Explore creativity in basketry workshops

In Catriona’s basketry workshops you have the opportunity to explore your creativity through traditional basketry with a sculptural perspective. These fun days are the perfect way to learn a new skill with a focus on exploration and play not perfection.

For a complete list of basketry workshops please go to TheArtofWeaving.com.au

BASKETRY WORKSHOP – RANDOM WEAVE SCULPTURES

Learn with a international teacher and expert Weaver
A day workshop so you can leave with a completed basket or wall sculpture (this is not a technique you can learn in a morning)
You’ll make a gorgeous basket or a wall sculpture even if you don’t think you can!
Get your creative groove on!

Join this fun filled full day workshop and learn the random weave basketry technique using the wonderful Bangalow Palm inflorescence.

The workshop is all about exploration and play – not perfection. So it’s perfect for those who think they have no creativity or artistic ability (we are all creative!)- or want to explore that quality more.

Experience and explore sculptural basketry techniques and learn how to create something from found organic material just using your hands and imagination.

It’s a small class so you get hands-on tuition from expert weaver, Catriona Pollard. Materials included, but if you have access to Bangalow Palm inflorescence then bring it along. Once booked, I’ll give you preparation notes.

Suitable for beginners, or intermediate weavers.

If you’ve never done weaving before – perfect! You’ll love it and leave with finished basket or sculpture.

This course is for you if:

You want to learn the ancient basketry technique of random weaving, but don’t know where to start.
You don’t have any experience or want to further develop your weaving.
You’re looking for a fun, relaxing creative outlet, and an enjoyable way to spend your downtime.

COVID safe practices in place. Limited students, 1.5 spacing for tables, and mask worn by teacher and optional (suggested) for students.

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL for all workshops as there is limited number of spots available.

Watch the ABC TV feature on my workshops:

By Catriona Pollard, Creative

Is all publicity good publicity?

It is often said that there is no such thing as bad publicity. As Oscar Wilde famously penned, ‘The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.’ From politicians to reality TV stars, this is certainly the approach we see taken by many public figures.

Negative publicity has been seen to help relatively unknown companies or products quickly gain awareness. Good or bad publicity can take brands from unknown to known, increasing initial sales and search hits.

However, bad publicity can ultimately damage the business and brand image, often beyond repair. While short-term awareness may be tempting, this is made at the expense of the business’s long-term reputation.

The following publicity-seeking behaviours remind us that the only good publicity is good publicity.

Putting others down to get publicity

Many figures use public outcry and publicly slam others to create controversy and draw attention to themselves. Pauline Hanson has largely built her career by capitalising on the media attention gained from attacking minority groups. Hanson has become notorious for her scapegoating antics and public attacks.

While Pauline’s verbal assaults have generated regular publicity, they have also been significantly damaging to her credibility. Having built a reputation as an offensive figure of division, Pauline has faced a decline of public respect.

Although voicing negative opinions can generate publicity, negativity often reflects back onto the criticiser.

PR stunts

One-off PR stunts can quickly generate widespread public awareness and media attention. However, these stunts are often miscalculated and fail to communicate their intended message.

PETA’s stunt of barbequing a fake but lifelike dog in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall on Australia Day 2019 was slammed for causing distress, particularly for children. The protest gained widespread attention for the cruelty and horror of the demonstration. PETA’s intended message was shrouded by the extremity of the stunt which was met with public outrage.

If you’re considering a PR stunt to boost your profile, remember to carefully consider your audience and make sure it avoids causing offence or harm.

The shock effect

Many contestants on reality TV show such as The Bachelor and Married at First Sight create drama with the hopes of increasing their screen time. The ‘villain’ is often nasty and cruel to other contestants with the intention of creating a feud or scandal to shock viewers.

These contestants often enjoy short-lived fame during the show for all the wrong reasons, before quickly fading out of the public mind.

What good PR looks like

At the end of the day, the only good publicity is good publicity! Good publicity doesn’t have to be costly, but it does have to be authentic, clever, and well-timed.

This was demonstrated by Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce’s heart-warming response to letter sent in by a 10-year-old boy who dreams of running his own airline. Mr Joyce shared the boy’s letter and personally responded by offering guidance and tips on starting an airline.

This response is likely to stay in the minds of uplifted readers through its clever and genuine communication of key Qantas messages.

Becoming an industry leader and exemplar for best practice takes time and consistently good publicity. Gaining a good reputation relies on clever communication and the authenticity of the message being communicated.

While bad publicity can quickly generate widespread attention, good publicity is the only way to gain and sustain genuine prominence.

By Catriona Pollard

Personal Branding Training

PERSONAL BRANDING TRAINING FOR ENTREPRENEURS, LEADERS AND PROFESSIONALS

Knowing how to represent yourself, your values, and your expertise and communicate this to your target audience succinctly is key to success. This is personal branding.

This highly interactive, hands‑on workshop guides participants through a proven tailored framework for uncovering and articulating their unique personal brand. Through a blend of practical theory, facilitated exercises and specific case studies, attendees will gain the tools and confidence to:

Define and communicate their brand essence
Leverage storytelling to connect with colleagues, clients and stakeholders
Amplify their visibility and influence within their role and team.

Interactive elements include personal brand discovery exercises, peer feedback sessions, live storytelling labs, and networking simulations. Participants leave with a personalised action plan, skills and the confidence to showcase their brand in every interaction within their role.

By intentionally building and projecting a strong personal brand, participants will cultivate deeper relationships with key teams, improve cross‑functional communication and position themselves as indispensable partners and leaders.

In this highly interactive, hands-on training, you’ll explore and develop your personal brand, the crucial skill of storytelling, and how amplify your profile across your industry and organisation.

Personal Branding Training outcomes

Personal branding – marketing yourself for success

Facilitated by Catriona Pollard, an experienced personal branding coach, this interactive and practical workshop will enable participants to identify their own personal brand and implement practical steps on how to convey their personal brand both online and offline effectively.

As a result of participating in this training you will:

Gain an understanding of the importance and relevance of a personal brand. Identify and develop your own personal brand which you can use professionally.
Develop your authentic personal brand statement which can be used verbally and in writing.
Uncover your stories including your “why” story and influencer/leader story and know how to use them.
Identify opportunities to increase the visibility of your personal brand.
Have developed the skills to amplify your personal profiles across your organisation, industry and social media.

“We had the pleasure of Catriona running an onsite Personal Brand workshop for our female leadership development program. She is a wonderful facilitator and speaker, sharing her personal experiences and insights and really engaging with the group. The workshop material was easy to follow and there were plenty of practical activities included so that we came away with something tangible to keep working on. It was fun as well as valuable and I would absolutely recommend working with Catriona and attending her workshops!” Lana Thornycroft

Don’t leave your or your employees personal brand to chance

Through this highly engaging personal branding training, participants learn why a personal brand is a valuable asset as it’s what you’re known for and how people experience or perceive you both in person and online. Through personal branding you are purposely defining the impression that people have of you rather than leaving it to chance.

It’s the key to gaining trust with the people that matter to you including your boss, peers, team and your stakeholders.

In this personal branding training, participants explore and develop a personal brand, the crucial skill of storytelling, and how amplify a profile across an organisation or industry.

Personal Branding Training Delivery

The Personal Braining Training can be delivered as short seminars or delivered as interactive half or full day workshops for corporate teams, tailored to your organisation. We also offer mentoring packages for specific skill development and support.

Your Personal Branding Trainer, Catriona Pollard

Catriona Pollard is one of Australia’s most dynamic and inspiring trainers, with over 20 years’ expertise in communications, branding and leadership development. As an international speaker, TEDx presenter and media commentator—and author of the acclaimed guide From Unknown To Expert—she has enabled thousands of professionals to:

Translate brand theory into immediate, role-specific actions that drive credibility and influence.
Master storytelling techniques for persuasive presentations, meetings and media engagements.
Embed personal branding strategies into sales, leadership and communication processes to deliver measurable business outcomes.

Her bespoke programs for organisations consistently achieve tangible results—increased brand visibility, elevated stakeholder trust and accelerated career growth. Participants emerge confident, equipped with practical tools and clear next steps to implement their brand vision from day one.

With every presentation Catriona aims to ensure her audience takes away useful insights, specific skills and knowledge that will help them succeed in business and life. She has a reputation for being professional, easy to work with, inspiring and a provider of practical skills that participants feel confident to implement straight away.

CONTACT US TO BOOK TRAINING OR MENTORING.

Email: info@cpcommunication.com.au or call 0411023974

Here are a few of the organisation’s Catriona has delivered training to:

Personal Branding

The importance of showing your appreciation

After I taught a creativity course recently, one of the students invited me to her property on the South Coast of NSW to collect material for my art as a way of saying thank you because the course was transformational for her.

I can’t even tell you how much that meant to me as I only use foraged material, so finding places to collect is hard. (Coincidentally, every single one of the works I made from this collecting session sold in my recent exhibition.)

I have this thing about saying thank you and showing appreciation. In business and life, we want acknowledgement for the things we do. We have an innate desire to feel appreciated and valued by others. And I believe our workplaces function much better with a praise culture.

So how do we make sure we say thank you more, and acknowledge the people around us?

Saying thank you

When we pitch a story to a journalist, and the story gets a run, the journalist is just doing their job right? They got a great story because we came up with the idea and sent it to them. In my Agency, we have a policy of thanking the journalist. We acknowledge their effort and time, by emailing a simple thank you. You should to.

Give when no one is expecting it

I’ve spent every weekend for the past three weeks at a gallery where my solo exhibition was being held. In between visitors, I sat on the floor and wove sculptures, which gave me some thinking time in that space.

I thought, I have expertise that all of the other artists involved in the gallery could benefit from. So on the last day of my exhibition, I put enough copies of my book From Unknown To Expert for everyone on the shelf in the storeroom. So simple.

Don’t take people for granted

I’m sure we all have people in our lives we take for granted. Colleagues, best friends or even the person that makes our coffee in the morning. I know I do. So from time to time, take stock of those people and acknowledge them. Let them know what their action’s personally mean to you.

Run a gratitude exercise with your team/friends/family

With my team, we sit in a circle with one person in the centre and tell them why we are grateful for them, being specific about moments, lessons and impacts. We talk about how we have changed because of their impact on our lives.

The power of thank you has the power to change a workplace culture, start a beautiful friendship or make someone’s day. It can also change your life.

Tweetable: The power of saying ‘thank you’ @CatrionaPollard http://bit.ly/2A1wm53

By Catriona Pollard, Thought Leadership