Good communications can be the difference between a connected community and an unconnected community.
Communications can also be strategic, playful, creative and emotive, enhancing development projects, fostering strong communities and using narrative to convey meaning and impact.
We now have a highly-experienced and driven communications team dedicated to coming up with creative solutions and innovative approaches to help us realise opportunities to promote and engage communities.
We spoke with Communications Lead Melanie Billig about what the Creating Communities creative team add to the business.
How does communications feed into Creating Communities work and vision?
Where do I even start! Communications is integrated into absolutely everything we do. In fact, it sits at the core, and in so many different ways. In projects, it is our role to effectively engage with a variety of clients from different sectors, stakeholders and community members. Each of these audiences speak a different language, so it is essential that we are strategic with the way we communicate to each of these audiences to reach an intersection – a common language if you will, where we can excel at the nexus to move forward together. While the communications output differs with each project’s unique context, the necessity to apply strategic communications thinking to reach these outputs, will always remain the same.
And that’s just scratching the surface. Beyond projects, we develop communications to inform, educate and inspire our audience to make meaningful contributions and connections within their communities, as well as empower and equip the next generation of community leaders.
What has the communications team’s role been at Creating Communities in the past?
The very first communications role at Creating communities started with the development of community newsletters for our land estates to share positive stories with an authentic and genuine purpose. As Creating Communities diversified its offering over the years, so did the role of communications. Today, we are a team of graphic designers, copywriters, storytellers, illustrators, content creators and strategic communication consultants, all working towards a common goal of crafting strategic, innovative and engaging communications and campaigns that elevate our projects, demonstrate our impact and empower our communities to share their stories.
Where do you see this going?
The opportunity for communications in the future is limitless, and I am really excited to see what opportunities present themselves in the next few years. Just as the role of communications has adapted over the last thirty years, it will continue to do so. What does this look like exactly? Well, this will be determined by the everchanging context we live in. As technology advances, we will learn to adopt more innovative digital solutions. As negative headlines dominate the news and media, we will use the power of positive storytelling to change the narrative, bringing people and community together in a time that is needed most. As the power of content rises, we will support our clients and stakeholders by educating and building their capacity to become champions of their own communications. As the world changes, so will we, and we will be ready for the opportunities that come with it.
What has been the biggest highlight for you at Creating Communities?
Joining the project teams on the ground in Newman and Hedland, and experiencing the impact our work has firsthand, has to be one of the best highlights (so far!). I have been working on communications for projects in both Hedland and Newman since starting with Creating Communities, but it wasn’t until this year that I was able to fly up with the team. Both experiences were incredibly grounding and inspiring, and not only gave me an even greater appreciation for the work we do, but reinforced the ‘why’ Creating Communities exists to do the work we do. I can even remember the specific moment of this realisation, it was an extremely moving moment for me. But that’s a story for another day!
If you could offer any advice to those in this space around comms
- Know your audience – this is an absolute essential.
- Use your platforms to help amplify those who don’t have a voice.
- Don’t be scared to share your knowledge, tools, and resources to empower, equip and educate the next generation of community leaders. At the end of the day, we are all in this together, and as Allan Tranter famously says ‘if you do it by yourself, you are wrong’.
