GovComms: The Future of Government Communication2 Nov 2022

EP#138 How to Train your Political Animal

"When you're in a meeting... you've got the opportunity to observe, [so] take the minutes of the unspoken. The unspoken in where people sit, what the body language is like, who's talking the most, who's chairing and why, who are they listening to? There are power dynamics in every relationship, especially where we come together as strangers to get things done." - Melinda Maddock

In this episodes of GovComms we are lucky to be joined by the author of the book How to Train Your Political Animal; A Power Handbook for Changing Yourself and Your World.

Melinda Maddock is a Tasmanian based Author and Strategist whos involvement in political discussions and social justice cases stem from her primary school days where she first organised a sit - in on the playground.

Following the bombing of Libya by the US, Melinda generated a petition that garnered more than 75,000 signatures and presented it to former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

"when I was in year nine, it was international year of peace, and I was watching the news and the US bombed Libya. I was pretty horrified at the time and anxious as kids were in the '80s. Also, you know, afraid of the cold war that was going on.So, I was just sitting there getting upset about it. I remember my mom was ironing at the time and she said, "Well, what, what do you wanna do about it? What can you do about it?". And then, we talked about it and came up with the idea of having a petition which started off being with Tasmanian school students, a petition for nuclear disarmament."

To see image: https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/ep138-how-to-train-your-political-animal

Within this episode, David also discusses with Melinda her newly released novel "How to Train Your Political Animal; A power handbook for changing yourself and your world". The pair break down what motivated Melinda to write the book as well as some of the books key takeaways:

"Politics is not a dirty word. Some people are afraid of it. They think other people are better at it than they are. They think they don't wanna be involved in it. So, the message is when you don't participate, you're leaving the decisions to people who may be more self-interested than you. "
"The best way to influence change is to listen."
"The other lesson is don't sleep walk. So, stay awake, pay attention, especially to the power dynamics that are going on around you"
Practise curiosity over judgement

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(362)

EP#193: Building KPIs leaders can trust with Stacey Barr

Measurement should make our work clearer, not harder. Host David Pembroke is joined by Stacey Barr, a specialist in organisational performance, measurement and evidence-based leadership, to unpack why...

3 Jul 58min

EP#192: When AI moves faster than truth — with Sree Srinivasan

When technology speeds up, trust and truth are put under pressure. Host David Pembroke is joined by Sree Srinivasan, who reflects on what he learnt broadcasting daily from New York during the early da...

28 Mai 47min

EP#191: Storytelling for trust in the AI era

Government comms has shifted from crafting messages to shaping meaning in a fast-moving digital world. Host David Pembroke is joined by Brenda Duran, director of external affairs at LA County’s Justic...

1 Mai 1h

EP#190: Act to Decide — Why Governments Need to Act on AI Now

Governments cannot afford to keep talking about AI as a future challenge when citizens are already expecting better, faster, and more human-centred services. In this episode of GovComms, David Pembrok...

2 Apr 44min

EP#189: The “So What” Problem — Turning Numbers into Insight (and Action)

Governments are full of data, but it’s insight that drives real change.In this episode of GovComms, David Pembroke joins Garrett Tyler-Parker, Director of Analysis and Insights at Tourism Research Aus...

13 Feb 58min

EP#188: Revisiting 'Leading Quietly: The power of introverts at work'

As we step into 2026, now's the time to ensure everyone's voice is heard.In this episode of GovComms, we revisit host David Pembroke's conversation with Richard Etienne: internal communications expert...

20 Jan 37min

EP#187: Leading Through Uncertainty

In an era of constant disruption, government communicators are being asked to lead without all the answers.In this episode of GovComms, David Pembroke is joined by leadership experts Dr Marianne Broad...

16 Des 202559min

EP#186: Stop talking, start listening — the secret to better government communication

What if better communication starts with listening, not telling?In this episode of GovComms, host David Pembroke speaks with Natasha Plowman: a communications strategist, advisor, and founder of Spinn...

18 Nov 202546min