GovComms: The Future of Government Communication

On this episode of Govcomms, contentgroup CEO David Pembroke is joined once again by the Founding Director of Social Marketing @ Griffith, Professor Sharyn Rundle-Thiele.

Joining us from Queensland, Sharyn is an expert in all things social marketing. Drawing from her background in commercial marketing, her current research focuses on applying marketing to benefit both people and the planet. She has worked on numerous social marketing projects that help tackle issues such as marine pollution in Indonesia, unhealthy eating habits of military personnel, domestic pet and wildlife interactions and teen drinking habits.

In this conversation, we revisit the concept of ‘social marketing’ and uncover the positive impact it can create. Sharyn also highlights some of her recent work that involved mitigating koala threat from dogs and raising awareness of the importance of cleaning leaves in gutters.

We conclude the episode with details about the Change 2023 conference hosted by Social Marketing @ Griffith, which will take place on the 19th and 20th of October, with options to attend either in-person or online. This conference delves into the latest insights and best practices for achieving measurable change that benefits people, communities, and the planet. Govcomms listeners are eligible for a 10% discount on their tickets using the code CONTENTGROUP10. Reserve your spot today by visiting their website: https://www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-business-school/social-marketing-griffith/change-conference

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In this episode of Govcomms ‘From the Vault’, we revisit a conversation between our host David Pembroke and Amanda Dennett, a former Head of Digital Experience at the Australian War Memorial, who is now the Senior Manager at creativeXpeople, Synergy Group. Amanda is an experienced communication professional, specialising in digital communication strategy, crisis communication, and media issues management.

The Australian Government is increasingly harnessing digital platforms to create engaging and informative content. This conversation delves into the findings of Amanda’s research on the way the Australian Government is using social media. Amanda highlights industry success stories and the future direction of online communications.

Discussed in this episode:

• How to measure a social media strategy
• Getting permission from senior leaders to deliver communication strategies
• Where has social media been used successfully in the public sector?
• The key skills of a communicator
• Creating credible and consistent information for online platforms.

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In this episode of Govcomms ‘From the Vault’, we revisit our insightful conversation with Shannah Hayley, which took place at the Content Marketing World 2016 conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Shannah is the Director of Communications and Community Outreach for the city of Plano, Texas, with responsibilities in strategic planning for all aspects of the city’s communications, marketing and community outreach.

Along with David Pembroke, she discusses how local governments can capitalise on unfavorable incidents and utilise content marketing to enhance social awareness for their communities. Shannah shares her successful strategy which turned a disparaging comment from the reality TV show "Real Housewives of Dallas" into a powerful marketing tool.

When a cast member compared Plano to an uncomfortable conversation, Shannah seized the opportunity to transform it into a clever marketing campaign. She embraced the phrase "It's a little Plano in here" and turned it into a meme of civic pride, effectively raising awareness for the city through content marketing.

By capitalising on unfavorable incidents and utilising content marketing, Shannah demonstrated how local governments can increase social awareness and turn challenging situations into positive exposure.

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In this episode of Govcomms ‘From the Vault’, we revisit our insightful conversation with Nicole Thomson-Pride. Nicole is a professional speechwriter and communication coach with experience working across the Australian government, private sector and not-for-profit organisations. Her previous workplaces include the New South Wales Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Department of Defence.

Nicole's passion for communication emerged at a young age, when she had a work experience placement at CLEO magazine at just 13 years old. This passion led her to successfully complete an undergraduate and postgraduate qualification in the field. Today, Nicole excels as a professional speechwriter, with keen interest in understanding human cognition to write speeches that can better influence and persuade.

In today's ever-evolving landscape, characterised by increasingly complex issues, Nicole stresses the importance of having some of the smartest people in the country working in communication, because good communication can help shape and change the world.

Discussed in this episode:

• JFK and using cognitive understanding to underpin his greatest speeches
• Emotional decision-making at the crux of human beings
• Placing audiences in a threat or reward state, using the the NeuroLeadership Institute's SCARF (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness) Model®
• Finding the balance of art and science in communications
• The current opportunity for communicators to be creative

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In this episode of the Collective Engagement for Social Purpose podcast series, we are in conversation once again with the University of Adelaide’s Dr. Taylor Willmott and Professor Jodie Conduit for the sixth and final instalment of the series.

Jodie is the lead investigator on the Australian Research Council (ARC) funded ‘Collective Engagement Towards Social Purpose’ project, and has been working closely with Taylor on the analysis of qualitative data from interviews with community engagement managers and leaders of social purpose organisations. She stresses the importance of storytelling as a tool for leaders to connect with people.

Also joining us in this episode is Dr. Taylor Wilmott, a member of the University of Adelaide's research team for the Collective Engagement for Social Purpose research project. She emphasises the importance of the leader being a participant in workshops to ensure everyone feels like their voices will be heard.

The conversation focuses on 7 tips for effective leadership in collective engagement:

1. People-first.
2. Make it tangible.
3. Create access points.
4. Get the right people in the room.
5. Create a safe space.
6. Empower people.
7. Celebrate success.

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In this episode of GovComms' 'From the Vault,' we revisit our insightful conversation with Ian Andersen, who dedicated 35 years to improving communication for Europeans at the European Commission. As a passionate Participatory Innovation Adviser, Ian strived to foster genuine engagement and co-creation with stakeholders, even in the midst of the challenges posed by online discussions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the interview, we delve into Ian's remarkable journey as an Interpreter. He shares valuable insights, highlighting the crucial factors that contribute to an interpreter's success. Ian also emphasises the crucial role of active listening in achieving sustainable outcomes, and the importance of involving everyone in policy-making discussions.

Furthermore, Ian states that adopting a participatory policy-making framework reduces the influence of lobbyists and is the most productive way of involving stakeholders. As the interview concludes, effective strategies for harvesting and hosting productive conversations are explored, providing valuable insights for successful communication endeavors.

Discussed in this episode:

• Why communication is leadership made flesh
• How to develop your listening skills
• Hosting and harvesting conversations

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This week on GovComms ‘From the Vault’, we dip into the archives to a conversation between contentgroup CEO David Pembroke, and Head of ‘City Communications’ for the City of Vienna’s Press and Information Services, Martin Schipany.

They reflect upon how the City of Vienna has developed their communications approach across Martin’s career. The city is now working across multiple media projects and using content communications to create a strong relationship with their citizens.

Discussed in this episode:

• How do you get the attention of the political media officers
• Why all government departments need to discover their citizen’s journey
• Where Europe is in their adoption of content marketing
• Why communications team should be close to the leadership
• How do you convince government to adopt digital?

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Welcome to the first episode of a new season of the Govcomms podcast, "From the Vault." In these episodes, we travel back in time to the best conversations we had on the podcast with leaders, experts, and innovators in communications from around the world.

This time, we will be revisiting our conversation from 2015 with Alex Aiken, the Executive Director of Communications for the United Kingdom (UK) Government.

In this interview, Alex explains to host David Pembroke his approach to modernising government communications in the UK, the changing expectations of citizens, and the need to move from analogue to digital communication. They also delve into how digital communication has improved the delivery of government services, the challenges of government communicators and much more.

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In this episode of the Collective Engagement for Social Purpose podcast series, we chat with Prof Ingo Karpen who is a Professor of Business and Design at the University of Adelaide and Karlstad University in Sweden. Ingo is also a Chief Investigator on the Collective Engagement for Social Purpose project, with a strong interest in improving lives and systems, and a desire to work with researchers and entrepreneurs to effect positive social change in various contexts.

In conversation with our host David Pembroke, Ingo explores the role of human connections and relationships in collective engagement, with a particular focus on the importance of compassion.

Also joining us in this episode is Dr. Taylor Wilmott, a member of the University of Adelaide's research team for the Collective Engagement for Social Purpose research project. She provides further insights into building compassionate communities.

Discussed in this episode:

• The importance of human connections and relationships in collective engagement
• Mechanisms for transitioning from individual engagement to collective engagement to achieve change
• Understanding and practicing compassion in engaging others
• Promoting positivity, purpose, and avoiding blame and judgment in collective engagement.

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In this episode of Govcomms, we are joined by the Deputy Secretary of Revenue NSW, Scott Johnston.

Scott is an internationally recognised statistician specialising in economic analysis, with a history of working as a senior leader across the Australian and United Kingdom public sectors.

With our host David Pembroke, Scott discusses why Revenue NSW started to focus on a more customer-centred approach.

Further, Scott discusses his views on integrating automation technology and artificial intelligence to improve customer experience.

Tune in to the episode to learn how Scott’s leadership in digital transformation and focus on providing high quality customer service is creating impact at Revenue NSW.

Discussed in this episode:

• Leading digital transformation and customer-centric design
• Mitigating risks when integrating automation and AI technology
• Being a humble leader and driving effective collaboration

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