Prologue Communications

As we enter the final weeks of 2024, it's an opportunity to reflect back on the year that we've had: We started Q1 at 100mph, writing a white paper for the Nuclear sector that answered how to turn ambition into action. This became the foundation for a 3 day innovation event that went live in June. We developed an EVP strategy for a global bank helping 34 different cultures adopt a digital transformation. This meant creating a language framework that could be updated depending on the culture's individual needs and constraints. Throughout Q2 a 6 episode, limited-series, Nuclear podcast went live discussing the industries' 4 grand challenges, where we heard experts from inside and outside of the sector tackle the same challenge in different ways. Q2 became a busy month for pitching; we focused our efforts on a global reward and recognition programme, organisational business narrative, and attraction campaign. The theme for Q3 was travel and delivery. In the space of 3 months we travelled to Paris, Vienna, Barcelona, and Miami. We saw one of our biggest programmes go live, which was the Ambition into Action Nuclear conference, 18 months of planning, research, and innovation came together across a 3 day event. We were also contracted to identify an automotive client could attract and retain the right talent in their central organisation. Q4 is always one of our favourite months because it aligns most closely with our purpose of 'starting the story in the right way to create a tale well told'. We saw a lot of our clients beginning to plan for 2025, which meant Prologue was contracted to help ensure our clients were starting their story in the right way. We've been busy developing the strategy for a large organisational change for a nuclear client, an EVP strategy for a financial services client, and a handful of employee engagement campaigns across our nuclear and automotive clients. It doesn't stop there, 2025 is turning out to be our busiest year yet! We want to wrap up the year sharing our gratitude to every single client that has believed in the Prologue proposition and trusted our capability. Finally, a huge thank you to our team that has helped make 2024 a great success; our consultants, comms specialists, editors, designers, and print/logistics partners, without your support we wouldn't have been able to deliver at the level we have done this year. Thank you. Here is to starting 2025 in the right way to create a tale well told.

JLR have announced their new brand identity, which is an intentional move away from the synonymous British brand, draped in heritage and authenticity. The move is certainly bold, and clearly demonstrates a step-change in direction as they look to attract a different audience to those who currently own their products. Whether you love or loathe the brand direction it comes down to personal opinion, the big question for me is whether their external brand reflects their internal culture? - Have colleagues bought into this new vision? - Will sales execs show up differently when you enter a JLR showroom? - Has the way in which a consumer engages with the brand changed? - Have colleagues been equipped with the new behaviors of who the brand needs to be moving forward? - How does this impact their employer brand? For many, change is difficult to agree with. For me, change is an opportunity to grow and evolve. It looks to be an exciting time for folks over at JLR. #brand #culture #jlr #jaguar #brandidentity #jaguarbrandidentity #copynothing

This week, Jon and Natalie travelled from their remote offices to our client's office, to facilitate a messaging workshop. With a group of 12 participants representing brand, communications, digital, and PR, the workshop was rich in conversation and activity. The insights collected will be instrumental in crafting an engagement strategy, which the team will be focusing on next. As a bonus, at the end of the day, the team were greeted with a beautiful autumnal sunset outside the building. #comms #workshop #consultancy #communications #changemanagement #culture #transformation #employeeengagement #internalcomms ------------------------------------ We're Prologue, a consultancy specialising in change communications, working across Nuclear, Automotive and Financial Services. Whether it's an EVP, Business Narrative, Culture Change, or Comms Strategy, we help clients define and deliver every chapter of their transformation, from beginning to end.

Have you ever wondered how you can turn imagination into innovation? Let us tell you how... The secret lies in the Disney Creative Strategy, a brilliant approach to brainstorming and problem-solving. This method, developed by Walt Disney himself, involves three distinct roles: the Dreamer, the Realist, and the Critic. Each plays a pivotal role in transforming ideas into reality. 1. The Dreamer: This is where imagination runs wild! Dreamers think big, without constraints. They envision the ideal outcome, generating innovative ideas without worrying about practicality. 2. The Realist: Time to bring those dreams down to earth! Realists take the Dreamer's ideas and start crafting actionable plans. They focus on how to implement these ideas realistically. 3. The Critic: Constructive criticism comes into play. Critics identify potential flaws and challenges, ensuring that the final plan is robust and feasible. We recently used the Disney Creative Strategy in a discovery workshop with one of our Nuclear clients to help us think about organisational change in a different way. Have you tried the Disney Creative Strategy in your organisation? Want to learn how? Let us know in the comments below... #innovation #problemsolving #disneystrategy #creativethinking #leadership #teamwork #change #changecommunications 

We're 2 years old today!! It has been an incredible journey with so much change and growth in those two years. Here's our reflections. 🎂 In those short two years we've proudly supported clients across culture change, reward and recognition, situational analysis, communicating strategy, employee attraction strategy, EVPs and many many more. We've worked internationally including France, Austria, Dubai, America and Hong Kong. 🎂 Our purpose, 'starting the story in the right way creates a tale well told', continues to drive what we do as we help clients at the crucial strategic stages of their transformation journeys. 🎂 We've only worked with great people. Our clients have been incredibly supportive of Prologue and we wouldnt be where we are today without any of them. A big thank you for believeing in us. They haven't just bought our services, they've bought into who we are and how we do it. 🎂 Similarly, our team and suppliers who support us to deliver for clients have been carefully selected, they all align with our values and share the common goal. Thank you for being part of our journey. So, what's next for Prologue and where will we be 2 years from now? 💃 We will continue working with great people. 🧩 We will be working on more complex transformation projects that align with our purpose 🤹♂️ We will scale up and grow the core Prologue team with top talent from across the UK 🌎 We will have travelled to some new exciting countries All thats left to say is "Here's to the next 2 years!" #changecommunication #change #transformation #communication #strategy #employeeengagement

What an amazing week in Miami. 🌴 There is so much to shout about, but for me there was one moment that I'm especially proud of... I had the opportunity to share a TED talk on how to turn ambition into action for the nuclear sector. This talk was crafted around a paper and a framework that I developed with EPRI, which was contributed to by over 150 people from 15 different countries, and shaped by the Global Forum for Nuclear Innovation. It was also an honour to share a stage with Heather Feldman, a pioneer when it comes to Nuclear Innovation, and my client, who put her full trust in me to deliver not only this talk, but to shape an engaging programme that leverages the framework and equips the nuclear sector with the tools to turn ambition into action. A truly collaborative effort on all accounts. Prologue Communications #change #Innovation #communication #nuclearinnovation #ambitionintoaction #gfni #nuclear #strategy

On Friday, my partner and I decided to play a round of crazy golf to kick start the weekend. We headed over to our nearest Hollywood Bowl Group Plc and little did we know that we'd see a great example of a culture initiative. Whilst we were choosing our colour of golf balls, I recognised that the manager had this lanyard around his neck divided into 4 segments with 'Creators of positive energy' proudly in the middle. My partner clocked me spot it, and knew that we were about to enter a 15 minute conversation about it. The manager explained that this was 'their way of doing things', how 'everyone wears one across all centres' and it is 'a reminder of the environment they should be creating'. I pushed the concept a bit, expecting to find that it was a top-down initiative that no one really engages with, but the manager reassured me that everyone of his employees uses this on a daily basis. He explained that there were pin badges related to the values and behaviours, and his team worked hard to be recognised for their work. He proudly showed me his badges explaining what each of them were for. My favourite was 'Who: Radiators not Drains' and 'Infectious enthusiasm for what we do'. Simple behaviours and definitions that communicate culture with clarity. I'd love to know who was behind the development of this, what was involved, how it is sustained, how it is measured and reinforced. Anyone from Hollywood Bowl Group Plc up for a conversation (and a game of crazy golf)? Creators of Positive Energy Where: A place to make your cheer - Everything is happy and bright - It's always spick and span - Everything is beautifully organised - Everyone is made to feel welcome Who: Radiators not Drains - We love enterprise - Infectious enthusiasm for what we do - We make it playful How: A dynamic operation - Full of fresh ideas - The games biggest fans - We only stop to celebrate success - Actions speak louder than words What: The feel-good experience - Everyone gets to celebrate - It's always sociable - The competition is healthy - It levels the playing field #culture #values #behaviours #culturechange #employeeengagement #communications #internalcomms #evp #employerbranding #employerbrand #hollywoodbowl #crazygolf #prologuecommunications #changecommunications #changeconsultancy

Reflecting on chapter one of 2024. 📖 The past quarter at Prologue has been epic. Every project we've worked on has filled us with so much energy because they have all been aligned with our purpose of, 'starting the story in the right way to create a tale well told'. In our world of change communications, this has manifested itself through research, strategy and creativity. In the last three months: 📗 We’ve developed an (award-nominated) EVP strategy for a global bank, helping them align on a new proposition for customers. 🔧 We've supported an international manufacturing organisation in welcoming their new CEO - quite literally turning the page to start a new chapter in their story. ⚡ Amongst our most anticipated achievements is the (near) completion of our first research report for the nuclear sector, poised to answer critical questions on turning ambition into action. ✈ We've been busy seeing our international clients in person. The travel to Lisbon, Belfast, and Vienna has reinforced the value of face-to-face interactions, strengthening our connections and creating countless moments of magic that can't be achieved through zoom alone. 🤱 We're also delighted to share that our Associate Comms Consultant Natalie, has become a mum for the first time, as we welcome baby Indiana to the world. (We've agreed that Indiana will be a junior copywriter by the end of the year!) Looking ahead to the next chapter of the year, our excitement continues to build. The highlight will undoubtedly be a trip over to Miami, where Jon will present the insights from the research report to an audience of nuclear change-makers. This presentation will also set the agenda for the event, focusing on equipping the audience with the tools to turn ambition into tangible actions. We have some exciting projects on the horizon that leverage our Six Degrees culture change methodology, helping clients identify who they are now vs who they need to be, and providing the steps to close the gap. This is a methodology that has truthfully taken five and a half years to master and one that we're incredibly proud of. Because of the incredible start to 2024, we have prioritised our resources on surpassing our clients expectations, this has meant that our passion projects such as the 'Essential Stories' report has taken a backseat. This will return, we promise! We want the answers just as much as you do. Lastly, thank you to all our clients for putting your trust in Prologue to help you start your story in the right way. Each story, whether its a research report, EVP strategy, leadership workshop, or culture renovation initiative, has been meticulously crafted with the skill and dedication of our team. Here's to more chapters filled with purpose, impact, and transformation. #PrologueReflections #QuarterlyUpdate #TransformativeNarratives #OrganisationalChange #ChangeConsultancy #PrologueCommunications

Right now, in the UK, 'The Traitors' TV gameshow has been occupying our attention with its many plot twists. If you're unfamiliar with the series, it is essentially a gameshow of behaviours and betrayal, set inside a castle in the Scottish Highlands. However, it's not only fun and games, it teaches us a fast-paced lesson of what happens in an organisation when there is ambiguity, uncertainty and no defined leadership. In the game, we see the 22 contestants left to define how they operate as a community with the objective of banishing the 3 traitors amongst them. What emerges is a culture created by key influencers, the 'popular' ones within the group, and it's here that we find striking similarities with organisational culture. Just like in 'The Traitors,' when there is no clear leadership in an organisation, the culture creates itself. It forms around the most influential individuals, their values, their behaviours, and their decisions. This could lead to a harmonious culture that fosters collaboration and innovation, or it could spiral into chaos and toxicity. Each evening the contestants are invited to a 'roundtable' where they openly discuss who they believe is a traitor with the objective of casting a majority vote and banishing them from the game. What we see in the early stages of the competition is those with the most influence drive the narrative. Built on minimal evidence and mainly gut instinct, they effectively share a hypothesis as to why an individual is a traitor, influencing those without a strong opinion to become their followers and join them in voting their fellow contestant out...mostly wrong too. 'The Traitors' teaches us that leadership isn't about titles - it's about influence. It's about setting the tone, guiding the team, and making tough calls. Without effective leadership, an organisation can become a battlefield of competing agendas, much like what we saw in the game. Lets take a lesson from The Traitors and reflect on our own organsations. Are we consciously shaping our culture, or are we letting it shape us? Are we stepping up to lead, or are we waiting for someone else to take charge? We loved watching the show and it certainly made us think, what were your takeaways? Would you want to be a Faithful or a Traitor? #TheTraitors #organisationalculture #Leadership #internalcomms #change #culture #behaviours

Blue Monday, through the lens of a behavioural economist. Many organisations will likely be promoting the blue monday narrative today, and combating it with 'desk drops', 'take an extra hour for you', and other employee engagement activities. But does it really make a difference? 'Blue Monday' was a term coined by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2004 and popularised by UK travel company, Sky Travel. It is said to be the most depressing day of the year due to happiness levels allegedly dipping to their lowest - post-holiday blues, poor weather conditions, and the distance from pay-day all contribute to this sentiment. Throw in the fact that our 'new year, new me' resolutions are being challenged, as we slip back into 'new year, same me'. By acknowledging the blueness of Monday, are organisations supporting colleagues through a more difficult day or drawing attention to it and fuelling the (blue) fire? In behavioural economics there is an unconscious bias known commonly as the 'Streisand Effect' which occurs when an attempt to hide, remove, or censor information has the unintended consequence of further publicising that information. Therefore, when organisation's attempt to deliver blue monday activities, does it actually reinforce the blue monday narrative? We think that an organisation changing the narrative on blue monday is the Samaritans, who have called out that blue monday is a myth, and decided to launch 'Brew Monday' instead. Their website explains more about how to change the narrative, and some activities to build positive mental health into your organisation. https://lnkd.in/ea-GD_-y The Samaritans are a charity close to Prologue's heart, with family members who volunteer to get up in the middle of the night to answer the phones of those who really need someone to talk to. #bluemonday #samaritans #changecommunications #internalcomms #employeeengagement #mentalhealth