Why an Ethical Approach to Engagement is Critical
Ethics in engagement is vital. We need ethics to keep the process open, honest, inclusive, far-reaching, respectful, fair, collaborative, and informative. Without ethics, people lose faith in the engagement process, they don’t trust it, they feel used, marginalised, unheard and irrelevant. …
Using technology to create responses
Quite often, a major goal of any communication or public relations strategy is to have a significant impact on the feelings, attitudes and behaviours of stakeholders. The rise of technology like virtual reality offers new possibilities for storytelling and new ways to …
Does media relations still matter?
Having just witnessed a year which has included U.S presidential election where the President-elect was routinely dismissed by the media and where the Brexit voters were scoffed at, has the mainstream media lost its influence? …
Consultation does not necessarily mean that the community gets what it wants.
There have been a few projects in the media of late where community groups have lamented a lack of consultation on projects prior to delivery. Many of these projects have centred on construction and development but a few have involved policy development …
Your organisation’s reputation is in freefall – but don’t hit the panic button just yet!
A stint of bad PR can happen to any organisation. You need to appease management, make staff feel appreciated, help get the business back on track and rebuild the trust of stakeholders - all within record time. It’s a lot to take …
The Art of Communicating Controversially without Resorting to Name-Calling
The level of animosity in public discourse seems to be at an all-time high. So how can we ensure than we communicate effectively, yet steer away from inflammatory rhetoric? …
Not everyone has a Marketing Budget to match Star Wars, but you can still make an Impact
Not everyone has a marketing budget the size of a small country’s GDP, but luckily for us it takes more than money to captivate people’s imagination and drive success. …
Who wins out of PR, Marketing or Digital Agencies? Who cares!
I have noticed of late that there seems to be a trend in PR blogs to ask a lot of questions about who wins share of wallet out of PR: marketing or digital agencies? …
Will This Bacon Sandwich Kill Me? Don’t Risk Misrepresentation
According to media reports, The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued a press release stating that the risk of processed meats such as bacon is as high as smoking when it comes to causing cancer. …
Successful Reputation Risk Management Boils Down To Three Things.
I had an opportunity recently to talk to a client about managing an issue that threatened the company’s brand in the long term. …
Why Is Outrage In Public Discourse Acceptable?
It seems to me that outrage, confected or otherwise is being seen as a completely legitimate tool in public discourse. …
Why Do We Use Jargon And How Can We Stop?
Here is a shocking revelation, are you ready? We all use jargon at work because it puts us in a position of power. …
If You’re Not At The Dinner Table You Might Be On The Menu
In IAP2 and community engagement land there is a great saying that goes along the lines of; if you’re not at the dinner table you might be on the menu. …
Networking – 5 Tips To Get Started
He stands in a room full of people, nervously drumming his fingers, eyeing all corners of the room, looking for a familiar face. A stranger approaches from the corner of his eye, he reluctantly turns to see a stretched out hand and …
Was the Budget a Rhetoric Blowout, and can we Learn from this?
Thanks Mr Hockey, my ears are still ringing from the oversupply of rhetoric that went hand in hand with this week’s Budget announcement – “Have a go”, “Unleashing the opportunity”, “Engine room of new jobs” …
How Communications Professionals Can Do More With Less
It's 9am and you've already read the news, tracked social media mentions, checked google analytics and cleared some of your overnight emails. Your director has piled another task on your teetering workload. Then a crisis hits and you know you're never …
The Growing Pains of Social Media
After discovering internet chat rooms in the mid-90s I was amazed that I could ‘chat’ to anyone across the globe in real time on my PC. Admittedly since then my social media knowledge has vastly improved, as have my online experiences. Gentle …
War, Theatre, Medical Research and Woolworths
I have long harboured a passion for the performing arts, in particular the theatre. I have the great honour of being on the board for Playlab, a long standing Queensland based Playwright development organisation and publisher. …
Eight Signs You Need to Declutter Your Business’ Communication Processes
Just as our personal lives need decluttering, so too do our businesses. And it's not just decluttering our desks. Increasingly our internal and external communications are being bogged down in unnecessary systems and processes. Processes that are outdated but we that cling to …