Amber Daines Co-Founder of Grace & Grit is a licensed and award-winning media trainer, former international business journalist and PR Strategist with over 10 years of crisis communications expertise, and a warmth and ability to connect that immediately puts you at ease.
She has worked in Australia, Asia, USA, UK and Europe, and has a deep understanding of complex geopolitical landscapes and can leverage her connections globally. Hundreds of well-known CEOS, business leaders and senior spokespersons have engaged Amber to help bolster their PR strategies, improve stakeholder relations and sharpen their crisis communications for the immediate and longer terms.
Amber’s clients have included AMP, Deloitte, Pinnacle Investments, PwC, Finity, Westfield, Sydney Water, Sephora, Westpac, eBay, and Stryker.
How does Grace & Grit approach Strategic Communications with clients to ensure the right message lands well with the target audience, and how this can change over time?
We are a full service, end to end agency who works closely with a client and its leaders to ensure we define and redefine their communications strategy and execution activities over time, noting this may shift as their business changes and their goals may evolve. Each client gets a kick-off strategy day with us and that ensures we can embed ourselves into their business structure and ways of working together from day one. Then we meet regularly to assess the PR activities and audit how we can always enhance our practice for them.
We tend to attract like-minded clients from a range of sectors such as banking and financial services, FMCG, energy and resources, insurtech, ESG, start ups and associations/NFPs too. With 40 years experience in comms, government and corporate Danica and I are experts at what we offer but are always learning so we apply that blue-sky thinking to our PR work for all clients.
Why is it important to consider both internal and external stakeholders in your communications?
Grace & Grit is a holistic practice who believes strongly that all stakeholders matter in how and when you communicate the good and the more challenging news and updates in any business. Internal communications have a powerful role to play in helping your people, who are your biggest cheerleaders or your biggest detractors sometimes. Successful brands understand how to make their people feel informed and empowered by a CEO or leadership team decisions and take them with you on that journey.
Communications is more than media relations and fancy videos or blogs on what the wider world sees, though any PR involves that vast level of stakeholder engagement too. Some of the best advocates for your brand come from within the organisation, and the right communication with them and for them is always very worthwhile. It means you can be assured of more loyalty from teams, even at times of discomfort and hardship too.
Often crisis and reputation communications are a literal burning platform. How does Grace & Grit help businesses navigate in high stress, high stakes situations?
The name says it all! Grace & Grit are qualities we both emulate and bring to our practice. When a crisis or issue becomes news we understand that experience from our own real life experiences, and work with clients to triage communications within that first hour or a story breaking or a tragedy occurring.
We have processes and templates we can tweak for clients to get that message out on social media, to staff, to suppliers, customers and the mainstream media. We take that pressure away from leaders but encourage and guide them through the days and weeks ahead with clear, updated communications designed to help them better control the narrative.
You said that people can’t be a leader without knowing how to present their ideas. What communication skills are critical for leaders to develop?
Authenticity, authority, vision and a touch of compassion are central to strong and relatable leadership so communicating these is vital.
Speaking well is to lead well.
Whether that be to a big investor, a board member or a journalist. The forum is not important but having a clear aim and call to action is with the magic being humanising your ideas and inspiring others to support you. Grace & Grit empowers leaders to fine tune their suite of communications so it not only lands, but resonates widely with a target audience – and always with a purpose.
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