The National Association of Government Communicators is running it's comms school in Portland, OR April 18-20 and as official media partners for the event, we've had the great opportunity to hear from the members of the board who are working tirelessly to deliver an amazing event for government communicators.
What is your position on the NAGC Board
Competitions Director
Tell us a little about what you do and how you got there
I own and operate a digital communications agency. Our clients are local municipal governments and nonprofits. I worked in marketing, operations and nonprofit development and decided to go out on my own about 5 years ago
What do you love about your job?
I love the people we work with - our clients! Municipal and nonprofit employees are some of the hardest working people we have met...and the nicest. We love working with them.
What’s the hardest thing about your job?
The hardest thing about my job is keeping up with all the work while also keeping up to date on new developments in the public relations and digital worlds.
What are some of the more memorable events you’ve had to deal with in your role and what lessons did you learn?
When communicating new projects for our municipal clients, we sometimes run into some projects that could be misunderstood by residents. We try to draft good communications plans for sensitive subjects that inform residents or constituents but also are objective and hopefully well received.
What is it about communications, media or crisis comms that interests you so much?
I love how a good communications plan can get ahead of problems that might arise when sharing information that, in this current political climate, could be misunderstood. When information is presented in a truthful, objective, planned sequence, it usually is well received. It's so important to be truthful and objective.
Can you give one piece of advice for those who want to start a career in Government communications?
Be truthful, be objective and always plan for every scenario you can think of.
What are your favorite tools you use to do your job more effectively?
Good software for social media (posting and listening), analytics, website management AND a good thesaurus :)
Are there any books, podcasts, websites or any other resources you would recommend for the comms pro?
The AP stylebook for sure - and we also follow Digital.Gov, PIO Toolkit, GovLoop
What would you say to anyone in a leadership role about having a PIO or comms professional who might not have one?
We have found that once local governments hire us, they can't ever go back to not having a communications specialist on board. Without a PIO or comms professional onboard, it's extremely difficult to manage the "chatter" and really know what is important to your constituents.
See the NAGC schedule of events here and find out more about the lineup of speakers and events. Want to book some time with PIOToolkit at NAGC? You can do that here!
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