Fireworks exploding in the night sky to signify a celebration

Achievement Unlocked

Like the plumber with leaky taps and the painter with peeling walls, I’m the writer who has sadly all but deserted my blog. But I’m taking a moment to interrupt this program of consistent neglect to acknowledge a milestone: The Big Speakeasy celebrated its 10 year anniversary last month! And I totally missed it ……

Glimpse of the landscape below through a cloud cover

This is not a ‘Reflection on 2016’ post

It will likely be the last post that I write in 2016, but this is not one of those philosophical reflections of what I’ve learned and achieved over the last twelve months. I will not be spruiking my successes, nor sharing with you the mistakes I’ve made. You won’t be reading about the wins and the…

Pure extraction of coffee in a clear glass beaker

Finding the Essence

One of my clients is going through the process of redeveloping their website. I’m quite fortunate to be involved at ground level, working alongside their Communications Manager to provide input to the scope and also the design brief. This is kind of remarkable in itself, as often I’d be brought in after the design was…

Writing ideas on individual notes

The Quest for the ‘One’ Word

Everyone loves, a good quest, right? This is about my quest for a single word to guide me through the year. Something to help keep me focussed on my big picture goals, but making sure I’m still receptive and open to opportunities that might come up along the way.

Less is more

Less is more

We’ve all heard the minimalist platitude ad nauseum – in so many contexts. This was just a pause for thought in the midst of turning some complex concepts into plain English.

Care for the soul, fire extinguishers & Goldilocks: A story of change

Care for the soul, fire extinguishers & Goldilocks: A story of change

In 2010, The Big Speakeasy was a personal and professional life saver. It was what really mattered to me. It kept me challenged, fulfilled and nurtured. My business has changed and evolved along the way – even over just 12 months – to match the ebbs and flows of life. Change in just one area has a domino-effect throughout.

Customer service: where is the love?

Customer service: where is the love?

Why don’t we get good customer service as a matter of course? It seems so easy … it’s about empathy. And not settling for anything less than you’d want for yourself. It’s about understanding what your customer really needs; putting yourself in their shoes (or in their head, and giving a little more than expected.

People talking in a cafe

Referrals – is there a downside?

Referrals can almost seem to be a double-edged sword, Can we wholly trust a recommendation from a mate or family member? Despite the obvious compliment, could there be disadvantages to receiving a recommendation?

The productivity dilemma

I’ve always been a procrastinator. But I think I may have found a neat way to curb my propensity for self-distraction.

Ghostwriting executive blogs: a fact of life or a big fat lie?

Ghostwriting executive blogs: a fact of life or a big fat lie?

A continuation of the ongoing debate about the validity of ghost writing blogs. Is it something we just have to accept as inevitable, or should we push back and insist on the pure truth and authenticity that form the cornerstone of new media?

Tendering for big business in the new media era

This blog post really started as a comment in response to PR Warrior, Trevor Young’s post, ‘Communicating in a Hyper-connected Marketplace,’ the topic of conversation to be addressed at next week’s IABC Queensland Be Heard® event. The facilitated discussion, led by Trevor, promises to bring some lively debate to the table as we explore how…

The journey of communication excellence – how do corporate communicators get on board?

The Conversation Evolution series started as a personal articulation of recent developments in corporate communication and what would now be considered best practice in the area. This third post is intended to discuss what the new rules, models, and new ways of thinking and conversing in a hyper-connected world might mean for corporate communicators.

Models of organisational communication: why do our businesses speak the way they do? (A chicken-or-egg discussion)

Do businesses communicate in the ways that they do due to the model or style of business they are based upon, or is the business model established due to the types of conversations that were taking place as the business was being built. Does the business grow out of the communication style or does the dialogue reflect the nature of the business?

The evolution of conversation in business

The first in a series of posts about the execution of corporate communications excellence. How do organisations and their conversation models evolve? How does an organisation with a uni-directional conversation model evolve into multi-directional conversations – and does it even need to?