NEWS & BLOGS

I nearly missed this one. End Digital Poverty Week runs from 7 to 13 September, and it's the first time the Digital Poverty Alliance has expanded what used to be a single day into a full week. It marks their 25th anniversary too, and it brings government, industry and the third sector together to look at how digital exclusion shows up across education, employment, healthcare, finances and everyday access to services. At Open Voice Lab we talk a lot about doing digital better.

Digital engagement is now central to how public‑sector and VCSE organisations listen, involve and communicate with communities. But most engagement and comms teams were never formally trained in what “good” digital engagement looks like - or how digital channels can support trust‑building, inclusion and better decision‑making. Open Voice Lab has launched the September cohort of our Digital Engagement Masterclass, a practical four‑session online course designed for people work

An exploration of the complex relationship between AI and writing, considering that while AI can be a useful tool for organising ideas and improving clarity, it cannot replicate the human emotion, judgement and authenticity that make writing truly impactful. It highlights the importance of the human touch in engagement, and considers the growing need for transparency around AI use, particularly in public consultation and engagement where trust and accountability are essential

A close up of some credit cards in a pile. A few years ago, I was sat at my NHS desk, trying to figure out how to get an important piece of engagement work in front of the right people. I knew paid social was part of the answer and I knew exactly who we needed to reach. But our finance team wouldn’t let me have a credit card. I did what any good public servant would do – and consulted Google for an answer. If you've ever found yourself searching "how do I run paid social with

We’ve recently delivered our new 'AI for Engagement: Your Essential Human Guide' course to NHS engagement and communications professionals — and the feedback has been exceptional. Designed specifically for public sector teams, the course gives people the skills, confidence and governance awareness they need to use AI safely and effectively in real engagement and consultation work. Participants described the training as “very clear and inspiring… changed my perspective on AI”

The under-16s social media ban: a moment to reflect on how we reach young people. This morning the Prime Minister announced that social media platforms - including Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X - will be off-limits to under-16s in the UK, with the ban due to come into force by spring 2027. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal, along with YouTube Kids, are not included. A mixed response to the social media ban On one level, this is a clear, decisiv

I went paddleboarding recently when the sunshine came out. I took my eye off the ball for two minutes to take some pictures, and the strong wind nearly had me in the reeds. It struck me that paddleboarding is a good metaphor for where a lot of engagement professionals are right now with AI. Getting on the board is the easy part. Everyone can do that. But without a paddle you are not really in control - you are just being pushed around by the wind, drifting sideways, watching

Public sector budgets are tight and training is a luxury. When you invest in professional development, you need to be certain it will make an immediate impact – that people leave with skills they can apply right away, not concepts to revisit in the future. For public sector engagement and communication teams, a development area becoming increasingly urgent is around digital skills. The growth of artificial intelligence (AI) has taken us into a new realm and is changing how pe

The importance of ‘making friends’ with whoever owns your digital channels Are your digital channels working for engagement or just working? There's a pattern we see regularly when reviewing digital engagement strategy for public sector organisations. Digital channels exist, usually managed by someone in the communications team, and they share numbers as a measure of success. Yet the engagement professionals – the people whose job it is to understand communities, gather insig

Last week I hosted a coffee morning for the Consultation Institute. We were talking about digital engagement and how to reach beyond the usual voices. The conversation quickly went to digital engagement with young people – something lots of organisations are keen to do. The obvious answer is that many young people are on TikTok. Perfect, that’s the plan then? Well it’s still not quite that simple. Where young people are and how they use social media Let's start with some in

We hear this a lot from public sector teams. Think about the last time you heard about a local service change, or something that had people frustrated in your community. Where did you find out? Chances are, you saw it online somewhere - a Facebook group, a comment thread, a post shared by someone in your network. That's not a coincidence. Conversations about organisations are happening continuously online, whether those organisations are present or not. Only a very small port

An exploration of the Palantir–NHS backlash, the long shadow of care.data, and why meaningful engagement is essential when handling people’s most personal health data.