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When it comes to consultation, we’re all about giving people plenty of ways to share their thoughts – whether it’s popping into an info session, completing an online survey, or just having a good ol’ fashioned chat. But while community input is super important, it’s only one piece of a much bigger puzzle: the decision-making […]

In the ever-spinning carousel of communications and public relations, where trends twirl and strategies salsa, AI tools have waltzed onto the scene, turning the whole affair into a tech-infused masquerade ball. It’s time to don your digital masquerade attire because we’re about to plunge into the dynamic world of AI, exploring when to use AI

We’re big fans of using verbatim quotations as part of our engagement practice. Too often we’re told by stakeholders that they don’t feel heard or listened to. Organisations failing to act on what’s been agreed to is a big part of that. But another, and equally important part, is that stakeholders want to “hear” and

There are places I’ll remember, All my life, but some have changed, Some forever, not for better, Some have gone, and some remain. So sang The Beatles in 1965 as part of their hit, In My Life. John Lennon said the piece reflects upon past friends and relationships, and these words convey the link between

When planning a community engagement workshop, it’s easy to focus on the big picture: the keynote speakers, the activities you will run, and even the catering (because we all know that if you don’t have good snacks, you’ll hear about it on the feedback form). However, there is another detail which you may want to

Residents in a beautiful residential suburb were initially less than thrilled earlier this year when one of our clients installed a small piece of infrastructure in a reserve nestled behind their homes. However, when the complaint came through to Spectrum Comms’ community engagement team, we saw that this wasn’t just a case of sour lemons;

Managing stakeholder and community expectations is a critical aspect of any project. When we’re developing key messages as communicators, we agonise at great length over the words we use to ensure we are not over promising on project deliverables and under selling project impacts. It’s a fine line between being transparent but not alarming, and

We’re thrilled to announce Spectrum Comms has been named a finalist in the Lake Macquarie Business Excellence Awards! Spectrum Comms were selected as a finalist from a large number of applications that were received across 15 different categories. We have been included in the category for Excellence in Small Business which recognises businesses that have

As engagement practitioners, we talk a lot about the benefits of engaging early but too often the focus can be on securing community buy-in. That much sought-after idea of social license when a project has the approval and broad social acceptance of the community and other stakeholders. What we don’t do well is espouse the

The importance of consultation, or more significantly, the lack of consultation, has been in the news this week when it was announced the US Open would go ahead without wheelchair tennis. Australian player and world number one in wheelchair tennis, Dylan Alcott, led the backlash against the US Tennis Association calling it “disgusting discrimination”. Part