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Inner Rebel Reflections 2023

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Inner Rebel Reflections 2023

What do you get when you put sensational speakers, passionate panellists and curious communicators in a beautifully decorated space together? Inner Rebel 2023. 

We were fortunate enough to sponsor Inner Rebel again this year; we connected with old friends and new, heard spellbinding stories, and soaked up new perspectives on leadership, power and collaboration.

Interesting insights and pearls of wisdom were plentiful.

Here are some of our favourite quotes of the day…

 

“Being myself is what got me that interview” – Sam McAlister 

What interview might Sam be talking about? Well, that interview with Prince Andrew – you know the one. Sam shared how she was unapologetically herself while negotiating News Night’s biggest scoop to date. Staying true to who you are can help you gain trust and encourage others to be more open, honest and relaxed, even at Buckingham Palace! 

 

“I wouldn’t decorate my daughter’s bedroom without letting her choose the colour of the walls” – Nisha Katona 

Change requires consultancy. When it comes to introducing a new idea, system or process, inviting employees to offer their thoughts and opinions can be really powerful, and this is exactly what Nisha does at each of her Mowgli restaurants. Similarly at Alive, the projects we work on often include stakeholder engagement sessions, creativity workshops and feedback surveys, to help harness the voices and choices of those at the heart of the organisation. 

 

“AI won’t replace you but someone using it will” – Dan Sodergren 

This message from Dan was all about adapting, trying new things and determining what works best for you and your team. Burying our heads in the sand about AI won’t help, but investigating how it can help speed up mundane tasks so that we can crack on with the fun, collaborative and creative stuff, well, that sounds like a win win! 

 

“We have to call ourselves learners first and foremost” – Olivia Bussey

When it comes to ED&I, a lot of people worry about getting things wrong. However, by being open to learning, actively seeking out educational materials and truly listening to what our colleagues with lived experience have to say, we will become more confident about the all-important task of bringing ED&I and comms together. 

 

“If you can’t communicate, you can’t lead” – Thomas Erikson 

This is why some leaders look to comms pros for support, but they must be willing to give them a seat at the table. Whether you’re addressing a sensitive subject, announcing new employee benefits or discussing industry news, being adaptable and finding out what communication styles and channels are right for you, your team and the context are fundamental to being an effective leader.

 

“With transparency comes accountability” – Ben Horn

When progressing our ED&I initiatives, we need to hold ourselves accountable by being open and honest in our comms about what changes we’re actually making, what goals we’ve set and how we plan to achieve them. Ben’s wise words made us think about our recent blog post on exactly this topic, check it out: Hey, are you buzzy? 

 

“We are the caretakers of each other’s nervous systems” – Suzanne Alleyne 

Suzanne shared her insights on Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett’s idea of body budgeting. She argues that, like a financial budget, our brains keep track of when and where we spend resources (like having a meeting or going for a run). To be effective we need to be aware of where we’re exhausting our energy and equally, how much we’re drawing from other people. Who might benefit from a recharge? How can you protect your energy? 

 

“If you care about making a positive difference, then your story will always matter” – Leona Smith 

Leona’s session reminded us of the power of storytelling and how putting real people with real experiences at the heart of any campaign will help it sing. Authentic communications are often curated rather than created from scratch, it’s a collaborative process amongst the people who care most. To help prove it, Leona wowed us with this powerful video from the John Lewis Partnership.

 

Thank you to Advita and her brilliant team of Rebels for pulling together such a dazzling, diverse and dynamic lineup of speakers and for having us along for the ride. 

Search #InnerRebel2023 on Twitter for more standout moments! 

By Lauren Castle

Check out the Academy 6 steps to successful creative campaigns masterclass…

6 Steps to Successful Creative Campaigns

“I feel like they own and care for the project as much as we do! I would not use anyone else for my creative work and think Alive is ahead of the game.”

Jo Hobbs — Communications Manager

“Thanks for all your help. We are delighted with the campaign, both in terms of the creativity and messaging but also the thought taken over the rollout of the materials. All looks absolutely fabulous!”

Sarah Crowdy — Campaign and Media Officer Communications, South East Water

“We went to ‘Alive’ for ideas on how to run a specific employee program in Europe. Alan and his team were brilliant in coming up with fresh, creative and practical approaches. The team took charge and executed brilliantly. We are pleased with the progress made so far and hope to have the same level of partnership and commitment going forward.”

Sobha Varghese — Tata Consultancy Services

“Alive helped us create a video of our response to the floods of winter 2019. Our Chief Officer received messages from all round the country praising us for it and was really pleased with both the video and the response to it.”

Alexander Mills, Communications Manager — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“We had the privilege to work with the Alive team. It was our first time to be involved in creating an animation for our patients within paediatrics. The team were approachable, friendly, creative and very accommodating. Your vision for what you want to create, is at all times acknowledged, appreciated and accommodated by the team. They worked effectively and with great passion towards our project and worked not only alongside health professionals but also our patients who really enjoyed the experience of working with the Alive team. It has given our team the confidence and inspiration to do further projects in the future. We highly recommend Alive and their exceptional team.”

DR ELENI ATHANASAKOS, Lead Paediatric Clinical Scientist — NHS Barts Health

“‘The short animation developed in co-production with clinicians and young people is outstanding! Informative, developmentally appropriate, vitally fun and engaging. We are really grateful for the expertise of the Alive with Ideas team for their innovative approach in building children’s health literacy.'”

Kath Evans — Director of Children’s Nursing at Barts Health

“Our mission was to update our brand visuals to better reflect our innovative and forward-thinking organisation. After receiving numerous pitches from different branding agencies, Alive stood out with their clear passion and understanding of our identity and goals. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Alive Team to create an engaging new brand that we are immensely proud of.”

Lianne Springer — Communications and Engagement Lead

“Alive wowed us during the pitch process and they didn’t stop wowing us throughout the whole project. Every person we worked with at Alive were so friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. They have worked with us to really understand what we do and have created a new brand and website that really stands out from our competitors. Thank you!”

Louise Burnard, Head of Marketing and Communications UK — Be | Shaping the Future

“I think the team have done such a brilliant job, particularly with responding to our requests. It's one of the best mental health videos I've ever seen. Very proud to be associated with your exemplary work. Thank you so much.”

Dr Anna Batho — Clinical Psychologist – Critical Care, UCLH

“We have worked with Alan, Caroline and the wider Alive With Ideas team for many years. In that time, they have provided a dedicated service that is second to none. We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach to bringing our brand, communications and stories to life. And would recommend them to anyone looking for creative communications support.”

Georgia Beech — Internal Communications Specialist, Ocado Group

“This is brilliant. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the team who worked on this. You all understood exactly what we wanted to communicate and why, and then managed to do it in a way that was far better than anything I could have imagined. I’m a bit choked up to be honest!”

Sarah Wright, Head of Communications and Campaigns — NEA

“Each time I work with the team, I am always stunned at the effort and creativity that goes into each detail and am always eager for the end result. The team is extremely accommodating and always provide a fresh approach to our projects that elevates our communications materials!”

Alana Khaytin, Communications Specialist — Braskem America

“What I really appreciate about Alive is that they work with us as partners, and care as much about getting it right for our patients as we do.”

Sara Langston, Patient Engagement & Marketing Manager — italk

“Alive are unique in how much they deeply listen and invest in you and your ideas. I have not come across a company that listens as much as they do to ensure your needs are understood and met (actually - they always exceed my needs and expectations). Everyone I recommend Alive to has an equally brilliant experience. When you work with Alive, you are not only getting some genius creativity brought into your life, you are also hanging out with some of the best examples of human beings I’ve ever known.”

Steph Tranter, Hybrid Exec Coach & Psychologist — StephTranter.com

“The (Alive) team were able to creatively pull together and document (in just over 2minutes) everything our service has achieved over the last few months, from thousands of prescriptions deliveries to hundreds of phone calls made to the vulnerable. The final product was so powerful and reflective of what our service has and continues to achieve. It couldn’t have been better received within the service – thanks Alive for once again helping us to communicate our vision!’”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire & Rescue

“We worked with the team at Alive to create our staff recognition video.
At a time like this, its never been more important to share the amazing work that our staff have done and continue to do on a daily basis under very difficult circumstances. We wanted to shout about this and recognise that when the time came, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue stepped up to the plate. We didn’t want an ordinary thank you post on social media or a basic email sent out internally, we wanted something special. Enter Alive. ”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“Our company is fun, we have great brands, but most importantly we’re all about our people – and I wanted an agency who would understand that and help us bring it to life through our website and other comms. Straight away I felt that Alive ‘got’ us and provided the creative inspiration exactly where we needed it, as well as the technical expertise to deliver a well-functioning website.”

Keren McCarron, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications — KP Snacks

“Boom!
Thank you so much. Incredible work done at incredible speed by incredible people.
Outstanding work as ever and what a turnaround. As for the concepts – wow. These are that good it would be an insult to describe them as just good. It’s a joke, quite frankly. This is exactly the Alive effect I was after. Right now I feel like I am living in an Alive With Ideas wonderland. Thank you!”

Jack Grasby, Campaigns Manager — SYFR

“If you are looking to improve creativity and build teamwork, I highly recommend a session like this for your team. No matter where you are in your creativity journey, a workshop like this can give your team a boost of energy and ideas to invigorate their creative thinking.”

Amy Lilja, IC Manager — Hennepin Healthcare

“Alive were there to help when we were working every hour to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They gave us the creativity, ideas and support we needed to deliver campaigns which empowered our residents in the most difficult time most of us have ever seen, personally and professionally. The team understood what we needed, worked closely with us and delivered fast without any compromise on quality. Working with Alive has been a joy in the darkest of times and I have no doubt will have helped to save lives. Thanks team x”

Julie Odams, Assistant Director of Communications & Customers — Derbyshire County Council

“We got 'Alive' involved to help us shift mindsets across our organisation and they delivered! Using simple, clear and creative ideas the team have delivered us a campaign which has seen a dramatic increase in idea sharing and development. They’ve also played a significant role in creating a culture of shared success. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again, in fact, we already are!”

Gavin Buckle — B&Q
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