GovComms: The Future of Government Communication

Barbara Walsh is a Senior Lecturer and Program Director in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Canberra. Her specialised teaching and research interests lie in areas of integrated learning, social responsibility and corporate and strategic communication. Barbara’s 25-year career in public relations and corporate communications, also includes working as an Account Director for PR Consultancies in Sydney and London, managing her own consultancy in Sydney and several senior-level roles in the Australian Public Service. Discussed in this episode: Is effective social media engagement a litmus test for how well communicators can do their job? And how this reflects on the intent of an organisation to engage with citizens. Social media is a fast way to directly engage with citizens. But requires two-way trust and access to the right people for approval and support. The characteristics of good communicators are those who are agile, opportunistic, have strong personal characteristics, and can engage at senior levels. How entrenched views in senior levels of bureaucracy coupled with an increasing demand for transparency with citizens, means communicators need to argue their case for social media channels as part of the suite of channels. UC is helping create career ready graduates with practical integrated learning, providing students with relevant education while embedding them in practical industry environments. Academics need to stay on top of changes and stay ahead of students, and industry needs to stay relevant and continue moving towards specialisations. This changes the way academics teach and the way degrees are built as students move into evolving communications roles. And, the age-old challenge of embedding communications at the start of the process. Speaking the language of senior executives - risk appetite, governance, benefits – and the need to reshape how we talk about the role of communicators. For example, look at how behavioural scientists are taking on a communications role and establishing credibility. Can communicators create credibility using tools or methodology?   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Mark Evans (PhD) is Director of Democracy 2025 and Professor of Governance at the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis. Mark is an expert in the study and practice of governance and policy analysis. He has a long track record of achievement in developing high quality, values-driven, knowledge institutions built around outstanding research with policy impact, relevant professional development programs, and creative partnerships with governance actors with a common commitment to delivering policy and leadership which delivers genuine public value. “Democracy 2025 – bridging the trust divide” is a unique collaboration between MoAD and foundation partner UC-IGPA that will see a centre established at the spiritual home of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, that will generate research, education and practice to enhance the quality of democratic engagement. It will bring together academic study and debate with public engagement opportunities such as events and exhibitions to investigate and experiment with what works in terms of renewing our representative system of government and facilitate evidenced-based cross partisan conversations on how to improve our democratic practices. Discussed in this episode: Communication is the oxygen of any organisation The complexity for modern government, is that there is no one audience We’re in a different era of government and it’s so important for the Australian Public Service to win hearts and minds and  engage in better storytelling about the great work that it does We need a great diversity in the workforce in order to understand the different channels of communication that will have any impact If current trends continue no more than 10% of Australians will trust their politicians and political institutions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Troeth is Director – Media at the Minerals Council of Australia. He has a long and distinguished career in both the media and politics.      Simon started his career as a print journalist, working for the Herald Sun and several other newspapers before moving in to politics where he spent 15 years working for state and federal politicians and was the Principal Media Adviser to the Premier of Victoria. He has also had several roles as media and policy advisers and was the Director of Strategic Communication for the Victorian Department of Justice. Simon has worked for three industry and has also worked as a consultant specialising in communications and government relations strategies. Discussed in this episode: How communication has changed over the last 30 years The growing nature of immediacy and personalization in how we consume media Government has acknowledged the need to get closer with their audience Important behaviours to follow when interacting with journalists How to make an effective pitch What’s more important, getting your own channels right or interacting with the media effectively? Government sometimes operate inside out, they think ‘this is important, they need to hear this’ instead of asking ‘what do they need to hear?’ The importance of understanding how your audience perceives your organisation Why evaluation is one of the best investments you can make as a communicator How to attract and retain audience attention Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shawn Callahan is the founder of Anecdote and one of the world’s leading business storytelling teachers and advisors. He started his career in technology with companies including Oracle and IBM, before he founded Anecdote in 2004. Anecdote helps leaders and sellers be better oral storytellers and assists corporations deliver on their strategies using stories. Most recently Shawn published his book PUTTING STORIES TO WORK. At its heart, this book provides a process for becoming a good business storyteller. Discussed in this episode: Why storytelling is an effective communication approach What makes a good story Three focus areas for organisations to use storytelling How you can become better at telling stories in an organisational setting How to decide what information you should put in a story Why you should never use the word story How to measure the impact of the value of storytelling in your organisation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josie Khng joined the contentgroup team in January 2018 as one of its strategists. Prior to her move to Australia, she was head of social media at global creative agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty in Singapore. She has a wealth of global brand experience and has led award-winning creative campaigns for IKEA. Now she focuses on developing creative strategies and content for her government and public sector clients. Discussed in this episode: The future of social media and how the entertainment in storytelling can guide government communication Ways to capture your audience’s time Why personas are a must Examples of successful creative government campaigns How to structure your communication team Key takeaways for government storytelling Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Bell is an ABC producer and reporter in the ACT. He worked for the BBC and commercial radio in Wales before moving to Australia in 1988. In Australia, he has reported and produced news bulletins and documentaries for regional and metropolitan commercial television, Reuters and the ABC in Sydney and Melbourne.  Andrew discusses the evolving world of media and how technology is changing the profession. Discussed in this episode: What are reporters looking for when you call to pitch them your story? What time of the day is best? How is technology changing the way newsrooms behave? What will give you your best chance of having your story run?     Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stuart Howie, author, communications and media consultant, journalist and speaker shares with us insights and strategies from his latest book, The DIY Newsroom. Stuart draws on the principles and practices of newsrooms. Why newsrooms? Well, newsrooms are at the top of the content food chain - information is their reason for being. Stuart knows a thing or two about newsrooms, having transformed newsrooms across a 30-year career as an editor and journalist, including time as editorial director for Fairfax Regional Media. Discussed in this episode: What editorial operations that impacts a nation looks like. And the parts you can take and tailor to your own operations. The power of acting SMART™. What it is and how you can control your message for maximum impact. Future proofing your comms strategy for 2019 Essentials for authentic stakeholder engagement Building diversity into an engaging strategy that converts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As one of the leading and most experienced communicators in Australia, Adrian Cropley shares with us the growing functionality of combining communication and business and the role that plays in successful leadership. With over 20 years’ experience, Adrian has worked with a number of Fortune 500 companies in areas such as change management, crisis management and strategic communication. From this, he has perfected the skills required to be a professional communicator and build strong teams. Described as the “friendliest man in the [comms] game”, this a great listen to better your leadership skills, working towards creating a healthy, functioning and strong comms team! Discussed in this episode: The functionality of strategic communication in the late 2010s Turning everyone in your organisation into a pro communicator The evolution of communication and leadership When two worlds collide - business and communication Building the ‘comms team of tomorrow’ The damage of the 24/7 news cycle on comms in government Building authenticity, stability and trust into your comms strategy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we present an exclusive interview with Geoff Fisher, contentgroup’s Client Services Manager, about the application of Phase One and Two of our Content Communication Framework. Taking you behind the scenes of how contentgroup operates, we explore the future of strategic communication and what it means for government. This week’s episode breaks down myths that surround comms teams, injecting project management and strategic thinking into communication and increasing your stakeholder engagement. Most importantly, Geoff outlines not only the ‘why’ but also ‘how’, through the Framework, this is achievable. If you enjoyed today’s episode or have any questions email: info@contentgroup.com.au Also discussed in this episode: The future of government communication How to successfully start a communication strategy Why communication is important throughout, not just at the end Injecting comms into the policy team Comms as more than the ‘Colouring-in Department’ Keeping the audience involved and informed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TAKE PART IN OUR AUDIENCE SURVEY AND WIN! This week we are excited to release Part 2 of our interview with Robert Rose, a leader in the content marketing space. As well as leading a consultancy firm of his own, most recently Robert Rose was the host of Content Marketing World. Continuing from Part 1, in this episode Robert shares with us the creation of strategic content, focusing on the implementation of empathy and storytelling to capture your audience’s attention. Alarmingly, the tools and solutions Robert provides are a lot simpler than you may think! If you missed Part 1 make sure to find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Discussed in Part 2: Putting your content strategy to use, effectively Creating goals and actually reaching them The power of stepping away from technology Finding empathy and following it through Learning what your audience wants and delivering that Learn more and register to our Masterclass.    Discussed in Part 1: Driving emotion and empathy to break through the noise Creating scalable content Creating an evidence-based case for a content strategy The tools to build and evaluate your content strategy Distributing content in a timely manner “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.