What do trees and bees have to do with PR?

Being made redundant in the middle of a global pandemic certainly challenges your sense of self. Particularly when you enter a job market seemingly driven by algorithms and a focus on cost cutting.

For the 9 years to February this year, I promoted and defended the reputation of an organisation that defined who I was to many people. Or so I thought. ‘Head of Corporate Affairs for Deloitte’ is certainly an impressive job title. I loved working for Deloitte – interesting work, smart people – but in the past few years of dealing with the everyday, I’d forgotten why I got into public relations to start with.

At 16 years old I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do an ‘A-Level’ in Communication Studies. This was quickly followed by being part of the second annual intake to the UK’s first graduate degree in public relations. And so began a lifelong passion for the power of media and communications to connect people, improve understanding and create positive change.

Which is where the trees and the bees come in.

They’re a reflection of what’s important to me – nature, connection, community, and balance.

I’ve done a lot of self-reflection this year.

Partly that’s been out of necessity to try and work out what I’m particularly good at and where I stand out from other potential job candidates. I’ve also reflected on what’s important to me and what I’ve enjoyed most in my career to date, to try and help me focus on where to go next.

All of this thinking has come together in the brand for my corporate communications consultancy, Meaningful Dialogue.

Tempting though it was, I didn’t want to call my business ‘Ben Findlay Consulting’. So, why Meaningful Dialogue? Well, the essence of public relations is effective communication between an organisation and its stakeholders: the people and other organisations that have an interest in it, or are affected by it. Meaningful dialogue underpins this. It creates the basis for mutual trust and understanding and builds connections.

The tree icon in the Meaningful Dialogue logo is intended to represent this idea of mutually beneficial connections. It shows interconnected branches, supporting each other to flourish.

In his book, The Hidden Life of Trees, author and forester, Peter Wohlleben, describes how trees are like human communities: ‘tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers.’ Trees also represent regeneration, growth and sustainability, which are important concepts to me in my search for a new employer.

Close up of a bee pollinating an orange flower

The Meaningful Dialogue website uses photos I’ve taken of the natural world recently, including bees pollinating flowers. As many of us have realised during the pandemic, particularly on our lockdown walks, life is precious and the natural world shows us how we are all connected if we only stop, listen and pay attention.

I note in my What is Meaningful Dialogue? blog that actively listening to opposing views and engaging in meaningful dialogue with others seems to be a rare commodity these days. Yet I remain optimistic that the desire is there to change this and know I want to be a part of working with business and government to create positive societal change.

Reflecting on what I’ve achieved in my career to date has highlighted how much experience I have with the public sector, as well as advising professional service firms. But what I’ve ultimately realised in trying to sell myself is that being true to myself is the most important attribute of all. I’d like to believe that is what people buy. Not a job title. What do I bring that nobody else does? Me, myself and I. In the absence of being in front of people, my intention is that the Meaningful Dialogue website shows people what this means and the value I can add to them.