GovComms: The Future of Government Communication

Sree Sreenivasan is the inaugural Marshall Loeb Visiting Professor of Digital Innovation at Stony Brook School of Journalism. During the COVID-19 crisis, he is hosting a daily global conversation with experts - and helping companies adjust to the newly virtual world.  Sree is a leading social and digital media consultant and trainer, working with nonprofits, startups, companies and executives from around the world. He has served as Chief Digital Officer of New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Columbia University (where he was a full-time professor of journalism for 20+ years). He has also been a paid on-air tech expert for the three largest news stations in NYC. He taught a course on entrepreneurship at Columbia for four years with Ken Lerer, the co-founder of Huffington Post, chairman of Buzzfeed and co-founder of venture firm LererHippeau. In 2015, Fast Company named him one of the 100 most creative people in business and in 2010, he was named one of the 35 most influential people in social media by the Poynter Institute. In 2014, he was named most influential CDO by CDO Club. Check out Sree’s Daily Global COVID-19 Show here Discussed in this episode: How COVID-19 has changed New York City Sree’s views on the U.S response to the pandemic How Sree develops content for his daily show Why now is the perfect time to upskill and try something new Sree’s approach to editorial calendars and guest pipelines Platforms for live streaming The importance of transparency in government Following passion over expectation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stacey Barr is the creator of the PuMP methodology for measuring organisational performance and developing meaningful KPIs. Stacey is one of the world’s leading specialists performance measurement field. She is author of two books - Practical Performance Measurement and Prove It! – and writes the weekly Measure Up blog. Her content also appears on Harvard Business Review’s website and in their acclaimed ManageMentor Program. Stacey has specialised in the field of performance measurement since 1993. This gave her a deep insight into the transformational power of measuring the right things well – and revealed the most common struggles people have with performance measurement. The most common obstacles she observes include immeasurable goals, meaningless measures, lack of buy-in, and KPI dashboards that aren’t useful. The root cause, she found, is that common KPI practice is fraught with bad habits. So she created PuMP to replace those bad habits. PuMP is known for its practicality in making performance measurement faster, easier, engaging, and meaningful. Strategy and performance professionals say it’s made it easy to engage people and align their work to the strategy. Stacey has also received feedback from teams, saying that it’s the first time they’ve found measurement exciting. Discussed in this episode:  Why PuMP is different to other measurement tools An example of PuMP in action Defining measurable goals and avoiding 'weasel' words Bringing physicality to concepts Identifying relevant stakeholders Where to learn more about the PuMP methodology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew’s 20 years of experience cover a broad range of communication and public affairs practice. His experience ranges from proactive and responsive media handling to strategy, operations and team leadership. Most recently, Andrew was the Director of Media and Social Media with a major NSW Government Department, building and leading teams of media and content specialists to support the Department and its Ministers on issues including: Planning, Energy, Water, Mining, Resources, Skills, International Trade, Small Business, Regional Economic Development, Infrastructure, Housing, Tourism, Industry Support, Crown Lands, Indigenous Affairs, Liquor Gaming and Racing, and the Arts.  Prior to Government, Andrew held senior positions in financial services and not-for-profit organisations. He began his career as an industry advocate and lobbyist in London. He was Head of Communications for the British Chambers of Commerce as well as Campaigns and Government Relations Manager for MAKE UK, the peak body for engineering, manufacturing and technology companies. Alongside his undergraduate degree, he has a Masters in Public Administration.   Discussed in this episode: How Government might move to better meet citizen expectations The implications of the 24/7 news cycle Moving to a more agile, digital Government Fast tracking great ideas and navigating complex approval processes Minimising risk and maximising opportunity in government communications Moving from a broadcast to narrowcast channels Andrew's advice for all Government communicators Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melanie is a PhD qualified medical research scientist and award winning professional science communicator. Currently CEO of the National Youth Science Forum, Melanie is focused on delivering transformative youth-led experiences for young Australians to encourage life-long participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course and having experience in higher education, media and NFP sectors, Melanie brings over 15 years of expertise in STEM management, fundraising, science communication, outreach, publishing and media for the not-for-profit and higher education sectors. Melanie is particularly interested in using digital platforms to help connect wide audiences with STEM. In 2016 Melanie was awarded the Unsung Hero of SA Science Communication for her commitment to translating complex science into something we can all understand. Recently, Melanie led the establishment of a video production and social media distribution capability that has connected over 1.5 million people with evidence-based science on Facebook alone. Melanie is a member of the Advisory Board for the ARC Centre for Nanoscale Biophotonics (CNBP) and is Chair of their Education and Outreach Committee. Discussed in this episode:  Coronavirus, from a communicator’s perspective ‘Fake news’ and misinformation Communicating for decision-makers and the public Knowing your field, when to communicate and when not to Keeping a focus on audience needs Communicating accurately while meeting tight deadlines Melanie’s approach to changing the brand image of the Australian Academy of Science Building an audience from 9,000 to 1,000,000 Using communications to achieve business objectives   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With more than 20 years’ experience in news and current affairs, Ben worked as a camera operator and video editor for several Australian TV networks including Seven, Sky News, and SBS. He covered national and international news based in the Parliamentary Press Gallery in Canberra, and later worked on the ABC “Stateline” program. Ben is also experienced in audio production and has composed music for various television current affairs programs. Prior to joining contentgroup as Senior Videographer, Ben worked in media production for the Commonwealth Public Service. As Senior Editor at the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Ben oversaw the technical and aesthetic aspects of video content for the various portfolio areas of the Department. This role included delivery of web video campaigns and live streaming Ministerial events.   Discussed in this episode: Ben’s background in videography The elements of video production that have stood the test of time The importance of storytelling Why everyone can now make video content, but few can make it well Identifying when to use video and when not to Using video to evoke emotion and produce action Keeping authenticity at the heart of video storytelling Producing content that won’t be scrolled past in a news feed Why all videos should have video captioning Ben’s tips for producing quality audio and lighting for video Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A highly sought-after keynote speaker, educator and author, Gabrielle has worked with thousands of high-profile leaders from around the world and helped several of Australia’s top 50 companies and multinationals to humanise their communications - These have included Telstra, EY, Accenture, VISA, Australia Post, National Australia Bank, ANZ, Vodafone and the Obama Foundation just to mention a few.   She holds a master’s degree in Management and Leadership from Swinburne University, an associate diploma in Education and Training from the University of Melbourne, and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education in both the Art and the Practice of Leadership Development and Women and Power: Leadership in a New World. Gabrielle is also the bestselling author of Real Communication: How to be you and lead true, and a finalist in the Australian Business Leadership Book Awards for 2019. Her other published books include Stories for Work: The Essential Guide to Business Storytelling (2017), Storytelling for Job Interviews (2016) and several other renowned works. Discussed in this episode: Why storytelling is a skill in growing demand Finding a balance between vulnerable and professional How to influence without manipulation Using the heart to reach the head – the affective power of stories The benefits of keeping stories and data separate Why all leaders should strive to be authentic The risks of jargon and acronyms Keeping messages as simple as possible Gabrielle’s top tips for communicators Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elise Davidson is the General Manager of Strategic Communications at the ACCC in Sydney. There, she leads a team responsible for the agency’s media, social media, content & digital production. Her team is also responsible for employee communications, speechwriting, library & research services. Prior to joining the ACCC, Elise was General Manager of Corporate Affairs at Vodafone where she helped to rebuild its reputation post ‘Vodafail’. She also has a strong consumer advocacy background, having led communications and media teams at ACCAN from 2010-13, and Choice from 2007-2010. Elise has a Bachelor’s degree in Media from Macquarie University, co-authored Weird and Wonderful Jobs, and was awarded PR of the Year (in house) at the Mumbrella CommsCon Awards in 2014. Discussed in this episode: Using communications to overcome the ‘Vodafail’ crisis Communications as a crisis management tool Practical tactics for relationship building and public relations Elise’s advice for building a great team Operating in a dynamic, high activity environment An ACCC social media success story and the benefits of paid advertising Making a winning business case for more resourcing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James joined Faster Horses Consulting in 2019 as head of its Social & Government Division after previous social & government research roles with Colmar Brunton, Ipsos & Eureka Strategic Research. He has over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Federal Government sector as both a buyer and a supplier to Government across nearly every portfolio at the Federal level. He is MBA qualified and has been granted Qualified Practicing Researcher (QPR) status. James has been at the forefront of the evolution of market & social research over his 21-year research career, including pioneering the use of online research communities in government with the Australian Taxation Office, the Murray Darling Basin Authority and the Royal Australian Mint. Just as we’ve moved from paper to phone to online data collection, he sees advancements in artificial intelligence and the effective leveraging of ‘big data’ as rapidly reshaping the industry – not sometime into the future, but right now. He believes the key challenge for researchers lies in retaining their ability to connect with people in order to tell clients the true, evidence-based human story. Discussed in this episode: The skills required to be a great researcher A new model for data acquisition – UBDI How technology has effected research, and where it’s going next The disruption of artificial intelligence Why the future of data will always require a human touch The importance of linking research to objectives James’s advice for government communicators working with researchers Developing a ‘no surprises’ mantra Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kym has enjoyed an interesting career, beginning as a print journalist in regional New South Wales after a career advisor suggested she was cynical enough to be in the media.  Her career has taken her around the world and given her entre into some of the highest profile political, public safety and disaster response incidents of her generation. She started with the Department of Immigration on the day they opened Woomera Detention Centre, and spent the next six-and-a-half years dealing with a rather dynamic work environment. Kym has since managed a range of impactful campaigns. One of which being the internationally recognised efforts of Queensland Police Services' use of social media as a public information channel in 2010-2011. Kym has always taken an integrated approach to issue and media management, public relations and reputation management, using new and owned media as a crucial and effective plank. These days she is Director of her own public relations and communications agency: The Fasterhorse Company, where she deals with culture building within government departments, juggling niche clients, and running the occasional marathon or ultra and upsetting Spanish food Twitter for fun. Discussed in this episode: Kym's early career as a regional journalist Being mindful of your energy when communicating The impact of democratised media Finding the right stories to tell Why content has to be connected to a strategic objective Influencing sentiment to effect mainstream reporting  Understanding your organisations risk appetite Finding authentic storytellers (and where to look)   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Michelle Harrison is the global CEO of Kantar Public and the founding CEO of WPP Government and Public Sector Practice. She is responsible for the effectiveness of Kantar Public’s work around the world, and supports the delivery of major projects. Michelle has worked with government and corporate clients in every continent across all aspects of public policy and public affairs. Her career to date has included time in academia, international development, strategy, marketing and social research. She is a Davos speaker, book author and the founder of the WPP Executive Education Programmes in Public Communications and Behaviour Change. She has also led the establishment of WPP Government Practice Hubs in London, Brussels, Sydney, Beirut, Singapore and Nairobi. Discussed in this episode: How great campaigns can fail without adequate research and testing Methods of combining policy and communications Why the best communications outcomes are produced through a united approach Learning to embrace rapid technological change Avoiding audience isolation Why there is no replacement for face-to-face interaction What behavioural change campaigns will look like in 5 years The pains and gains of working with multiple communications channels The current opportunity for government communications Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.