Practical Communication Skills For Government – Virtual (North America)

Get buy-in and support you need through effective communication

Course description:

Discover the art of fostering effective communication within your department and get the buy-in you need. Mastering the skill of defining, engaging, and delivering tailored communication to your target audience in their preferred manner is the key to achieving successful communication outcomes. This program is designed to enhance your communication strategies within government contexts.

What to expect:

• Effective communication and why it’s important
• Explore the 4Ms Model and how to plan your communication
• Ask the right questions and listen to understand
• Learn how to segment your audience
• Produce clear and compelling messages
• Apply the right approach to your communication
• Understand how to measure your communication outcomes

Who should attend:

Government professionals who want to boost their confidence and enhance their communication effectiveness and efficiency.

Career Level: All career levels

Course outline:

The importance of effective communication 

• The pyramid of effective communication
• Why communication matters
• Characteristics and elements of effective communication 
• The impact on departmental and interdepartmental efficiency 

The 4Ms of effective communication

• Introducing the 4Ms Model
• Why key messages are so important
• The importance of good questions and how to take a brief
• Who is your audience and what are their communication needs?
• How to measure the effectiveness of your communication

Mastering the art of conversations

• Why listening is the key to understanding
• Listening vs hearing – become a better listener
• Using clear, concise and inclusive language with the right tone of voice 

Taking the right approach

• Planning your approach to communication delivery
• Exploring some great tools to help you communicate effectively
• Effective short-form writing – News Brief
• Writing to get buy-in and decision – Three minute drill

About the trainer

Sia Papageorgiou FRSA, FCSCE, SCMP

Managing Partner, Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence

Armed with an impressive collection of more than 50 awards for strategic communication excellence and leadership, Sia Papageorgiou is dedicated to elevating the value and visibility of communication professionals, empowering them to become trusted, strategic, and in-demand advisors. 

She is a certified strategic communication management professional (SCMP), a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and past president of the Victorian chapter of the IABC. She’s also a former board director at IABC Asia-Pacific and past chair of the Global Communication Certification Council. In 2021, IABC Asia-Pacific named Sia Communicator of the Year and in 2022 she was awarded the prestigious IABC Rae Hamlin Award in recognition of her exemplary service in advocating the Global Standard of the Communication Profession and evangelising the power and possibility of communication.

The GovComms Institute, a global platform for government communication professionals, named Sia, “one of the superstars of the communication profession.” With every initiative she leads, every team she trains, and every professional she coaches, Sia continues to set the gold standard for strategic communication excellence, inspiring others to reach their highest potential.