GovComms: The Future of Government Communication

Olga Stankova is Special Assistant to the Director of the International Monetary Fund's Communications Department. She currently leads technical assistance and conducts research on economic policy communications, and manages outreach on the Fund’s strategy and policy work.

Previously, she was responsible for communications on the World Economic Outlook and the Global Financial Stability Report. Prior to that, she was Senior Press Officer for all of the countries of the Former Soviet Union, along with several countries in Europe and the Middle East. She also worked at the European Central Bank during the global financial crisis. Olga previously served as Director of Marketing with Russian investment bank Troika Dialog and as Chief of the Banking and Investment Division of the United States Agency for International Development in Moscow.

She has recently released her latest work: Frontiers of Economic Policy Communications, which highlights the emerging importance of effective communication to successful policy making and implementation.

Discussed in this episode:

• Olga’s early career in communications
• The importance of communications in a crisis
• The IMF’s approach to outreach
• A typical day in the IMF’s communications team: the communications cycle
• The modern marketplace and ‘digital citizens’
• Addressing cultural differences in communications
• Changing technologies: the opportunities and challenges
• Getting communicators a larger seat at the policy table
• Why cutting through the noise will only get more difficult
• A look at Olga’s report: the need for cross-department collaborations

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Caroline Fisher is the Assistant Professor in Journalism at the University of Canberra. In 2014, she completed her PhD, which examined the career transition between journalism and parliamentary media advising. Prior to perusing further studies at the university, Caroline was a producer, reporter and presenter for ABC News and Radio National. She has also acted as a ministerial media advisor to Anna Bligh, the former Premier of Queensland.

Caroline is an expert in journalism and political communication. In 2018, she received the Anne Dunn Scholar Award for her research work in communications. She also received the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in teaching in 2014 and again in 2017. Caroline is the co-author of the annual Digital News Report-Australia, and has published several peer-reviewed articles on her research into politics, media, trust and communications.

Discussed in this episode:

• Why it’s harder than ever to earn trust
• Journalism suffering the trust deficit
• Defining trust: the many pieces of the puzzle
• Why we will continue to consume news we don’t trust
• Addressing the negative bias in media
• The importance of authenticity
• Caroline’s advice for government communicators
• Back to old methods: putting relationships at the heart of trust

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Caroline Fisher is the Assistant Professor in Journalism at the University of Canberra. In 2014, she completed her PhD, which examined the career transition between journalism and parliamentary media advising. Prior to perusing further studies at the university, Caroline was a producer, reporter and presenter for ABC News and Radio National. She has also acted as a ministerial media advisor to Anna Bligh, the former premier of Queensland.

Caroline is an expert in journalism and political communication. In 2018, she received the Anne Dunn Scholar Award for her research work in communications. She also received the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in teaching in 2014 and again in 2017. Caroline is the co-author of the annual Digital News Report-Australia, and has published several peer-reviewed articles on her research into politics, media, trust and communications.

 Discussed in this episode:

• Australia: now the lightest news consumers
• The factors leading to a low news satisfaction
• What the latest trends mean for government communicators
• What’s making citizens choose Netflix over news
• The links between political orientation and news consumption
• Repackaging the news: a new take to re-engage audiences
• The power of television

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Tanya is a communications and brand professional with over 20 years’ experience. Her wide range of skills relate to communications and branding strategy, public relations, issues management, stakeholder communications and government liaison. Tanya has led communications for organisations in both public and private sectors. Prior to managing corporate affairs at the CSIRO, Tanya was the General Manager of Communications at Destination NSW. Her prior roles have also seen her lead functions across Japan, Asia Pacific, the United Kingdom and Europe, working both client and agency side.

Discussed in this episode:

• Making the shift from private to public
• Advice on managing ministerial transitions
• Tanya’s take on the most effective communications channels
• The importance of having a clear purpose
• Dealing with message saturation
• Using powdered broccoli lattes to achieve strategic objectives
• The benefits of collaboration and how to identify valuable opportunities
• Capitalising on the demand for video
• How Tanya measures campaign success: lead and lag measures

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Conrad is Director of the GREAT Britain campaign. GREAT is the government’s most ambitious international campaign ever run, uniting the efforts of both public and private sectors to generate jobs and growth for Britain. Conrad also leads the UK Government’s Year of Marketing initiative, which aims to inform and prepare communicators across departments. 

In 2014, Conrad’s role at the Prime Minister’s Office on 10 Dowling St expanded to include responsibility for delivering major cross-government campaigns, and ensuring Government’s spending on communications is efficient and cost-effective. Conrad has also previously worked at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as Head of Public Diplomacy and Strategic Campaigns; and the Central Office of Information, on issues such as consumer rights and international export.

He later joined the Cabinet Office as Director of Strategic Communications. Here, he launched a new approach to Government Communication and was responsible for campaigns to counter terrorism and other societal issues. Prior to his career in government, Conrad spent 18 years in advertising, working with both national and international businesses, and established his own communications consultancy which he ran for 8 years.

Discussed in this episode:

• Addressing the stigma of government ‘marketing’
• The future of government marketing in the UK: a look at 2025
• A new, UK Government definition for marketing
• Why the skills of the modern marketer are needed now more than ever
• A new approach to marketing budgets
• Catering to a millennial audience
• The responsibility of government in thinking ahead
• Why it’s good to see an empty office: the importance of curiosity and relationship building

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Conrad is Director of the GREAT Britain campaign. GREAT is the UK Government’s most ambitious international campaign ever run, uniting the efforts of both public and private sectors to generate jobs and growth for Britain. The GREAT brand has a current value of 271 million pounds and has received 69 national and international awards to date.

In 2014, Conrad’s role at the Prime Minister’s Office on 10 Downing St expanded to include responsibility for delivering major cross-government campaigns, and ensuring government’s spending on communications is efficient and cost-effective. Conrad has also previously worked at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as Head of Public Diplomacy and Strategic Campaigns; and the Central Office of Information, on issues such as consumer rights and international export.

He later joined the Cabinet Office as Director of Strategic Communications. Here, he launched a new approach to government communication and was responsible for campaigns to counter terrorism and other societal issues. Prior to his career in government, Conrad spent 18 years in advertising, working with both national and international businesses, and established his own communications consultancy which he ran for 8 years.

Discussed in this episode:

• What sparked the GREAT campaign
• Leveraging a name, and the power of keeping things simple
• What drove cooperation across departments
• How public perceptions changed throughout the campaign
• A moment in the spotlight: the London Olympic Games
• How Conrad approached ROI and measuring key success indicators
• Employing a ‘soft power’ approach to communications
• What’s next for the GREAT campaign

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Craig has 25 years’ experience in the digital industry and is passionate about boosting organisational performance through the use of digital strategies and tools. Craig has previously managed and created start-up companies, and served in a variety of senior roles in both government and private sectors. Throughout his professional career, Craig has led national digital projects, designed innovative products, hosted stakeholder engagement initiatives, and coordinated the development of hundreds of websites. He has also trained thousands globally on how to maximise their social media engagement.

Craig’s current role with Accenture focuses on supporting clients to respond, manage and create value from digital disruptions. His previous work as an advocate for Digital Government (Gov 2.0) has given him an appreciation for work relating to government and health industries.

Discussed in this episode:

• Craig’s background and passion for digital
• The role of data in modern communications
• Room for improvement regarding government data use
• The different roles of data: comparing public and private sectors
• Managing the issue of citizen privacy
• Viewing privacy and data as a ‘transaction’
• Craig’s thoughts on introducing government incentives for data sharing
• What the government will look like in 5 years’ time
• The shift towards agile and multifunctional teams
• Craig’s take on the skills government communicators should be learning now
• The future of digital and the implications for businesses

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Nick is the Head of Strategy and Communications at The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA). Nick graduated from the University of Melbourne with his Postgraduate Diploma of Editing and Communications in 2008. He has since filled a range of communications roles within the medical and pharmaceutical industry. Nick has worked in a range of areas, from communications research to media and strategy.

He has recently been recognised by the International Association of Business Communicators for his campaign with the SHPA. Nick received a Gold Quill Merit Award for change communication, relating to his campaign titled ‘A New Prescription: Elevating Australia’s Leading Pharmacists’. The campaign involved multiple communication channels including social media, email and radio; and produced a range of positive outcomes for the SHPA.

Discussed in this episode:

• The importance of having a clear objective
• Driving organisational change
• The challenges and learnings from Nick’s campaign
• The power of tone in message framing
• The role of visual ques in Nick’s strategy
• The value of face-to-face interaction in achieving outcomes
• Making the most of consultations and interviews
• The power of people and advocacy programs
• Leveraging third-party voice
• Effective communication: Nick’s tips for success

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Brent joined the South Australian Tourism Commission in November 2015 as a marketing communications specialist with experience in advertising, digital, public relations, sponsorship and communications across the banking, retail and telecommunications sectors.

Brent has been responsible for overseeing $1.6 billion growth in the visitor economy. He played a key role in launching the new global brand for South Australia and coordinated two global television campaigns and multiple digital programs that now see the southaustralia.com attracting over 6 million visitors annually. Brent has also managed several successful marketing partnerships with platforms such as the Project, MasterChef Australia and Sports Illustrated. In 2018, Brent was recognized as #21 on the CMO50 list of Australia’s top marketers and will be speaking about public sector strategic communication in Canberra this May.

Discussed in this episode:

• Getting recognised as a top 50 CMO
• Being digital native, and taking risks in government
• Creating a point of difference
• The power of authenticity
• Pushing the creative limits of social media
• Informing instead of promoting
• Making content ‘snackable’
• Using data to increase consumer value
• An insight into the ROI metrics used by South Australia Tourism Commission.
• Brent’s tips for effective communication within government

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Mark Hocknell has over 25 years of experience in corporate management, consulting and academia. He has completed his Masters degree in Business Administration at the Queensland University of Technology and has developed two business courses which he has now been teaching for 8 years. Beyond Mark’s experience teaching and consulting, he is also a member of the Industry Advisory Board Griffith University.

Mark has an established skill-set relating to performance measurement processes and evidence-based leadership. In 2015, Mark was appointed the Australasian partner for PuMP, a performance measurement process employed globally by over 40 organisations. Mark consistently runs workshops and speaks publicly about the importance of evidence-based approaches to outcome measurement. He will be in several cities throughout May, hosting workshops on how communicators can better measure outcome-based approaches in Government.

Discussed in this episode:

• The essential steps required for measuring an outcome
• Learning to define a vague concept or objective
• An introduction to the PuMP methodology
• Focusing on improvements over outcomes and setting measurable targets
• The 8 steps of PuMP
• Why what is observable is measurable
• The challenges of adopting any new methodology
• Where to learn more about PuMP and upcoming workshops

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