Hey Mel Communications & Training

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Hey Mel Communications & Training

Experts in communication - training, strategy & planning. Are you a team leader or a business owner? Does your team need to improve their communications?

Do your leaders need some help improving team engagement? Maybe you have a strategy or a significant project you need to roll out and you're not sure how to communicate it most effectively? I might be your new best friend! I run workshops and training sessions on all things communications - storytelling, authentic communication, effective writing, change communication ... all tailored specifically

to your needs. If you've got a problem I might be able to help you solve, let's chat! In the meantime, check out the range of free comms resources on my website.

23/10/2025

If your comms plan is starting to feel a little copy and paste, it might be time for a reset.

In this week’s Less Chatter, More Matter podcast, we dive into five common mistakes that can quietly derail your communication strategy, and what to do about them.

We’ve got some tried and tested tweaks that can turn a tired plan into one that resonates: https://www.heymelcomms.training/141 🎧
[Video imagery description: Mel in front of her microphone talking to the camera.]

22/10/2025

Has your comms plan been sititng in the same template for a hot minute?

Chances are it’s not working as hard as it could. Why? Well, the world around us has changed and so have our audiences.

Not to worry because this week’s blog looks at the simple fixes that can make your plan more effective: 🔗👉 https://heymelcomms.training/blog/comms-plan-fix
[Image description: A dark blue background with a white notebook page on it. The binder is pink and there are three pink sections, with a pink tab on the right. The words on the page say: "How to make your comms plan more effective" in dark blue with the HMC logo in the top right.]

21/10/2025

There’s a reason you might have been told to reiterate your key points at the end of a presentation, meeting, or even email…

It’s because they’re more likely to be remembered.

Part of that is the power of repetition, but it’s also due to the recency effect, which means you’re more likely to remember the last thing you heard or read, or have future experiences influenced by the most-recent experience.

A study in 1962 tested the impact of the recency effect, using lists ranging from 10 to 40 words. After reading the lists, participants were asked to recall as many words as possible. The researcher found most people on average could only recall the last eight words on a list (and only the first three-to-four words).

What does this mean for internal communications? Here’s a few considerations:
1. At the end of a presentation, always reiterate the key points you want people to remember.

2. At the end of a longer blog post or news article, do a quick summary reminding people of the key points.

3. Going into a meeting, remember you could be influenced by the last interaction you had with that person – so go in with an open mind!

[Image description: Blue tile with red text on a white background that reads: Why you should always repeat your key points at the end. Below is a meme featuring a character from the Muppets looking dumbfounded with the heading reading: When someone asks you to summarise the presentation you just listened to.]

20/10/2025

What does the Manchester United football team have to do with change comms? It's all about in-group bias - sometimes we will just agree with what others around us are saying, even if we disagree. You can hear more about this - and why it pays to pay attention to feelings - in episode 131 of the podcast.

16/10/2025

When you think of names like Muhammad Ali, Richard Branson and Cher, you think of success, right?

But they also share something else: dyslexia.

In this week’s episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast, we chat with Julie Mavlian, co-founder of Code Read Dyslexia Network, about what dyslexia really is, the myths that hold people back, and how inclusive communication benefits everyone.

Tune in now to learn how to make your workplace messages more accessible and human: https://www.heymelcomms.training/140 🎧
[Video imagery description: Mel and Julie in front of their microphones talking to the camera.]

15/10/2025

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, and a reminder that not everyone processes words in the same way.

With one in ten people living with dyslexia, it’s time to rethink how we communicate.
Clearer messages don’t just help those with dyslexia, they make communication better for everyone.

So why wouldn’t you want to discover practical ways to make your communication more inclusive? Read more here: 🔗👉 https://heymelcomms.training/blog/dyslexia-comms
[Image description: A white background with drawings of eyes, brains, stars and infinity symbols on the left hand border. In the middle/right of the page is the title: "How dyslexia awareness can improve your comms" in blue with red lines above and below. The HMC is blue in the bottom right corner.]

13/10/2025

When feeling is so natural, then why aren't we prioritising it in our communication? I loved this chat with Howard Krais. You can find it on the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast, episode 132.

13/10/2025

When things go wrong, great communication matters more than ever.

This fortnight’s Less Chatter, More Matter newsletter explores how storytelling and disaster communication can quite literally save lives.

It takes an understanding of your audience in a crisis and knowing how to use stories that inspire trust and calm, both of which we’re unpacking to showcase what effective communication looks like when the stakes are high.

Get unpacking with us here 👉: https://mailchi.mp/heymelcomms/13-10-25

Sign up now to get valuable insights straight to your inbox: https://training.us6.list-manage.com/profile?u=a4e0f5f80596568d857875e0d&id=89b2354fad&e=%5BUNIQID%5D&c=742f306292.
[Image description: A red background with the white HMC logo in the bottom left of the middle. At the bottom is a ripped paper effect border on a photo of a firefighter using a hose to dowse a fire. On the red background is the title "Disaster comms and how storytelling saves lives" in white.]

12/10/2025

If people believe you’ve put a lot of effort into something, they’re more likely to value it.

That’s the ‘Labour Illusion’. And it’s a very powerful effect that’s used successfully by presenters all the time.

Describing the effort that you’ve put into something can help build a sense of confidence and certainty in the end product.

For example, in a small study participants were presented with a list of 10 potential apartments that met their housing criteria.

Some participants were told the real estate agent used a computer to compile the list in under an hour.

Others were told the agent spent 9 hours creating the list, based on a manual search.

Participants were then asked to rate the agent on a scale of 1-10, and researchers found the perceived ‘extra effort’ of the second agent increased their approval rating by 36 per cent.

In your communication, think about how the labour illusion could be used to your benefit. For example, you could:

- Give a ‘behind the scenes’ peek into the work that’s going into developing a new product, with a detailed list of activities performed so far;

- Show how many hours a project team has worked on developing the project plan and designing the change management activities; or

·- Demonstrate other options or prototypes that were developed and then rejected, to get to the final product.

Being transparent about the effort during and after development could really help to gain support and admiration from your audience.

(A word of caution - make sure whatever you’re talking about is good! You don’t want your audience thinking, ‘They spent 3,000 hours on this new software and it’s still crap…’.)

[Image description: Dark blue tile with red text on a white background that reads: Change Comms Tip: Tap into the labour illusion. Below are two versions of a message. The wrong one - indicated by a red cross above it - reads: We've tested this platform and now it's ready to use. The suggested version - indicated by a green tick - reads: We spent 300 hours developing and testing your new platform.]

10/10/2025

When disaster hits, your people shouldn’t be left guessing.

In this week’s episode of the Less Chatter, More Matter podcast, we dive into how organisations can strengthen internal communication before disaster season begins.

We share stories from the front lines and explore how empathy and planning go hand in hand, because in a crisis, communication isn’t just information. It’s reassurance, connection and leadership.

Tune in get your disaster comms planning prepared: https://www.heymelcomms.training/139 🎧
[Video imagery description: Mel in front of her microphone talking to the camera.]

08/10/2025

Spring has begun here in Australia and with it comes heat, new life, and the start of the inevitable disaster season.

Nature is always finding new ways to test our resilience, and if you’re in our comms shoes, our disaster-readiness.

So while most organisations are ready to speak outward during a crisis, few are ever ready to speak inward to the people who keep things running when chaos hits.

Internal communication is the calm during the storm that keeps employees safe, in the loop and connected when uncertainty sets in.

This week on the blog, we explore how internal comms can build trust and resilience before, during and after disaster season plus, why preparation is the most human thing your organisation can do: 🔗👉 https://heymelcomms.training/blog/safety-comms
[Image description: An image of a flood zone with a picture of a smart phone in front of it. The smart phone shows a notification in white with red writing that says "How internal comms build trus and resilience in times of crisis" and this is on a dark blue background. There is a header above this showing "Disaster season" with "8:30" shown as the time. The HMC logo is in the bottom right.]

07/10/2025

Version 57. Yes, you read that right, 57 versions of one document.

Gather round, children, for a true tale of woe!

Many moons ago, I was working in-house in a Corporate Affairs team, supporting the Strategy Manager.

New strategy to roll out? Great! One of our tactics was creating a short leader pack they could use to share the strategy with their teams, with ‘blank’ spaces to make it meaningful for them.

It started out as a 12-slide PowerPoint deck.

It ended as a 60-page PowerPoint deck and 57 rounds of revisions.

Why?

Because the Strategy Manager made it about them, not about their audience.

This strategy – and therefore, the pack – became their ‘baby’.

So in the end, yes we had a 60-page PowerPoint deck on the intranet … which I then cut down to the 12 slides to share with leaders.

Lessons were learned:
1. Help the client understand who the audience is, and what they need.
2. Start with the ‘big pack’ if you must, and then cut it down, not the other way around.
3. Don’t waste your time with 57 rounds of revisions. If it’s not good enough to go at round 3, it’ll never be good enough. Progress over perfection.

What else has worked in this situation? Share in the comments!

[Image description: A pink tile with blue text that reads: When people are too concerned with getting something 'perfect'. Below is a hand drawn black and white cartoon from . It shows stick figures at work with someone yelling 'Fire! Everyone to the Exit!'. Each exit they go to is blocked with a sign like: Exit_v2.5rev1_RPedits. In the final part of the cartoon, one of the team members is saying: We're going to die, aren't we?]

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