a good job and excellent governance should save people time.
Communicate with staff and stakeholders in a way which shows the use of good governance and how it will help people in their jobs.
How do I engage with staff about good governance?
People learn and take in information in different ways, so you should always consider using as many channels and approaches as possible.
Starting with a sold narrative about governance, which should be simple and accessible, your communications should be available in written form, film and image. Sharing it during live and interactive events is also key - to give colleagues the opportunity to respond and understand in more detail.
What does good internal communications look like?
Good internal communications is aligned with your organisational strategy. It should be engaging and provide opportunity for feedback and questions for staff - it should not be a one way street. It should allow conversation and dialogue.
As many channels should be used as possible to reach staff with different learning approaches - including staff events, film, written text and images. Good internal communications should mean a board is aligned with their staff and staff are aligned with the board.
How can I improve my internal communications and engagement?
To understand the success of internal communications you should engage with both the board and staff. Carry out qualitative and quantitative surveys and focus groups to find gaps in communications and engagement and use these to make improvements. Keep this relationship open and continuously review and adjust your internal communications to suit the needs of the organisation.
What does good stakeholder engagement look like?
Good stakeholder engagement is about building relationships. Have a strategy for stakeholders aligned with your organisational strategy to bring the right people on side. Always approach and engage with stakeholders when a decision is being taken that might affect them.
Work in partnership wherever possible to bring additional value to the communities served. Be open and transparent about decisions that are taken and why stakeholder voice has been taken into consideration or not.
To keep a relationship open ensure you have a person who is aligned with each stakeholder and they keep the conversation going even during times when there isn't specific work taking place with them.
How do I integrate community voices at board meetings?
You can integrate the community voice into board meetings in many ways, but the key is to ensure it is listened to and acted upon, not just present in the meeting itself. Where possible have a representative or champion within board meetings. Request that all papers coming through board have been checked with a community group in advance of the paper being raised. Ensure your board is diverse - bringing not just business expertise by lived experience of the communities and groups you serve.
How do I make sure we are listening to our staff?
Ensure that there are a variety of ways for staff to feed back into the organisation - all staff meetings with engagement points, feedback through leadership. Carry out regular surveys to ensure that staff feel listened to. Importantly, also show that you are listening - feed back from board meetings, explain why decisions have been made and demonstrate that the staff voice has been listened to even if the decision doesn't match feedback received.
What does a good creative communications campaign look like?
A creative communications campaign should look and feel unique while keeping the essence of the organisation it is being delivered for. It should be eye-catching and have a simple narrative to ensure the right message is being embedded. It should use a variety of mediums - words, film, images to grab attention. It should be measurable and should continuously be tested with improvements made where needed.
What do I need in place to deliver good communications?
You need a focused communications team who are closely aligned with organisational strategy and the board to deliver good communications. The approach can differ from organisation to organisation - depending on the strategic needs, size and approach. The key is to ensure all elements have been thought about - internal, external, stakeholders. And build relationships in all of these areas.
Does GGI offer communications reviews?
Yes, GGI offers full communications reviews. We have extensive experience in engaging with and understanding internal, external and stakeholder positioning and needs.
Can GGI deliver communications campaigns?
Yes, GGI has an in-house team of communications experts and creative professions to deliver communications campaigns. Our team includes experts in communications strategy, design, film, events, public relations, public affairs, media, internal communications and stakeholder communications.
