Over the past eleven years, I’ve worked in a communications capacity for five federal agencies. Chaired a best practice group for federal communicators across the government. And interacted with colleagues on task forces, working groups and listservs. They’re just as smart and capable as their private-sector counterparts. I’ve talked with many of them personally, too.Read… Read more »
A wise man once said, “You can only know where you’re going if you know where you’ve been.” This wise man is none other than the esteemed and renowned British Science Historian, James Burke. When I think of this saying, the communications geek in me thinks about the vast journey the communications field has takenRead… Read more »
Communication is important to just about every aspect of my job as a public affairs specialist. I eat it, breathe it and sleep it. Yet, it’s always something I’m constantly fine-tuning. How should I say this? What’s the best way to relay this message? Are we effectively reaching our audience? Wherever I go, I always tryRead… Read more »
That’s the sound of a 40 percent increase in visits to HealthCare.gov compared to the previous day. It’s been slow going, but after the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration has made a big effort to reach youth to spread the word about the necessity of signing up for healthRead… Read more »
NOTE: This post is sponsored by the Federal Communicators Network (FCN) Many feds are not fond of the press. In nightmares, feds worry about the programs they steward ending up “on the front page of the Washington Post,” with program weaknesses perhaps magnified by inaccurate reporting. However, as a government communicator it may be yourRead… Read more »
Writer/editor guy becomes web guy. Then what? I lead internal comm. at my agency. In February, I was asked to also take on leading our web and social media team after its former lead stepped down from supervision. And we didn’t (and still don’t) have the budget to hire someone else. Having a decent graspRead… Read more »
Over the past 20 years, there have been many great and successful Public Service Recognition Week events, both in the DC area and around the country. But none have focused on students, recent graduates, and young government workers. At the same time, among all the calls for more efficient (or even smaller) government, there hasRead… Read more »
Notes from 5 minute talk at PS Engage Before the tool….stop chill out and think -Who you are communicating with (target audience – be specific) -Why are you communicating with them? (what outocme do you want or why bother) -One or 2-way communication? (Tell them stuff or hear what they want) -How do you getRead… Read more »
Join us on Sep. 21st to see, do, and learn about Bloomberg Government with an interactive session with tips on how it can help you be awesome as a public affairs official. Limited seating so please RSVP.—————————————————————————————————– I’ll be honest – I’m an unabashed Bloomberg fan. I’ve read Michael Bloomberg’s biography (awesome), respect him asRead… Read more »
The long awaited budget cutting efficiencies promised by Secretary of Defense Gates were outlined in a decision memo signed on Monday, 14 March, 2011 and now making its way around the Pentagon much to the chagrin of many in the building. I did a quick pull of the specific hits in the public affairs andRead… Read more »