--- title: Ep# 126 Never Backing Away from the truth description: In this GovComms episode your host, CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pembroke chats with Stephanie Speck, the Executive Director and Chief Comms Officer for the Department of Education & Training, Victoria. image: https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hubfs/david%20pembroke%20(28).png --- Talk to us [![fb](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hubfs/facebook-brands.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/govcinstitute) [![li](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hubfs/linkedin-brands.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/govcomms-institute) [![tw](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hubfs/twitter-brands.svg)](https://twitter.com/govc_institute) [![in](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hubfs/instagram-brands.svg)](https://www.instagram.com/govcommsinstitute/) [![logo-white](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo-white.png?width=197&height=40&name=logo-white.png "logo-white")](https://contentgroup-19617054.hs-sites.com/home-2) [![GCI Horizontal Logo](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hs-fs/hubfs/GCI%20%20Horizontal%20Logo.png?width=197&name=GCI%20%20Horizontal%20Logo.png "GCI Horizontal Logo")](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/ep-126-never-backing-away-from-the-truth) - [Podcast](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast) - [About us](https://www.govcommsinstitute.com/about) - [Contact us](https://www.govcommsinstitute.com/contact) [Back to blog](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast) # Ep# 126 Never Backing Away from the truth [![](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hubfs/1543246329432.jfif)  Stephanie Speck](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/author/stephanie-speck)  | Mar 8, 2022 10:17:37 AM [Communications Strategy](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/tag/communications-strategy), [GovComms Podcast](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/tag/govcomms-podcast) ![](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hubfs/david%20pembroke%20(28).png) In this GovComms episode your host, CEO and Founder of contentgroup, David Pembroke chats with Stephanie Speck, the Executive Director and Chief Comms Officer for the Department of Education & Training, Victoria.   The pair begin by discussing the topic of truth. How to encourage someone to speak the truth, why you should speak the truth and why your external perspective as a communications professional is valuable. Stephanie shares where her journey began... in Papa New Guinea. She explains that "people are people are people anywhere in the world", that you are able to love all people, and that once you see the humanity in every person you meet, this is something that's very easy to do. This outlook on the world started her journey towards wanting to fix problems and issues  she felt were unfair, inequitable or got in the way of people exercising their human rights.   David and Stephanie also touch on the battle between expediency and resilience.  "I think that really undervalues the strategic power of comms. Comms, if its about changing things, is a management tool. You use it to understand where your problems are... so you can move to a tactical perspective on where you want to be. " - Stephanie Speck. Discussed in this Episode: - Changing the narrative through engaging with your audience online - Why you cant have a strategy without content anymore - You don’t need to know everything but you need to know people who do.  --- Transcript available here: [Stephanie Speck Episode #126](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hubfs/Stephanie%20Speck%20Episode%20126.pdf) --- ###### About the Author Stephanie Speck Stephanie Speck is the Executive Director and Chief Comms Officer for the Department of Education & Training, Victoria. ### On the same subject ### [EP#124 Powered by Data - with Tyler Masterson](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/ep124-powered-by-data-with-tyler-masterson) [Tyler Masterson](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/author/tyler-masterson) [Government](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/tag/government), [Communications Strategy](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/tag/communications-strategy), [Working with data](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/tag/working-with-data) ### [EP#146 Demonstrating Impact and Creating Value through Comms](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/ep146-demonstrating-impact-and-creating-value-through-comms) [Sia Papageorgiou](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/author/sia-papageorgiou) [Communications Strategy](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/tag/communications-strategy) ### [EP#125 Investing in your people](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/ep125-investing-in-your-people) [Phil Brown](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/author/phil-brown) [Communications Strategy](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/tag/communications-strategy), [Skill building](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/tag/skill-building), [Team Building](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/podcast/tag/team-building) [![GCI Horizontal Logo](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/hs-fs/hubfs/GCI%20%20Horizontal%20Logo.png?width=200&height=41&name=GCI%20%20Horizontal%20Logo.png "GCI Horizontal Logo")](https://blog.govcommsinstitute.com/) A global platform for government communicators. - SITE MAP - [Home](https://www.govcommsinstitute.com) - [About us](https://www.govcommsinstitute.com/about) - [Contact us](https://www.govcommsinstitute.com/contact) - LEGALS - [Privacy Policy](https://www.govcommsinstitute.com/pirivacy-policy) - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.govcommsinstitute.com/terms-and-conditions) - CONTACT US - [+61 2 6273 0232](tel:+61%202%206273%200232) - [govcomms.institute@contentgroup.com.au](mailto:govcomms.institute@contentgroup.com.au) - [Level 3, 2 Mort Street, Canberra, ACT 2601 GPO Box 2381, Canberra, ACT 2601](https://goo.gl/maps/4iAFuvdJ1KbTe28CA) - Copyright © 2020 contentgroup Theme designed by [Markentive](https://www.markentive.com/)