Making Communications More Accessible Artwork

Stories and Strategies with Curzon Public Relations

Welcome to Stories and Strategies, the world’s most listened to Public Relations podcast feed, according to Podchaser, Goodpods, and data from Rephonic.

This feed brings together two complementary podcasts exploring the role, responsibility, and future of public relations from a global perspective.

Stories and Strategies with Curzon Public Relations is the flagship show, co hosted by Doug Downs and Farzana Baduel. Released every Tuesday, this 20 minute weekly podcast delivers bold ideas, sharp insights, and honest conversations about public relations, strategic communications, and marketing. From earned media and brand storytelling to AI and behavioural science, the show goes beyond surface commentary to focus on what truly shapes modern communications.

Also included in this feed is The Week UnSpun, a weekly live analysis of global news headlines through a public relations lens. Co hosted by Doug Downs, Farzana Baduel, and David Gallagher of Folgate Advisors, The Week UnSpun streams live every Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern / 3 p.m. UK time, with the audio edition released later the same day.

Follow now and join a worldwide community shaping the future of communications, one story and one headline at a time.

All Episodes

Stories and Strategies with Curzon Public Relations

Making Communications More Accessible

May 01, 2022 • Doug Downs • Season 3 • Episode 61

0:00 | 32:35

This Spring the PRCA (Public Relations and Communications Association) updated its Guidelines for Accessible Communications. They provide more detail on video and animated graphics, thoughtful use of language and representation, and hosting of physical and virtual events.

We talk about making our processes and materials more accessible and at times we even take steps on a specific project to make sure they are. But accessibility is seldom a core value that is delivered on. And yet the numbers of people impacted are staggering globally:

Over 400 million people have severe hearing loss
Nearly 300 million people are visually impaired
Nearly 200 million people have cognitive disability
People with disabilities make up 15% of the World’s population
People with disabilities control nearly $13 Trillion worth of buying power

Understanding the importance of accessible communications will force us as communications professionals to pay greater attention to engaging people with disabilities in our processes and materials. And accessible communication benefits all audiences, making information clear, direct, and easy to understand.

Guest: George Coleman, CEO, Current Global
Link to Current Global’s Making communications accessible by design
Link to the PRCA Accessible Communications Guidelines

George loves telling stories. Big, tall or short. He’s been doing it for more than 25 years for some of the world’s most iconic brands. He started his career as an electronics engineer, but craved a more creative canvas, and made the leap into marketing communications. Following a stint at the BBC, he joined his first PR agency and the rest, as they say, is LinkedIn profile history.

He founded Interpublic Group agency Creation in 2011 and served as global president, before teaming up with Current Marketing to form Current Global in 2019.

Outside of work he’s often found in his vegetable patch or brewing beer. He’s also a film fanatic, collects original cinema posters and has a cat called Butch Cassidy and a dog called Sundance.

Email George: gcoleman@currentglobal.com
Connect with George on Twitter @theprmonkey

Connect with Stories and Strategies on Twitter @stories_strats. We follow back.

Support the show