Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Less Chatter, More Matter: The Communications Podcast
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#143 5 big comms lessons from 5 big years in business
05 Nov 2025
00:20:14
This week, we’re celebrating a big milestone! Five years in business and a brand new chapter with a brand new brand name (say that fast 10 times). We are now: Cuttlefish!
To celebrate, this episode is all about five of the biggest communication lessons we have learned along the way. These lessons apply whether you run your own consultancy or work in-house.
We chat about why it's important to find clarity in your value in order to stay visible and building meaningful two-way conversations. We touch on a whole lot more in this episode, and each of these are the practices that have helped us grow, evolve, and adapt (just like our new namesake, the cuttlefish).
So tune in to learn how to strengthen your communication impact, stay top of mind, and grow with purpose.
#142 Strategic alignment: the role of comms and the impact on leadership (ft. Zora Artis)
29 Oct 2025
00:38:28
What does it really mean to be aligned, and why is it so hard to achieve?
In this episode, Zora Artis joins us to unpack the concept of alignment: what it is, what it isn’t, and why so many organisations struggle to get it right. Zora explains that alignment isn’t actually about everyone agreeing, but rather, about creating shared meaning and direction so people can move together with purpose.
Yet despite leaders knowing how critical alignment is, research shows only around 14% of organisations are truly aligned. So, with this knowledge on board, we explore what causes “quiet misalignment” (the subtle drift between intention and execution) and, how leaders and communicators can close that gap through clarity, trust and honest dialogue.
Zora also shares how alignment connects with cohesion and commitment to create true organisational flow, and why communicators play a pivotal role in helping leaders bring strategy to life.
If you’ve ever felt like your team is “busy but not together,” this episode will give you the insight, and language, to fix it. So, get listening!
#133 Overcoming the silos - how to build bridges through comms
27 Aug 2025
00:13:43
Have you ever been halfway through a project only to discover priorities have shifted? Or chasing information from another team that never comes? Maybe you feel like no one really knows what your team does.
These are all symptoms of a siloed culture and while silos often start at the top, communicators can play a vital role in breaking them down.
In this episode, we share four practical strategies to help bridge the gaps that silos create; we chat about building a single source of truth to amplify more leadership voices, empowering employees to share updates, and holding the C-suite accountable.
So... if you're ready to get collaborating across your organisation, instead of yelling into the abyss - tune in to learn how communication can cut through silos, build trust, and keep people aligned.
If you're involved in communications, you're most likely involved in change work in some way, shape or form. Which is why this week's episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast is going to give you the 101 on how to write a change communication plan.
This may seem like a basic skill for those who dive into comms plans every day, but your typical, day-to-day communications plan is significantly different to a change communication plan.
The biggest difference is the granular level that change impact needs to be assessed and addressed for different audience groups.
Plus to add to that complexity, that granularity means you'll have very specific outcomes for each audience group, all of which will need specific messaging and strategies.
Sounds complex, right? Don't stress because we run you through the ins and outs of it all in this episode. So let's jump in!
#42 5 behavioural science hacks to use in your change communication
22 Nov 2023
00:16:00
When the words 'behavioural science' get brought up, you wouldn't be alone in immediately thinking about any CSI or Bones show you could fathom. However, behavioural science is not simply used in characterising serial skillers, but rather, characterising people and the way they act, and interact, across a plethora of topics.
For example, behavioural science can become a key player in how you manage your comms overall, but specifically in a change heavy role. And change communication in itself is about really, deeply understanding human behavior and then using your comms to drive a desired response.
So then, how do we use this behavioural science to back up our change comms? Well, you're about to find out in this week's episode!
#41 Crisis communications and the lessons we can learn from Optus
15 Nov 2023
00:17:58
Another week, another episode full of knowledge on the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast. However, this week is a special one as we bring to you the perfect case study itself in crisis communications: the Optus outage of 2023.
Last week, the hot crisis comms news came in the form of the colossal bin fire that was the national Optus outage (a.k.a the second largest telecommunications company in Australia) which left over 10 million customers without mobile, their phone, or internet services for over 12 hours.
Now, over a week later and the mop up continues with what could be deemed the golden case study in what NOT to do for your communications in a crisis. So, we thought we’d dive right in and deliver some hot tips on crisis comms with some real-time examples.
Plus, we'll talk you through some of the things they did right, a lot of the things they did wrong, and why we all need to be prepared for a crisis and what that can look like.
#40 How to use video as a powerful communication tool (ft. Joseph Bobadilla)
08 Nov 2023
00:29:32
We live in a digital world, and video inundates every channel we use - from intranets and websites, to social media, messaging apps, and more. But why is it such a powerful communication tool, and what are some of the best-practice tips for getting it right?
Which is what we asked the exceptional video expert, Joseph Bobadilla from Brown Fox Media House, on this week’s episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast.
We picked Joseph's brains on everything from the big mistakes people make when they use video as a communication tool, all the way to the top tips you can use to get started, even if you’re on a budget. We even dabbled in a bit of chat about artificial intelligence and the opportunities and risks when it comes to video.
#39 How to create a content plan for your business or client
01 Nov 2023
00:14:30
Our worlds revolve around content these days! But, with so many different channels to reach our audiences, and so many different ways of doing it - it can be difficult to figure out the nuances of each and what is going to work best.
That's why this week's episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast is all about creating and maintaining a content plan for your business or client. This episode touches on how to create content that is purposeful, and how to make sure your channels are kept alive and performing!
We've even got a FREE content plan template available for you to download! But you'll have to listen in to find out how to grab it.
#38 Mental health and the crucial role of communications (ft. Cherie Canning)
25 Oct 2023
00:28:40
Welcome back to the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast. This week's episode starts with the impact of mental health in the workplace to celebrate Mental Health Month here in Australia this October. We asked Cherie Canning, founder of Luminate Leadership, to join us on this episode to explore how communication plays an instrumental role in advocating for mental health issues in the workplace.
When done with mental health in mind, our communication practices can create safe spaces to have conversations, particularly in the workplace. And it's even more fortuitous in a way that the theme for Mental Health Month in 2023 is 'we all have a role to play'. So this episode is really about encouraging people to think about ways we can connect with the people around us in more meaningful, supportive ways.
About Cherie: Cherie Canning is a passionate optimist, an avid traveller and the Founder and Director of Luminate Leadership.
After almost two decades of leading teams and running development training at Flight Centre Travel Group, Cherie and her husband Andy were thrown a Covid redundancy curve ball. It was then Cherie knew she had to follow her passion of Leadership development and Luminate Leadership was born.
Cherie is passionate about creating training and development experiences that challenge people, inspire them and give practical tools to create real life impact in their workplaces and lives.
It's our third birthday! That’s right, Hey Mel! has been offering our communication and training expertise for three big years, full of big business learnings - learnings that we’d love to share with you.
Whether you’re looking to start your very own consultancy, or you’re a lover of all things learning, we’ve got some pretty cool lessons to share from around the world of freelancing and what it could mean for your career.
That's why this special birthday episode covers some of the key takeaways that the business has compiled over the three years we've been doing it! We've also packed all of said shiny insights in this one, fantastic podcast episode - full of insights you can use across the board in any career.
So... why wait for the fourth birthday? Let's get into it!
#36 How to choose the right channels for your business
11 Oct 2023
00:12:57
Gone are the days of simple websites, media releases and CEO emails. These days, we have so many more channels to use and choose. But the challenge is knowing which ones to choose and why!
Especially when a new social media app comes onto the market because it can be really tempting to jump onto it right away. And why not? It's the latest shiny thing and apparently everyone is using it… but, before you do, can you answer whether it will serve your business any good?
Knowing which channels to pick, how to use them, and how to use them well is crucial before heading onto any new media platform. It’s especially important for those who are starting a new business or starting from scratch in an existing business.
That's why we've gathered some tips on how to pick the right channels for your business here.
#35 Top tips for making and maintaining a great website (ft. Jessica Panozzo)
04 Oct 2023
00:30:00
Do you know what it takes to create a website that is accessible, creative, design friendly, SEO ready, easy to navigate, and fits your brand? All of these things are crucial parts of your website's job in ensuring your brand is taken seriously and that your clients can trust you to deliver on what they need.
Which is exactly why this week's podcast is all about website design. We've asked the fantastic Jessica Panozzo from Feel Good Creative to join us and share some of her insider knowledge on the key aspects to website design, and why it's so important to get it right, no matter if you're a small business or massive organisation.
Jess is the owner of Feel Good Creative, a website design agency in Brisbane, Australia. She's a colour loving, food obsessed, website designer and an ex-accountant, but we won't hold that against her. She works with creative businesses and all-round good humans to ensure that your digital home communicates a special sauce, stands out from their competition and is a dream for your visitors to use.
She has mastered the art of managing website projects in an efficient, personalised two week period so that you can get back to running your business ASAP. That's why we were stoked to have her on the show to spill the beans on all the website aspects you'll need to know!
What exactly is a hard-to-reach person? They're the people in your business who are on the road, serving customers, on a construction site or simply out of range (like on a plane!). They aren’t, and simply can’t be, in front of a computer screen all day.
But as the people who are often our frontline employees, it's critical to get organisation-wide messages to them effectively.
Unfortunately, our traditional internal comms channels, like intranets and emails, are pretty useless a lot of the time. So where do you start? Much like every communication that we do, we have to start by thinking from our audience's perspective because to put it bluntly: we can't communicate the way we want, we have to do it the way they want.
Luckily for us, the good news is there are a lot of ways to communicate with the 'unwired' workforce very successfully, and some of them might surprise you. And we’ve gone into a bunch of them, right here in this podcast. So, what are you waiting for?
#132 Listening, and how it can change your internal comms (ft. Howard Krais)
20 Aug 2025
00:40:51
When we think of internal communication, we often jump straight to emails, intranets, and town halls... but what about listening? How do we truly hear employees and act on what they share?
In this episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast, we're joined by Howard Krais, co-founder of True Communications and co-author of Leading the Listening Organisation. With decades of experience in global change communications, Howard has pioneered research into how organisations listen and why it matters.
We dive into what makes a 'listening organisation,' the role leaders play in shaping culture, and how to move from hearing to truly listening. Howard also unpacks the barriers businesses face, how listening can become an early warning system for risks, and the surprising role AI might play in transforming how we listen.
If you’ve ever felt like your surveys disappear into a black hole, or wondered how to build a culture where employees feel heard, this episode will change how you think about internal comms.
#33 What employees really mean by 'poor communication'
20 Sep 2023
00:15:59
If you’ve ever heard of the terms Pulse survey, or Employee Engagement Survey - then you’ve most likely had to answer a variety of questions surrounding the effectiveness of communications in your organisation.
More specifically, you've most likely had to deal with the repercussions or the aftermath of 'poor communication' being identified in these surveys, and the way by which a company or team handles outcomes like this. But, when it comes to this sort of outcome, it's less likely that a company will actually identify what the poor communication is attributed to, rather than simply trying to address it with more communication.
That's why on this week's episode, we've dived head first into what employees REALLY mean when poor communication is identified, and the ways by which you can fix, work on, or even implement strategies to combat it permanently.
#32 What is accessibility and why is it important? (ft. Kelly Thibodeau)
13 Sep 2023
00:31:22
On this week's episode, we dive into a new topic: Accessibility.
We chatted with the incredible Kelly Thibodeau, who is based in Manitoba, Canada, and is the founder of Squarely Accessible - a social media marketing consultancy and training organisation that focuses on accessibility, content strategy, and digital experience. She's a consultant, trainer, and speaker who's been making online marketing make sense for organisations and non-profits for 25 years.
Kelly joins us on this week's episode to shed light on the topic of accessibility in communications. Find out what accessibility in communication really means, why it's important, and how you can make sure your communication is hitting the mark!
Episode 31.5: (BONUS) Key communication trends from the Asia-Pacific region
10 Sep 2023
00:17:31
Oh it’s a sneaky bonus episode!
I’ve just returned from the two-day IABC Asia-Pacific Fusion 2023 Conference in Bali, which brought together 70 communication professionals from around the region, as well as Europe, South Africa, and the USA.
And while it’s all still fresh in my mind, I wanted to share my key takeaways.
In this bonus episode, I’m sharing the three big themes that came out of the conference: leadership, cross-cultural communication, and of course, artificial intelligence! There’s loads of gold I took out of these two days, so dive in and get the download!
#31 Practical skills every comms professional needs
06 Sep 2023
00:14:44
Today's episode is all about how you can make yourself an undeniable hire when you're new in your communication career.
More specifically, we dive into the key practical skills that every communications professional needs to hit the ground running. So whether that's new graduates, people who are about to graduate or people who are shifting careers - these are the absolute bare bones skills that will help you elevate yourself above your peers, and ultimately keep your career thriving.
Not to mention, I've already done the hard yards for you and collated all of the key collateral and templates you should have, or should know about, in my very first online-only course. Talk about making it easy for you!
So, have a listen, rate the show and if you're interested in getting those schmick templates and some one-on-one coaching, check the course out below.
#30 Neurodiversity and communication (ft. Kylee Leota)
30 Aug 2023
00:26:21
Welcome to the 30th episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter! That means 30 weeks of sharing all the things, and there's still so much more to come!
This week, we've focused on how no two brains are the same and how each of us interpret things differently. We've touched a lot in the past on how to communicate in different ways to reach your audiences in a way that is meaningful for them, and gets your message across.
To do this, we've brought in the best of the best! The incredible Kylee Leota, founder of Elements 4 Success - a global organisation delivering transformational experiences to individuals, teams, and businesses. Her services include psychological safety, high performance teams coaching, leadership, change management, and she designs bespoke programs as well. Her background is actually in the education sector. She spent 20 years working in education, including leadership roles in schools and at the regional level.
On this episode, we dive deep into the world of neurodiversity, what it means, and how it could, or should, impact your communications. Join us to hear all about it and grab some great tips on making sure your comms are inclusive!
#29 How small teams can still drive great internal comms
23 Aug 2023
00:15:25
On today's podcast, we're tackling the age-old situation of resource-poor comms teams (or organisations who don't even have comms teams!). Communication teams are often left stranded, sometimes after a restructure, or sometimes simply by the business not understanding the function well enough. And yet, the expectations don't change - internal and external communication goals need to be met to help achieve business goals.
The good part is, these situations are opportunities to become extremely innovative and creative in their delivery or organisation of comms in order to fill the gaps. It's not uncommon for there to be solutions or workarounds that may come in handy when you're trying to find the best practices for a resource-poor team.
That's why in this episode we've focused on how you can still deliver great internal comms by leveraging a variety of tips and tricks. From supporting stakeholders and driving organisational strategy, all the way through to the very basics of templating and resource hubs.
On this week's podcast, we dive into one of my most-asked-about topics: what makes communication effective and how can I improve my own communication skills?
Off the back of these queries, I developed the 4 Cs of effective communication framework to help you develop communication in a way that is clear, concise, considerate, and connected. With these 4 Cs in mind, you can start to judge for yourself whether or not your comms are hitting the mark!
Because when we're effective in our communication, it's easy to measure our impact as our audience will be doing exactly as we intended, and we'll be achieving our 'know, feel, do' objectives.
So what do these 4 Cs look like in practice? That's what I'll be getting stuck into with this episode.
#27 The power of visual communication (ft. Hayley Langsdorf)
09 Aug 2023
00:27:14
This week, we've got a special guest on the show who specialises in the world of visual communications and is a top tier expert on making sure your comms are received by the wider audience. It's Hayley Langsdorf.
Hayley is the self-described Chief Doodler at Thoughts Drawn Out, a creative consultancy powered by the art and science of illustrated storytelling and human-centred design. Hayley has helped unleash the colourful stories within some of Australia's largest organisations through her work as a facilitator and designer. She has a winding career through corporate communication, transformational change, innovation, and experience design. She is obsessed with visual storytelling to say the least, having written a book, delivered a TEDx talk and created numerous courses on the topic.
This week, Hayley will take us through her top tips for visual communications, how to get into them, how to reach more of your audience, and where to begin on your journey to becoming a more visual communicator - plus why it's important!
She has some fantastic advice and a wealth of knowledge to share, and we can't wait to see what she has to offer.
This week’s podcast episode focuses on the often overlooked part of communication that is: communication that is neither written nor verbal.
When the word ‘communication’ comes to mind, most people will immediately imagine things like emails, meetings, conversations, website copy, town halls and all sorts of other mediums across the board for written or verbalised communication. But, what many people fail to realise is that conversation traverses into the world of behaviour, and as such - your behaviour is a direct type of communication.
Anything that sends a message is a form of communication.
Regardless of what you’ve written in an email, verbalised to a colleague or discussed in a meeting - there are ways by which we communicate, such as behaviours, that can be often more impactful, regardless of whether they are intentional or not.
Not to mention that the messages you send through your behaviours are just as powerful, if not more powerful than the words you speak or write. So this episode will touch on all the ways your behaviours send messages, how to be more aware of them and also, what the repercussions could be for not keeping them in mind.
#25 How to get the most value out of your performance reviews (ft. Paula Maidens)
26 Jul 2023
00:26:39
Welcome back to your favourite comms podcast, and we've got a treat for you!
This week, we've had our very first ever guest star on the show - and we've started big. We've teamed up with the incredible Paula Maidens, to bring you a podcast relevant to the current time of year, all about performance reviews and how you can make the most out of them.
Paula is a hiring and leadership coach, and speaker, who helps fast growing entrepreneurs build high performing teams so they can scale with ease, get their time back and create the life they damn well deserve. She's been a business consultant for over 13 years and uses her signature six pillar framework to shift the perception that hiring leadership, and stepping up as an empowered CEO needs to feel hard.
She has a straight talking reputation and uses her simple systems and tools to support you to look within, find a way that feels authentic and amazing and build your dream team to support your dream life. As an entrepreneur herself, Paula shares her own business and life lessons, as well as the hands on experience she has from interviewing and hiring.
We're super excited to have her on the show to talk all about the ins and outs of performance reviews, but also, how you can make them as effective as possible.
#131 Why emotions matter for your comms and how you can tap into them
13 Aug 2025
00:25:08
Ever nailed a comms campaign, where you know it's clear, concise and beautifully targeted, only to find it falls flat in action?
The missing ingredient might be emotion. In this episode, we dive into the power of 'getting them in the feels' and why emotions are often the deciding factor in whether your audience engages, acts, or ignores your message entirely.
Drawing on fascinating research, we share four practical ways to tap into emotions: making your message relatable, priming your audience’s thinking, framing information effectively, and connecting with their sense of identity. So, if you're driving organisational change, inspiring donations, or motivating action, these insights will help you speak to both hearts and minds, and actually get results.
Listen in to this week's episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast.
#24 Change vs internal communication: What's the difference?
19 Jul 2023
00:13:04
Are you someone who either is, or has hired, an internal or change communications professional? If so, then you've most likely come across the two topics of change and communications, and their many cross-overs.
The key part to these topics are that there are many differences between change comms and internal comms. The first thing you need to know is that communication is only one element of change and it is not the silver bullet that will solve all the problems.
There are four other elements to change, including leadership, stakeholder engagement, learning and development and governance. And in today's episode, we are going to discuss and uncover these five elements of change to give us the foundation on how, and why, internal and change comms differ.
#23 5 key communication skills leaders must master
12 Jul 2023
00:16:16
In this week's episode, we're delving into the world of leadership communication skills. We all know that communication is a key skill for all leaders, but communication could generally mean almost anything.
So what are the specific communication skills that a leader needs to master?
In today's episode, we unpack five key leadership communication skills that I think every leader should master and how they differ from management communication. I'll be giving you a run down on some free tools I've collated to help you learn more about leaership communications and I'll even give you some key examples of how to apply it.
Having your personal brand narrative is not something that you suddenly one day need in order to apply for a job. Figuring out what sets you apart from others may be useful for that, but having your brand narrative precise and ready can, and will, underpin your career as a whole.
Whether you think you need one, already have one or aren't sure - it's more than likely your colleagues, friends and even family already have one conjured up on your behalf.
So, why wouldn't you take the time to craft and refine the way that you wish to be perceived in a professional or unprofessional capacity?
In today's episode, we take the time to really scope out the why and even the how behind the importance of a brand narrative that encompasses you and what you bring to the table. I'll be giving you a run down on a mini-workbook I've collated to help run you through the entire process in detail (which you can find here) and I'll even give you some key examples of how to apply it.
#21 Six ways to stay relevant with AI tools in comms
28 Jun 2023
00:24:19
There was a lot of excitement earlier this year when ChatGPT took off! A tool that produces copy in an instant? Fascinating! Helpful! Worrying!
Whatever your initial reaction was, tools like ChatGPT are evolving quickly, and if we don't learn to use them, we'll be left behind.
I've been playing with some of these tools, attending events, listening to other podcasts, and putting a few of them into practice myself, and I've now got a list of use cases for professional communicators - or people who communicate a lot as part of their work - that shows how useful artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be for our work.
So get ready as I share six ways you can use these tools to boost productivity and reduce time spent on tedious work, particularly if you're a resource-poor comms team! I also share some examples of how I've tested out these tools myself, and the results of those experiments.
#20 How to reach visual learners with your communication
21 Jun 2023
00:19:58
65 per cent of people are visual thinkers. People remember 80% of what they see and do; only 20% of what they read; and only 10% of what they hear!
That's why it pays to know your audience, and think about how you could communicate in a way that will actually work.
If you've been following the podcast for a while, you'll know we say tailoring your communication to meet the needs of your audience is key to your communication cutting through. A big part of that is understanding people's different personality types, so whether they are more introverted than extroverted; more of a strategic thinker or a detail thinker; or more of a visual or auditory learner.
In today's episode, we're going to delve into the specifics and focus on ways you can adapt your communication to resonate with people who are visual thinkers. I'm going to share four ideas with practical examples of how you can take your communication and repackage it in a visual way that will actually work!
#19 Three key comms documents every business should have
14 Jun 2023
00:18:19
If you don't have these three key documents, you're working harder not smarter.
Communication teams - and the broader organisation - need tools to help them make decisions, uphold standards, and educate others.
The tools I'm sharing in today's episode will help you work more efficiently, and ensure everyone is singing from the same songsheet - so you have consistent output, you protect your brand, and you protect your channels.
Importantly, they also help to protect your time! So tune in to find out what these three golden documents are, and how you can get your hands on a template for one of them.
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) annual World Conference in Toronto has just wrapped up, and boy was it an incredible learning experience!
Across two-and-a-half days we heard from international speakers on a variety of corporate communication hot topics and trends, that are relevant not only for professional communicators, but for anyone who has communication as part of their work responsibilities (looking at you, leaders!).
In this special episode of Less Chatter, More Matter, I'm going to share the three key trends I identified from the sessions I attended across the conference, and stay tuned to the end of the episode for a bonus - my summary and key takeaways from the woman who took Duolingo's TikTok account from just a few thousand followers to 6.7 million followers in a flash!
Today's episode addresses a bug bear of many - how to write concisely, without losing friends! It takes a lot of practice to write in a way that's short and clear, without sounding abrupt or rude.
But with a few simple writing tips and tricks, you can be a much better, clearer writer, which will help you get the outcome you want!
I'll walk you through my three-step process for writing concisely, and share a few of the writing 'red flags' you need to look out for when honing your writing skills. I'll also share a simple formula that will make drafting any content so much easier.
If you've ever worked in communications, corporate affairs, investor relations, or even finance, you'll be aware of the beast that is the Annual Report. Whether you work for a listed or non-listed company, a for-profit or not-for-profit organisation, the Annual Report will be around in some shape or form.
Annual reports are important - they need to be done to meet regulatory requirements, let shareholders know how their investment is performing, or let donors know how their funds are being used.
But the problem with annual reports is HOW they're produced - in my opinion, they're currently a colossal waste of time and effort. They're not targeted at their audiences, they don't respect their audience's needs and behaviours, and they don't achieve good business or communication outcomes.
So as we approach end of financial year, I'm sharing a few ideas on how to re-think the dreaded annual report, and produce it in a way that's both more efficient and more effective.
#15 Do these five things before starting your business
17 May 2023
00:16:12
One of the things I’m asked about all the time is advice on starting a business. I offer it freely, although brunch is often involved!
Back in episode eight I shared the five fun things you should consider doing when you’re looking at starting a business - whether that’s as a side hustle or a full-time gig.
Today’s episode is about the five boring things you’ll need to consider - at least, I consider them boring! But they’re really super important things that will help set you up for success, and they’re things we often don’t consider and then learn about the hard way! I want to help you so you don’t have to do that.
So if you're thinking about starting a business - whether now or in the future - this episode is absolutely critical for you!
Make sure you grab a copy of my 'five things' checklists from my website to play along from home when listening to this episode!
#130 Storytelling to drive change for NFPs (ft. Gurpreet Bhatia)
06 Aug 2025
00:40:17
In the crowded and competitive world of Not-For-Profits, how do you cut through the noise, move hearts, and inspire action?
In this powerful episode, we chat with Gurpreet Bhatia, Regional Communications Director for Asia at Heifer International, about the art and impact of storytelling in the nonprofit space. Gurpreet explains why storytelling is the soul of effective NFP communication and how real stories can drive funding, build connection, and spark meaningful transformation.
She shares her storytelling strategies, including a simple but powerful story arc, and talks through one incredible story of a woman whose life—and entire community—was transformed. The episode also explores the role of AI in comms, the importance of human-first language, and why empathy, dignity, and listening matter more than ever.
Whether you're in a lean comms team or just starting out in nonprofit storytelling, this episode will reignite your passion for the work we do.
Tune in now and learn how to tell stories that truly matter.
#14 What's the difference between a strategy and a plan?
10 May 2023
00:13:01
What exactly is a communication strategy, how is that different to a comms plan, and what are the types of strategies you could be developing?
If you’re new to comms, it’s really important that you know this, because simply jumping to a plan is jumping to tactics, without overarching direction. And when you can show strategic thinking to your client or leader, you’ll be able to start building a bank of credibility. If you stay in the land of tactics, you’ll only ever be asked to create and execute tactics. I want you to be able to set strategy!
Also, helping people to understand the differentiation between a strategy and plan is something I’ve had to coach quite a few people with over the years. Often it’s because they’re simply new to comms, or they’ve been in other roles and never had to think about comms strategies and plans like this before - they’ve simply just communicated the way they always have. Except now they might be in a position where they need to communicate more broadly, rather than just to a few people.
So in this episode, I'm going to help you understand what strategic thinking means in comms, and how your strategy and your plan work together to deliver a solution!
#13 Case study: Crisis comms during a natural disaster
03 May 2023
00:20:11
I'm going to take you back to 2017, when Cyclone Debbie hit large parts of my home state of Queensland, and I was leading the internal comms team at a big insurance company.
In this case study episode, I'm going to talk you through the steps my team and I took to communicate during this crisis - the channels we used, what messaging we used, and our tools and processes - to show you how the three crisis communication principles work in practice.
It's a peek behind the curtain of crisis communication 'in real life', and a reminder to all leaders and communication professionals that being prepared is the best way to manage communication during a crisis.
#12 Three ways to avoid the broken communication cascade
26 Apr 2023
00:13:53
Today’s episode is about something you might have tried before, or didn’t know existed, but that is the communication cascade.
This is a strategy that’s been used since the beginning of time - where we give information to senior leaders, and we expect them to pass it on to their next line of leaders, then we expect them to pass it on to their teams.
The reasoning behind it is pretty solid - people are more likely to listen to and trust the information coming from their direct leader, than from any other source. There’s been some wide-ranging research into that, and it really reinforces why good leadership and good relationships are so important, particularly when it comes to the effectiveness of your communication.
Also, one central person and one central comms team cannot possibly communicate personally with every member of an organisation.
So the logic is sound … however, humans get in the way!
What often ends up happening is the message gets diluted or misconstrued by the time it ends up at the team member level; or there’s the permafrost layer - usually at middle management level - where the message gets trapped and just doesn’t go any further.
What we really want leaders to do is not only pass on a message, but make it relevant to their teams, and personalise it to reach their audience.
So while our comms strategies might have a cascade element with the best of intentions, the reality is that they often aren’t successful.
So, how do you navigate it when you can’t personally communicate with every individual?
That’s what we’re going to tackle today - how to still use the communication cascade, but put in place some strategies to give you a better chance of success!
At some point in your career - whether you work in communications or not - it’s likely you’ll need to do a presentation. It could be to your boss, company Board, a potential client or investor, customers, or anyone in between.
Knowing how to deliver a presentation so that it engages people and gets the outcomes you want will be critical not only to the success of that presentation, but also potentially to the progression of your career. It’s a great skill to have, and really an opportunity to showcase your expertise and aptitude for leadership.
Importantly, your presentation has to be memorable - for the right reasons! You want people to walk away remembering you and the points you made. So how do you do that?
Hint - it's NOT about having a pretty PowerPoint deck! It IS about you!
In this episode I'll share my top tips for how you can hone your presentation skills so you and your message is clear and memorable.
#10 How to choose the right channel mix for your business
12 Apr 2023
00:14:41
When working in a comms team or for yourself, it pays to put time and effort into developing a channels mix that services both your internal and external audiences. The right mix of channels, used in the right way, can help you achieve your business goals - whether that's growth, improving brand awareness, or something else entirely!
The challenge we have today is that we have SO MANY channels to choose from! And it can be really tempting to just jump on the bandwagon of the latest fad, or try and use too many channels.
So in this episode, I share three key principles to guide your decision making around what channels to use to meet your business needs. Whether you're a management consultant, lead a corporate affairs team, design wedding cakes ... or anything in between, this episode is for you!
In this week's episode, we’re going to start to tackle a really big segment of comms - crisis communication. Look, there’s a reason I can run a two-day training course on this topic, because there is a LOT to think about! But don’t worry, we’ll break it down into a few smaller topics over the course of this series.
In this episode, we’re going to start with the three key principles of crisis communication. These are the principles that, no matter how little prepared your organisation is, will help guide your communication when a crisis occurs.
Here’s thing thing - it’s not a matter of if, but when a crisis will come to your doorstep. It’s a given. I don’t want to scare you - it does appear there’s a lot that can go wrong, because there is! But if you’re aware of the risks and you’re well prepared, then you can confidently navigate a crisis when it does happen.
I'll also briefly cover the difference between an issue and a crisis, what a crisis can actually look like, and the over-arching goal of crisis communication you should be working toward.
To get your hands on the crisis communication framework, subscribe to my FREE 12-month comms toolkit here.
Also, as I mention in the episode, if you're keen to beta test my new crisis comms bootcamp, pop your name down here.
#8 Five fun things to consider when starting your business
29 Mar 2023
00:19:31
So you’ve made the decision you’re going to try going out on your own - or even just testing the waters with a side hustle first. That’s awesome! It’s a courageous but exciting decision to make. But where to start? How do you even start a business?
In today's episode, I'm going to share a few things you can do now to get ready - whether you're considering freelancing, consulting, or building a team.
And these are what I deem the ‘fun’ things! They’re certainly more fun than some of the other bits and pieces you have to do - but we’ll cover those in another episode because they’re also super important, and things I wish I’d known before I kicked things off.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to head to my website - go to heymelcomms.training/freebies - and download my two checklists: Five fun things and five boring things you should consider before starting you business. This episode will give more details on what's in those lists, so you can follow along at home!
#7 Formatting hacks that will get your written comms read
22 Mar 2023
00:13:54
We’ve all been there - you get a long email or message in a message app and you just don’t read it. Why? It’s not interesting or relevant, doesn’t look enticing to read, doesn’t grip you in the first couple of lines, or you just don’t have the time.
All of these reasons and more are perfectly valid for ignoring the long, boring message.
As comms pros, we need to be aware of how our audience takes in information. If you’re not going to read a long boring message, why would they?! And yet, we continue to see long boring messages being written by comms people, or people responsible for communicating.
But, all is not lost. Today I’m going to share some top tips for formatting your written communication to give it a better chance of being read, even when it’s boring. AND these are tips you can apply to other people’s writing with hopefully very little resistance.
You can also read a blog post on this very topic on our website here.
In today’s episode we’re going to be delving into the world of tailoring your communications. As you’ve probably picked up by now from me banging on about it, all of our comms should start with ‘who’ … not ‘why, what, how’ etc. Your audience is absolutely key to nailing your communication objectives.
The challenge we have is there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. We are communicating with humans, not robots. Humans … well we’re a little weird! We’re basically squishy, fleshy balls with emotions. But every single one of us is different, down to a molecular level. You will not find anyone else on this planet, past present or future, who is exactly like you. That’s how special you are!
But it’s also a good reminder - why are we just assuming that everyone will consume information the same way, when no two people are alike?
Tailoring your communication is really key to getting people to actually hear it.
Adapting your communication style to suit the needs of your team is also a key element of leadership communication skills. In my experience, it’s not something that comes naturally to leaders or to comms pros either.
To help you understand your own communication style - and the styles of others - take this quick quiz. You'll find out not only what your preferred style is, but also how to communicate better with others with different styles, and how to share with others what you need in order for comms to be successful.
If you want to build on this a little, check out my Communicating Better, Together workshop! This is a workshop for teams where we delve into communication personality types, as well as understanding how people respond to change and to feedback, so you and your team can communicate better, together, and get results! Check it out here.
It's the number-one thing I've been asked to write or help with in my 20-plus years in communications - a comms plan!
In this episode I give you the 101 on how to write a solid communication plan. While the complexity of a plan might change depending on the context, the key elements remain the same. This is a good, juicy episode for those of you who are new to comms and want to learn the skill of writing a communication plan, or if you just need a bit of a refresher.
So get ready to take some notes and learn exactly what goes into my comms plans! If you or your team need more support, I offer one-hour masterclasses on this topic, complete with templates and live Q&A, all via Zoom. So if you want to book one of those in, please get in touch!
#129 A change comms dilemma - what to communicate when there’s nothing to say
30 Jul 2025
00:10:20
Change projects don’t always run smoothly. In fact, they often stall, slow down, or get tangled in roadblocks. So what happens when you’re expected to keep communicating about a project… but there’s nothing new to report?
In this episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast, we explore the tricky territory of staying visible and valuable when change efforts are stuck in the slow lane.
You'll learn practical ways to communicate meaningfully, without creating noise or confusion, including how to tap into existing channels, tailor updates to specific audiences, offer behind-the-scenes insights, and maintain trust through transparency.
Even when you’re knee-deep in a stalled initiative or perhaps you're just looking to sharpen your change comms skills. This episode will help you strike the right balance between staying silent and oversharing, plus, what to talk about if you choose to speak up.
#4 Three top tips for measuring your communication success
01 Mar 2023
00:14:17
Measurement ... sounds boring and hard, but it's so necessary for comms pros! It helps you continuously learn, improve and ideate, and helps you demonstrate the value you add for your business or client.
So how do you measure the effectiveness of your communication in a way that shows value, and gives you value too?
In this episode I'll share my three top tips for measuring your comms, and give you a few ideas to try.
Subscribers to my FREE 12-month Comms Toolkit will receive a measurement framework in their inboxes this month (March 2023), so this is the perfect episode for you! If you haven't subscribed and would like a copy of the framework - and get your hands on the tools we've already shared - then sign up here.
As promised in episode one, this podcast will be a mixture of comms tips and stories from a small business owner! In this episode, I'll answer a question I get asked often: How did you start your business?
The answer ... it's more a story of why! I'll give you the background to how I came to 'do my own thing', and some of my top tips for things you should do to get ready for the transition.
Get my checklists - the top five fun things and the top five boring things to consider before you start your business - here.
#2 The three outcomes every comms plan should have
15 Feb 2023
00:11:20
If you're writing comms plans (or you think you might be asked to write a comms plan at some point), then this episode is for you!
We're sticking with a 'comms foundations' theme, and I'm going to share with you the three outcomes every comms plan you write should have.
I'm also going to take you through the key questions you should ask when taking the brief that will inform your comms plan ... and they're so simple, but SO effective! It'll help you ensure you're developing less chatter, more matter in your comms plans.