issue 6
June 2004

in this issue  

warm-up

 warm-up
values in action values in action
what do you know? sustainable living
information into action elaena in Borneo
csr resources csr resources
sign off sign off
warm-up

Revamped, revised and redrawn, our new website is live and begging for feedback. In this issue we explain the branding strategy, or in plain English, the thinking behind our web presence.
 
 You'll also hear about the power of knowledge management from our guest author, Merrill Gray. Kath met Merrill at the Serious Women's Business Conference in Melbourne this month. She shares our commitment to creativity through brainstorming and has made a business out of it.
 
 We are very pleased to announce that Angela Streck has officially joined the Active Voice team. Some of you have already worked with Angela. You will be familiar with her creative flair and imaginative spark. Angela's passion is sustainable graphic design – a key offering of Active Voice. We're very excited to have Angela on board.
 
 Angela recently attended a social marketing workshop with sustainability guru Doug McKenzie- Mohr. In this issue, she shares insights about how we can foster sustainable behaviour in people, in communities and in business.
   

  go to top

 
Our new website, www.activevoice.net.au, demonstrates our values through the head, heart, hands branding.
values in action


This space is usually reserved for a client project,
but we can't help keeping it for Active Voice this time. Our ‘values in action' project is our new website, which, we are pleased to announce is now live.
 
 Designed around our Head, Heart, Hands branding, the site aims to express who we are, and reflect our values of creativity, leadership, transparency, entrepreneurship, connecting with community and walking the talk. It's also a showcase of our skills and our capacity to transform layers of information into a creative and effective communication tool.
 
A huge thank you to Emi Kamimura and Kathy Pope who worked together to design and build the site.
 
 So please visit us at www.activevoice.net.au. We'd love to hear your comments.

 
 

 

  


 
 Merrill Gray of Brainstormers which specialises in knowledge sharing and creativity enhancement.
 

 
 
what do you know?

by Merrill Gray

Investment in knowledge management by business is sharply increasing. It is expected to quadruple to US$10 billion globally this year (International Data Corporation).
 
In assessing what is appropriate for your business in terms of knowledge management, it is critically important that your potential investment is seen for what it truly is: an investment in people. Specifically in what people think, how they think and how they behave.
 
Whether it is the people who work in or on your business, or the people who are your customers, the following are critically important dimensions to assess before making an investment:
1) What people know.
2) What there is to know.
3) How people acquire and share their knowledge.
4) How people use their knowledge.  



 


There are several ways you can assess what knowledge is important to your business. The following simple framework could be used:
 
a) Knowledge about people. What do your staff know about your customers? About the product or service improvements they seek and how these improvements might be secured? How is this knowledge shared?
 
b) Knowledge about processes. How is the knowledge of staff in one part of your business process shared with staff in other parts of the business, so overall process improvements are established?
 
c) Knowledge about issues. How is knowledge shared on recurring issues? And what can be done about them?  
d) Knowledge about outcomes. How are short, medium and long-term objectives established? How are they communicated?
 
For the full version of this article, drop Merrill a line at brainstormers@optushome.com.au .

     


 
 
Community Based Social Marketing looks beyond brochures to the power of personal influence. How can we challenge people to change their behaviour and walk the talk?
 
information into action

According to environmental psychologist, Doug McKenzie Mohr, the cornerstone of sustainability is behaviour change. Most programs that encourage behaviours like waste reduction, water and energy efficiency, pollution prevention etc, have relied on disseminating information.
 
But why, with all the information, knowledge and motivation we have, do we still not seem to change our behaviour?
 
Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM) offers a variety of strategies, ideas and practical tools for overcoming this. The key is identifying the barriers and benefits (real and perceived) through the eyes of the target audience.
 
 It is clear that information on its own, does not work. Behavioural change requires influence. This is less to do with creating advertising campaigns and more to do with face-to-face communication. Social psychology research shows that promoting behaviour change is most effective at the community level and when it involves direct contact with people often through personal appeals from within
a social group.

 


From here we are able to work towards forming voluntary commitments, building community support networks and generating approval for sustainable activities and behaviours - make them the norm, then publicly profile these behaviours within the wider community.
 
This generates a positive feeling and opens up communication within the social network. CBSM recommends offering recognition and support to those who participate in a particular behaviour or activity, and advice/information to those who don't. This changes people's self-perception, empowering them through feedback that they are doing something, that they are not alone, and that their actions in combination with others, have a noticeable beneficial impact.
 
The CBSM approach represents a real challenge for communication agencies, which have relied on traditional mediums to disseminate information. Active Voice is excited about the opportunities CBSM offers to respond creatively to communication briefs.
 
Got an idea for a social marketing campaign? Drop us a line.

     



Newtown CarShare
 
 
Bruce Jeffreys and Nic Lowe, directors of Newtown CarShare - Australia's first car sharing service.  
csr resources  

speak up about
 It's like having a car next door, only a little smarter. Newtown CarShare is Australia's first car sharing service. With frequent
users paying around $30 a month, $4 an hour and 35c per km –
it's a cheaper alternative to car ownership that is socially and environmentally friendly. The support and enthusiasm of local residents and businesses in Sydney's Inner West has just seen
the service celebrate one year in business. Happy First Birthday to
a truly inspiring social enterprise.


 
Students of Sustainability
  
SoS is an annual community environment conference. It charges participants to create a more socially and ecologically just world.  
 

don't miss
 Described as "a cascade of issues, visions and ideas leading into
an open space of strategies for social change," Students of Sustainability has been staged every year for 12 years. The conference brings together hundreds of students, activists, academics and community groups.
When: 11 - 17 July 2004
Where: La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne
 Program: http://sofs.org.au/Program


 
Walk for peace in the Pacific
  
 
  good measure
 UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, holds Spring Walks each year to raise funds for women's peace and security. In 2004, funds will be directed to programs in the Pacific. Participants set their own date, place and pace to walk, run or cycle in solidarity for women's peace and security. The suggested contribution is $10 and T-shirts can be purchased for an
additional $10.
 
 Active Voice invites you to participate in our Spring Walk at 9.00am on Saturday 4 September. We'll walk through the Botanic Gardens and around Mrs Macquarie's Chair and find somewhere nice for breakfast. Please contact us to discuss our plans or contact UNIFEM direct, through its website www.unifem.org.au
  





 
     

 
  sign off
 
To coincide with the launch of our new website, Active Voice is publishing a beautiful ideas book called Headspace. When you subscribe to voice, we'll send you a free copy. Just type your address in the comments section of the subscription form.
 
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Fax: +61 2 9699 5218		 kath@activevoice.net.au
elaena@activevoice.net.au
Active Voice is a communication agency committed to projects that make a difference.
To find out more, take a peek at our web site www.activevoice.net.au.