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In Conversation With (ICW)

As a result of COVID-19, the charity moved quickly to establish a new virtual initiative called ‘In Conversation With’ (ICW) with one goal – to enable our beneficiaries and families across the UK feel less isolated and more connected.

Michael McGrath, CEO, The Muscle Help Foundation said:

“Having distractions and things to look forward to makes life easier for everyone right now - that’s why this project was conceived. Our beneficiaries and families are vulnerable - they have been shielding (as I have), since March 2020 – as of May 2021, that’s over 400 days for many!

ICW offers an informal bi-weekly platform where interesting guests and personalities are invited to share stories and insights – as the host, I try to encourage free-flowing 'long-form' conversations, focusing on different aspects of their lives but also a little fun in getting up close and personal with some quick fire questions.

It's my hope that each episode is entertaining, uplifting and interesting, enabling our community to directly engage with guests by for example asking questions in real-time via the in-house online chat-room – talk about making your audience feel special, connected and very much a part of the conversation.”

“A split screen shows the host alongside the guest who can also include images and video snippets if they wish to support their episode. All viewer activity is monitored, allowing for robust safeguarding. A charity branded backdrop elevates our brand and Stronger Together tagline. We stream live to our Facebook and YouTube channels. We're hoping to also stream on our LinkedIn and Instagram channels.

Episodes are recorded, giving viewers the opportunity to watch at their leisure. The SurveyMonkey feedback ensures we can continue to improve the viewing experience. Metrics such as reach, engagement and thru-plays are recorded, giving the charity a ready-made mechanism to report directly back to funders.

We’re receiving an increasing number of ‘ICW’ requests from our community which is fantastic and whilst it’s not yet reached the heady heights of 'The Graham Norton Show', guests are being confirmed through until the end of Feb 2022, at which point the charity will review this broadcast initiative and decide whether there will be a Series III. At this time (May 2021), my instinct is that it will become embedded as a permanent fixture in the charity's delivery schedule for the foreseeable future,” added Michael McGrath.