Our story
Communication Skills Academy (CSA) began in 2024. But its roots date back 20 years earlier – with the birth of Refresh Marketing, Australia’s longest-running copywriting agency.
A leap of linguistic faith
Senior marketer Vikki Maver leaves the corporate world behind to begin a freelance copywriting career. She knew she always had a way with words – so it was time to put her talents to the test.
And given her marketing qualifications and background, she settled on the business name, Refresh Marketing.
The ‘teaching’ seed was planted
With a home-based business (and two small children to raise), Vikki’s itching to get out of the house. So she gets a gig as a lecturer and tutor with the Department of Marketing at Monash University.
First corporate workshop delivered
Vikki chats with her mentor, the late Frank Chamberlin, about her love of teaching. And he has an idea: to join forces in bringing a business writing workshop to the corporate world.
A few months later, Vikki presented her very first Business Writing Essentials course to a team of 15 staff at City of Greater Geelong – with raving reviews.
The market wants more
Vikki is now running business writing workshops in different workplaces every few weeks – and becomes a permanent fixture on several organisations’ training calendars.
But the market wants more than ‘business writing’. So after several requests, Vikki creates two new courses: ‘Dynamic Digital Writing’ and ‘Copywriting Fundamentals’.
Time to see what’s possible
With both her children now at school, Vikki leans more into her business. She hires her first employee. And goes to market with the three writing courses more proactively – adding many iconic brands to her training portfolio.
ANZ, Assa Abloy, World Vision, YMCA, Health Super and GE Capital to name a few.
A changing world
With the world plunged into lockdown, workplaces jump at the opportunity to invest in their team’s writing skills. Demand for Vikki’s courses is off the charts.
There is just one problem: she’d only ever delivered the courses F2F.
So, with no time to waste, she reimagines her training content for online delivery. And once she does, a new and exciting opportunity surfaces: training individuals!
Business Writing Essentials is now available to the public!
New year, new brand
With a consistently sold out public course – and 50+ team workshops a year – the potential for growth is undeniable.
But there are two challenges to tackle. Firstly, Vikki is only one woman (she needs more trainers). And secondly, the name of her copywriting agency, Refresh Marketing, does not reflect her future training ambitions.
And so, she upskills Veronica to become a trainer, forms alliances with other communications experts – and creates a new brand. Enter Communication Skills Academy.
Her vision? To be the leading provider of communication skills training for organisations across Australia.
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