The Spring 2021 edition of Influence is out now, featuring some of the best commentary and opinion from the world of PR and beyond.

Below is the editor’s letter and a taste of what you can find in the first edition of the year…

So often we can be fixated with milestones we can be taken by surprise when, the next day, things seem pretty much the same. You still have to keep training, to keep learning and practicing.

I don’t know about you, but I felt pretty fixated on the end of 2020. That once that year was put to bed we could start getting back to normal. Obviously just a lingering thought on that would reveal it as nonsense, but since then I have wondered whether focussing on something arbitrary is what got many of us through a tough time.

Now that we’re well and truly in the 2021 mire, it can feel like there is less to focus on. Yet with some reflection we can take the lessons of the last 12 months and set our sights on what we will do when we emerge from the other side of COVID-19.

Whether it’s the creative process, talent development or recruitment, almost all aspects of running a team have had their lessons to learn over the last 12 months. We’ve been speaking to industry leaders about what has changed since March 2020 and what might remain the same and what will change again over the next 12 months.

There are some really interesting perspectives and you can find that on page 29.

One thing that seems certain to remain is the amount of time we spend online. Indeed, while we have spent much of the last year in a digital world, that has only been a continuation of a trend.

However, while digitalisation has made lives easier in many respects, we have to be aware of those for whom it has had the opposite effect. Particularly those who rely most heavily on the public sector, such as older people, who have the potential to be excluded because of a lack of digital literacy. Our cover feature this edition looks at what organisations are doing to make sure that no one gets left behind – and how communications professionals can help. You can find out more on page 20.

The Spring 2021 edition of Influence is out now and CIPR members can find it here.

Features include: 

Digital Exclusion: The importance of digital services continues to grow, but it is vital that no one gets left behind. The tech needs to work for everyone, or many users will be denied access to what they need most. Helen Crane investigates the vital role comms has to play.

Has COVID Democratized Internal Comms? Emma Duke looks at how comms professionals have found new ways to keep colleagues in the loop as we transition from offices to online platforms – and how leaders have more questions to face.

Changing Behaviour: Annique Simpson gives us a helpful nudge from the world of behavioural science.

12 Months On: How Has COVID Changed PR? For better or worse, the pandemic has forced us to think on our feet. Jonathan Owen asks which changes will stick around.

Virtual Pitching: CIPR trainer Guy Clapperton has some great advice for making that socially distanced pitch goes off without a hitch.

And much more.

Read the Spring edition of Influence here.