Case Study 1 – Communications training
The Medway Group tailors training on various types of communications skills to the needs of the people in the room.
The SC Association of Counties engaged the Medway Group on several occasions to providing multi-hour training sessions for its Institute of Government for elected officials.
A three-hour session at the Association’s annual summer conference paired Reba Campbell with three long-established emergency management professionals to examine the importance of the words local leaders use when managing crisis situations. Reba’s presentation overlaid the logistical training provided by these professionals with the importance of ensuring public information planning is considered more of an ongoing “planning” function” to be employed in advance rather than an “in real time” function to be employed in the midst of a crisis. Planning should include not only charting logistics around communication but also knowing how to best use words to communicate calm and decisive leadership in a crisis.
The officials attending the meeting left with actionable strategies for communication response planning and “in the moment” checklists for everything from staging news conferences and tracking social media chatter to creating reporter lists and calming nerves before speaking. The session also addressed other types of crises that may not be supported by the emergency management team such as the arrest of a government official, missing funds or the sudden death of a leader.
Reba also led two general communications sessions for the Institute of Government that focused on small group public speaking training and on general communications skills.
The SC Department of Transportation engaged the Medway Group for a two-hour training on general presentation skills for its senior management team of 150+ professionals. Reba brought her years of experience speaking in front of and preparing others to speak before public officials and public bodies. The Department’s senior leadership team left armed with strategies for staying on message, calming public concerns and developing a strong stage presence.
I rarely get to see a speaker that talks about grounded, confident presentations and demonstrates that in real time. It was engaging and informative, and I know our folks took away some good information.
Kelly Moore, SC DOT, Deputy Chief of Staff
Case Study 2 – Vodcast production and communications planning
A grant-funded program administered through the USC College of Education was charged with research around leading education transformation in SC. The staff engaged the Medway Group to serve as the organization’s contract communications department with a focus on writing/editing, creating a video podcast, and pushing out a new website and expanded social media presence.
The Medway Group conducted a communications audit, prioritized audiences, created messaging guidelines and developed a style guide. This work ensured writing and editing for the organization’s primarily academic research projects were delivered in a polished, professional and consistent manner. Writing and editing projects involved coordinating multiple academic authors’ work into a cohesive voice that would be appropriate for both academic readers and a more general audience.
The organization also engaged the Medway Group to bring to life a vision for a video podcast, ElevatED4SC, to showcase innovative education practices around the state. Working with the USC College of Information and Communications studio to provide the production expertise, the Medway Group team researched, wrote and edited scripts; booked guests; directed website development and social engagement; and produced two seasons of the ElevatED4SC vodcast that quickly garnered several thousand followers.
When I was leading ALL4SC at the University of SC, Reba and her team played a critical role in communicating complex messaging for transforming public education to a diversity of targeted audiences. Reba led our team through a detailed messaging and strategic communications planning process and helped translate complex academic papers for policy makers and the public. Reba also brought to life our vision to produce a high-quality video podcast examining new approaches to education. She lined up the right partners and led a team that took the production from vision to reality. Her years of experience working on policy issues brought an additional perspective to our team.
Barnett Berry, Senior Research Fellow, Learning Policy Institute and Senior Consultant, University of Kansas, Center for Reimagining Education
Case Study 3 – Communications planning
A major statewide membership association had a vision to create a communications department that would move the organization to a more digital strategy. Previously, two long-time communications professionals reported to the organization’s deputy director.
The goal was to evaluate the organization’s internal and external communications needs and challenges, identify communications priorities, develop job descriptions for communications team members, plot a plan to hire a comms director, and create a framework for next steps.
The Medway Group worked with the organization’s senior leadership team to prioritize messaging and outreach through a detailed audience analysis using member surveys, volunteer leadership interviews, a communications audit of existing tools and a media landscape scan to set the stage for the planning process.
The resulting deliverables included a detailed analysis of survey results and suggested job descriptions for a communications director and two direct reports. Also, part of the plan was strategic recommendations around general communications management, content management moving from hard copy to digital delivery, website updates, social media analysis and strategy, media relations, advocacy outreach and internal communications/branding.
The staffing recommendations included a plan to transition from staff skills heavily weighted toward hard copy print materials to a more future-focused digital skill set, taking into consideration the older skewing members’ needs. The Medway Group used its statewide professional relationships and deep knowledge of the state and regional communications organizations to strategically place employment ads and share the job descriptions.
“Our agency partnered with Reba to completely transform our communications strategy. She listened to our goals and helped us design a new communications department based on stakeholder needs and preferences and best practices. As a result, we have a rock star communications team in place that amplifies the good news of our members and has significantly grown our social media followers across multiple platforms. Our internal communications processes are now streamlined. Reba’s wealth of knowledge and experience were exactly what our agency needed!“
Anna Berger, Deputy Director, SC Association of Counties
You must be logged in to post a comment.