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Seven lessons in seven years
In 2018, I left the public service. I needed a change—a new challenge, a different rhythm, new scenery. “Start a small business,” they said. “It’ll be easy. You’ll have so much flexibility.” In seven years, running Elm has been anything but easy. Every year has brought something new to navigate—global pandemics, shifting economic circumstances, the infamous “consultant ban,” and plenty of personal curveballs. Running Elm has tested every part of me. It’s been harder, messier, and more consuming than I ever imagined. But it’s also been one of the greatest joys of my life. Elm has grown into something bigger than I could have planned. It’s not just a business—it’s…
How can we hold our work lightly?
When working in communications, we often put a little piece of ourselves into our work. Your blood, sweat and a few tears into a communication strategy, hours spent on carefully crafted messages, or that presentation that you worked on until…
100 Hours Later: What I Learned from My Internship at Elm Communications
As I near the end of my internship with Elm Communications, I found myself revisiting the very first blog post I wrote at the start of this journey. In that post, I reflected on why I chose to study communications…
- Australian Government, Communication, Communications professional, Professional development, Social media
We unapologetically use AI (and you should too)
There’s been a lot of talk lately—especially in government—about the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the way we work. Questions about privacy, security, and job displacement are valid and important. But amidst all the noise, I…
What’s the difference between a communications strategy and a communications plan?
People often use communications strategy and communications plan interchangeably. I was recently asked to explain the difference, and while it’s a hot topic in communication circles, here’s my take. They serve distinct purposes and play different roles. Understanding the difference…
From a spark to a fire: igniting an innovative culture in government
Every year, the APS census results come out, and every year, the same questions arise: Why are innovation metrics low? What can we do about it? Why is it so hard? As someone who has run countless workshops on this…
Ask yourself: Do I need to be engaging?
Over the past few years, I have seen a trend: engagement for engagement’s sake, or, as I like to call it, fake engagement. Across many government departments, engagement is required for every significant policy or program, for each grant, or…
Why I chose communications: My journey and what I hope to learn
As Elm’s newest intern, when Mel asked me to write a blog about why I initially wanted to join the communications industry, I found myself reflecting back to Year 12 and the moment I was facing my UAC choices. Where…
The collaboration conundrum. Why does it have to be so hard?
We facilitate workshops and planning days for large and small groups from the public and private sectors. We’ve done many of them over the last few years, and it’s one of my favourite parts of this job because I get…
- Australian Government, Blog post, Communication, Communications professional, Leadership, Professional development
The growing demand for communication services
We are hearing that communication teams are being asked to deliver more than ever. Everyone is being squeezed. Recruitment freezers are popping up across government, and budgets are tight (or non-existent). Teams are increasingly expected to provide expertise across a…
The dark days of 2024 and the team that got me through
Some years are harder than others. You know, the ones where you crawl to the end, counting down until the year is just over. 2024 has been one of those years for me, both personally and professionally. For many reasons,…