So many of the comms conversations I read online are based on what we would like to be reality rather than what is reality. Listening back to a conversation I had recently, I found myself drawn in by the bluntness of a chat. This wasn't about textbook PR but about what this person's team are actually doing in difficult comms environments. Jim works with clients whom the public zeitgeist is against, and it's here where the war of words is often a no-holds-barred contest. The fluffy press releases go as attempts to control the public narrative become the priority for everyone involved. This is one for the serious communicators amongst you. A few very high-level points... 1) That it is possible for small comms teams to make a big difference in a national public narrative. 2) That mass media may have declined but it's still the point of gravity within many public conversations and especially within government and law-making. 3) That when you are being attacked personally, sometimes the only option is to do the same back. You'll have to decide how you feel about that! 4) That media has changed, not just in size but in what it wants and how to deliver it, and you need to recognise that. 5) And.... there's actually a lot more if you listen carefully to what is said.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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