Some days maintaining one (or more) social media channels can feel overwhelming. Posting fresh, new content, responding to comments, watching your feed for mentions, answering private messages. It can feel like a never ending spiral, especially if it’s not your only role. To stay in your followers’ feeds, and to build your online network, you need to continuously feed the beast. It is just the way social media works. I know you are faced with a range of issues managing social media when working in government. When working in government you can often feel pretty constrained in what you can…
Back to basics – social media content
March 24, 2019
The most common mistakes people make in interviews
I have sat on a lot of government communications interview panels so far this year. It feels like recruitment season. I’m not sure what it is, maybe people come back from the Christmas break ready to move on to new…
What to do when you feel overwhelmed
“OverwhelmedA mixture of depression and stress. You feel like you want to cry because you have so much that is on your mind.” Urban dictionary This long weekend I spent a good chunk of my time working after feeling pretty…
Managing a difficult staff member
As a manager at some point, you will have to deal with a difficult staff member. This could be for a range of reasons – bad behaviour, under-performance, the wrong attitude. Not everyone is a lost cause, and in my…
New to communications? Lessons learnt from a long-term member of the club
I remember starting out in communications. Everything seemed exciting running events, going to a media doorstop, presenting to stakeholders. At uni I always wanted to work in one of those big PR agencies that ran high profile campaigns. It all…
The importance of networking even if you are an introvert
My name is Melanie, and I hate networking. There I said it. To me, there is nothing worse than walking into a room full of strangers and making small talk. Those events with endless cups of coffee (or wine) where…
Changing the culture of an organisation
I have been thinking a lot about culture lately and what impact it has on an office (and the people in it). The culture you have can mean the difference between a happy, productive, high performing team and a negative,…
Five communications tools that I love to use.
Today’s article is a quick one to start the week but hopefully gives you some inspiration. Since branching out on my own, I don’t have access to a lot of skills that I used to. When I had a large,…
How to build better client relationships
There are a number of things that can ruin a perfectly good day at work, but nothing more than a difficult client. We have all had them, they are demanding, have unrealistic expectations, don’t listen to our advice but then…
Trends in government communications in 2019
This feels like such a cliched topic for an article, but the beginning of the year is the right time to think about what we should be focusing on as communications professionals. It’s the time many of us turn our…
Setting work goals for 2019
It’s time. Were you a bit unmotivated at work towards the end of last year? Did you come back this year and not feel ready to face it all again? Then it is time for a change. It is time…