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…
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…
- 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…
Thank you, Elm
As many of you know, I joined Elm Communications as an intern almost two years ago. What started as an internship soon turned into a part-time role as I finished university, and then a full-time role for my first year…
My five favourite professional development resources from 2024
As the year draws to a close, my Instagram feed is flooded with “Top 10 Favourites for 2024” posts. While it’s a little unsettling how fast time has flown, it also reminds me to reflect on my highlights from the…
- Australian Government, Communication, Communications professional, Culture, Leadership, Team performance
Clarity in purpose for communication teams
Commnication teams need a clear purpose to enable them to demonstrate the value they create for an organisation
Taking an audience perspective
How often do you get so caught up in doing the doing and forget who you are doing it for? No matter how long you have worked in communications, we all fall into this trap at one point or another.…
- Australian Government, Communication Strategy, Communications professional, internal communications, Professional development
You CAN measure internal communications
If you have ever worked in internal communications, you know measuring and reporting on your outcomes can be challenging. You know you should, but it’s haaaaarrrrd. The Gallagher State of the Service report found that 84% of internal communicators want…
The importance of promoting communications careers
A couple of weeks ago, the Elm team participated in the St Clare’s College career expo. You might wonder why. At Elm, we aren’t a large consultancy looking to recruit high school graduates, so why would we attend? It’s a…
