Speak Out June 2020

Association news

Upsurge in use of SPA resources

On the socials Members also flocked to the Association’s social media platforms and closed Facebook communities. There continues to be a steady flow of two-way communication with members sharing resources and providing collegiate support and advice. The most notable increase on the Association’s social media platforms was on the Facebook page where 300 more members joined in the conversations in March and April. The Instagram account also saw a huge rise in engagement. The number of posts increased by 131%, comments increased by 257% and overall reactions to posts increased by 405%. Linkedin and Twitter also welcomed many new followers with activity nearly doubling when compared to the months prior to COVID-19. Most popular posts While members largely logged on to find out about COVID-19 related resources in April, the Swallowing Awareness Day materials also proved popular and ranked in the top posts for March.

During the peak of the pandemic Speech Pathology Australia resources were utilised extensively by members. All of the Association’s business units received an upsurge in member enquiries and questions about how to navigate to new ways of working. The majority of questions related to telepractice and questions about how to transform from face-to-face interaction to digital interfaces. In response, the Association developed specific resources on telepractice, including podcasts and webinars, established a COVID-19 specific webpage, and continues to provide weekly updates to members. The Association’s website received 299,000+ page views in the five weeks between 23 March to 3 May representing a 45% increase in visitation compared to the same time last year. Top five web pages 23 March to 3 May 2020 COVID-19 News and Information 20,071 Telepractice Resources 15,476 COVID-19: Impacts on speech pathologists 9,655 COVID-19 Guidance for Service Delivery 9753 Find a Speech Pathologist 8,109 We are listening Across all parts of the Association our team have their eyes and ears open to find out about how they can support members at this time. We are pleased to say that many of you are appreciating our work. Here is what some members said: "The SPA head office Team have certainly had a busy time of it these past months, producing excellent resources & guidance on all its platforms, I thought that praise should be passed on to all those involved.” Mary “Where would we be without SPA more now than ever.” Renee “The resources from SPA have been amazing.” Stephanie

Facebook March: SAD 2020 video – 10,781 reach/ 272 reactions April: Genes linked to speech disorders – 8492 reach / 271 reactions. Top Tweets March: Letter - 8,491 impressions April: Leaning Hub launch – 6,382 impressions Linkedin Popular Posts March: SAD 2020 video – 5,117 impressions April: World Voice Day – 1843 impressions Podcast March: Kids behaving badly (1589 plays) April: Covid related stress (1166 plays) Instagram Top post Bulk billing MBS eligible telehealth services

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June 2020 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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