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…
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…
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…
- 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
