GovComms: The Future of Government Communication

Fresh from the Archives Russell Grossman wears many hats; he is Director of Communications at the Office of Rail and Road, Head of Government Internal Communications Profession for the UK Government and Director at Engage For Success. In this episode from the archives, Russell Grossman and David Pembroke discuss the best practices in government communication. We hear about Russell’s experience as Director of Group Communications at the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, as well as International Chair of the IABC and Director of Engage for Success. Discussed in this episode: ·       Maximising communications budgets ·       Using a project management approach to reform communications ·       Creating long-term marketing strategies ·       Strong bold leadership and sharp project management ·       Adapting to digital platforms Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A communications professional with more than 15 years of experience working in busy and demanding media relations and communications environments, Farooq has a range of experience having worked both in the public and voluntary sector.  Having trained as a journalist, during his career in UK Government he has been media adviser to several UK Prime Ministers and senior ministers. Farooq has led teams and delivered high-profile communications campaigns for key government domestic policies including the major housing building programme, a review of the public broadcaster BBC and controversial reforms to teachers’ pay and pensions. He has also dealt with international issues such as the UK’s military operations in Afghanistan and was part of the UK Government Olympics Communications team for London in 2012. Farooq led the crisis communications response for UK Government following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, where he led a team of 40 plus professionals to deliver an effective communications strategy.  Having recently relocated to Sydney, he brings this wealth of experience to his current role supporting Transport for NSW with its communications response to the current Coronavirus outbreak. Discussed in this episode: A human-centric approach to government communications Farooq's advice on crisis management The importance of planning The current state of government communications Developing evidence-based communications Building trust - being accurate and realistic Measurement and evaluation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fresh from the Archives Gina is a senior digital marketing professional with successful experience in product management, social media strategy and integrated marketing campaigns for the City of Bryan. In addition, Gina has also developed brand ambassador and employee ambassador programs online to reinforce branding goals, drive loyalty and amplify the message.  Working for the City of Bryan, she has put her non-government experience to work to boost economic development, city programs, and tourism across all online channels. In addition to marketing, she serves as the PIO for the City of Bryan and Bryan Texas Utilities. Discussed in this episode:  A grass-roots approach to content The essentials of content marketing  How content marketing served the City of Bryan Gina's advice for government communicators  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony Bradford is the co-founder and Managing Director of the Centre for Corporate Health, an organisation that specialises in helping workplaces of all shapes and sizes to better manage mental health, psychological safety and workplace stress. Originally a country boy from the Riverina, he ran away from home and joined the Navy at the age of 17 and started his career as a navigation officer driving ships and patrol boats. Fascinated by what happens in workplaces and the dysfunction and stress that often results, he developed his passion for understanding and transforming workplace cultures especially through building leadership capability. Following his service in the Navy and a short stint with EY’s change management consultancy division in the late 90’s, Tony has spent the past 20 years consulting to organisations of all shapes and sizes and industries, including Government. Rachel Clements is the co-founder and Director of Psychological Services and Principal Organisational Psychologist at the Centre for Corporate Health For over 25 years Rachel has focused on building individual and organisational resilience, and minimising risk of workplace mental health.  She has worked across a range of industries and has carved a niche especially in professional services organisations such as law firms, banking, finance as well as government (at all levels). Rachel is often the go-to subject matter expert when it comes to workplace mental health and is a regular keynote presenter at national and international conferences. Rachel is frequently consulted by media organisations from around the world and is regular contributor to the Huffington Post Discussed in this episode: Characteristics of a mental health conscious organisation The biggest predictor of workplace wellbeing The impacts of isolation Preparing for the 'new normal' Why Australia leads the way in workplace wellbeing Why 'givers' do better than 'takers' during a crisis Tony and Rachel's advice for staying mentally well Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fresh from the Archives Carmel McGregor forged a highly successful and notable career in the Australian Public Service. She is a psychologist by training and is intrinsically interested in how people think and what makes them tick. Before her retirement in 2014 Carmel was the Deputy Secretary Defence People in the Department of Defence. Prior to joining the Department of Defence in 2012 Carmel held a position as the Deputy Australian Public Service Commissioner where she was a member of the Advisory Group on Reform of Australian Government Administration (Blueprint) and led a review of Pathways for APS Women in Defence. Before joining the Australian Public Service Commission, Carmel was Deputy Secretary Client and Corporate Services in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). During her time with DIAC she led global client service reform and a major organisational and cultural change program. Discussed in this episode: The role of communications Communicating for success The revolution of listening Understanding why public servants need to be able explain their work to the public Carmel's advice for government communicators Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.