Communication blogs

What’s in a narrative? In policy, everything or nothing

Narrative means story, right? But not if you work on development policy, where narrative means something quite different: a framework for action, but one that can create problems if left to roll like a stone down a hill on its own.

Journalists are dying – literally — to tell stories of environmental plunder

It’s a sad reflection of reality that my first reaction to the news of Hang Serei Oudom’s murder was not one of shock or surprise.

Corporates could teach NGOs a thing or two about sustainability

Or, at least, about communicating about it. Corporates are using innovative social media approaches when talking about sustainability — non-profits should take note.

CBA6: tweet by tweet and blog by blog

Given that the theme of the 6th International conference on community-based adaptation to climate change was communications, it's only fitting that participants embraced social media with open arms.

Knowledge is power in this game of chance (called life)

Top tips for pitching climate change adaptation stories to the media

Mike’s advice was shared as part of a Dragon’s Den session, where practitioners at the conference worked in groups to come up with a story and pitch it to two journalists as part of the

Bringing the vision for IIED’s new working space to life

This was the hope of those planning the move, and the long-term aim in creating this new space is that it will serve to enhance IIED's ability to carry out its

Telling stories: the uses and misuses of communicating for change

Stories matter. The first session of the Climate Communications Day for journalists and media specialists at the UN Climate talks in Durban focused on the importance of telling stories to get the right messages out.

IIED at 40 – mature, confident and fitter than ever

Some people become more and more fixed in their minds as they get older. I hope IIED is an enquiring as ever, willing to shift ground when the evidence is clear, to be pragmatic rather than stuck in an ideological rut. We need to practice mental gymnastics to keep flexible and nimble in mind.