Support for local government leaders
Expert support for elected members and Council leadership teams from a local government specialist.
After the many challenges of recent years, your Council’s residents and ratepayers are looking to you for strong and consistent leadership at a time when trust in other levels of government has never been lower.
With decades of local government experience under her belt, Dr Neryl East is a trusted adviser to Council leaders around Australia, helping them communicate clearly and credibly in the media and other public forums.
Choose from this menu of programs OR talk to us about a customised session for your Council’s specific needs.
LEADERSHIP FORUMS AND EVENTS
Local government leaders at all levels must be highly effective communicators - whether in conversation with their teams, elected members or the community - yet many lack the confidence and presence to truly have positive influence.
Engage Neryl to speak at your Council leadership event and energise your leaders with incisive, best-practice content and practical frameworks.
ADVANCED COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR COUNCILLORS
This session (90 to 120 minutes), focuses on presentation and communication skills for elected members in the Council Chamber, through media/social media, at community meetings and in other public interactions.
Neryl shares insights from her work with the Chief of Defence, General Angus Campbell, in helping him prepare for the 2020 public release of the Brereton Inquiry report on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, including invaluable skills for delivering unwelcome or difficult information to the community.
Depending on your Council’s specific needs, the session includes:
The role of Councillors as reputation ambassadors for Council and the broader local government area
The potential impacts of public statements by Councillors, whether or not they’re perceived to be speaking on behalf of Council
Specific strategies for interacting with media, including how to respond to negative/controversial questions without damaging Council’s reputation
Communicating when you disagree with a Council decision
If required, effective uses of social media for elected members
If required, Council’s media policy and Councillor interactions with the communications team
This session can be delivered as part of a regular Councillor workshop or induction program, or as a stand-alone.
ADVANCED MEDIA SKILLS FOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL LEADERS
Members of Council’s Executive team must be able to clearly convey core messages and quickly respond to questions and negative issues.
This session (three to four hours recommended, including a break), is highly practical while also providing leaders with a comprehensive understanding of how the media works and how to approach an interview for maximum results.
For those who have done media training before, the session builds on existing skills and knowledge.
The role of media interviews in helping position council with its communities
Demonstrating credibility and connection through media
Key element of a media interview
What the interviewer looks for – characteristics of a news angle
The leader’s role in conveying Council’s key messages
Different types of media
Live and pre-recorded interviews
Skills for highly effective print, radio and television interviews
Preparing for an interview and formulation of key messages
A powerful and proven structure for focusing on your audience, managing your state and getting clear on your message/s
A framework for what to say
Anticipating questions
Maximising preparation time, rehearsal and warm-up
Skills and techniques for keeping in control and staying on message
The keys to being on the front foot in an interview
The “lane” technique for triaging and responding to questions
Delivering sensitive messages or bad news without damaging Council’s reputation
Interview performance techniques
Clear and confident delivery – including breathing, tone, pace, demeanour, voice, steadiness, non-verbal communication, eye contact, what to wear
Engaging in a way that connects with diverse audiences
Managing negative or aggressive interviews/questions
“Dismissing the negative” – a proven technique for staying centred and on-message in the face of hostile or irrelevant questions, while remaining authentic and credible.
Practice interviews
Leaders will take part in practice interviews based on both positive and negative scenarios relevant to Council. Neryl gives feedback in real time, and additional feedback once the session recording has been reviewed.
MEDIA PERFORMANCE COACHING FOR THE MAYOR AND/OR CEO
Media skills are a critical asset for Council’s most senior spokespeople and these are best honed in the safe environment of an advanced coaching session, using professional lighting and recording equipment to make it as realistic as possible.
In this advanced session (three to four hours recommended,including a break), we will practice with scenarios specifically relevant to your Council. The Mayor and/or CEO benefit from real-time feedback to ensure they are building on their existing media skills and experience. In addition, Neryl will provide more feedback after reviewing the session recording.
Areas of focus include:
Communicating with credibility – getting the balance right between content and connection
Key skills for highly effective radio and television interviews
Clear and confident delivery – including breathing, tone, pace, demeanour, voice, posture, steadiness, non-verbal communication, eye contact, what to wear
Techniques for staying on-message and in control
Anticipating and responding to negative or irrelevant questions including the “dismiss the negative” technique
Maximising preparation time, rehearsal and warm-up
Delivering sensitive messages or bad news without damaging Council’s reputation
MEDIA SKILLS FOR COUNCIL MANAGERS AND TEAM LEADERS
No council can afford to have ongoing negative media coverage or poor media relationships. Council’s broader management team needs a clear understanding of how to interact effectively with the media including how to deliver positive news and manage negative questions.
This session can vary from 90 minutes to half a day, depending on your Council’s needs. It provides insights and practical skills for effective media interactions including:
How the media works
The world through a journalist’s eyes
How to attract positive media coverage
Key elements of a media interview
Your role as an interviewee
Interview structure and presentation
A format for what to say
Techniques for effective and confident delivery
Managing negative questions
Sample and Practice interviews
Participants will watch and critique sample interviews.
WHY WORK WITH DR NERYL EAST?
Dr Neryl East is a communication and credibility specialist with extensive experience in local government.
After an award-winning career in television and radio, Neryl moved into senior council communication roles, including Manager Communication and Public Relations at Wollongong City Council and Media and Communications Manager at Shellharbour City Council.
Her other positions have included Head of Communications and Marketing at the Australian War Memorial and Manager External Relations at the University of Western Sydney.
Since establishing her own communication business more than a decade ago, Neryl has provided strategic support to council leaders around Australia.
In the last two years alone she has delivered media and communication training for the Mayors and/or leadership teams of North Sydney, Randwick, Parramatta, Campbelltown, Georges River, Lismore, Fairfield, Yarra City, Bega, Albury City, Shoalhaven, Kiama, Shellharbour, Wollondilly, Port Macquarie, Eurobodalla and Willoughby along with many Councillors, both individually and in groups.
Neryl has also provided media training to senior leaders in other sectors. In 2020, she worked with the Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, to prepare him for the public release of the Afghanistan Report on alleged war crimes by Australian SAS personnel.
Other media training clients have included:
Queensland Police Commissioner
Transport for NSW leaders
Senior executive of SES South Australia
Neryl has a PhD in Journalism and is a Certified Speaking Professional. She is the author of five books including an Amazon best-seller on media and reputation.
“I FOUND THE TRAINING WITH NERYL EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL AND NOW FEEL CONFIDENT TO BE THE COUNCIL’S SPOKESPERSON ACROSS A RANGE OF ISSUES AND VIA THE VARIOUS PLATFORMS WE MAY NEED TO WORK WITH. ”
“WORKING WITH NERYL HAS TAUGHT ME SO MUCH; TO GET MY WORDING MORE CONCISE, AND HOW TO APPROACH DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDIA. I’M NOW SO MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE. I’M BETTER PREPARED, SPEAK MORE COHERENTLY AND IN A MORE REASONED AND MEASURED WAY. THAT’S A BIG CHANGE FOR ME.”