Internal Communication

Ethics has long been a hallmark of public relations. In this fourth and final installment of PRNEWS’ 2020 predictions, the theme of ethics seemed to dominate. Whether it be in technology, storytelling or writing, several of our prognosticators emphasized ethics’ importance in the coming year.

In this third set of 2020 predictions, communicators anticipate strong demand for mergers and acquisitions of PR firms, a rise in personalized stories and PR pros increasing their use of sophisticated data as audiences become more difficult to reach. Other predictions include a fierce response from healthcare to political criticism and an increase in relationships with non-traditional media outlets.

Veteran PR professional and former journalist Arthur Solomon is back with his annual series pulled from the headlines. His contention is that a daily perusal of the news can provide PR pros with a tuition-free education, often covering areas that college and graduate programs miss. Part I of this series concentrates on career advice.

On this day of giving, a former service member and current PR professional, Anthony LaFauce, recalls receiving care packages during the holidays while being deployed. Though he remembers the packages fondly, he urges PR pros to think about those we represent year round, not just during this time of year.

Many business leaders believe they know how to relate to their millennial staff. They share a lot of material via social media and during town halls. While millennials will acknowledge the sharing, they’ll also say the messages shared seem inauthentic. To counter this, veteran PR pro Deirdre Breakenridge crafted her 12-part FEEL plan that helps build genuine communication between leaders and millennial staff. She discussed it during PRNEWS’s Top Places to Work & Agency Elite Awards in NYC earlier this week.

Last week, Uber reported $1 billion in losses, despite its third-quarter results beating estimates. This week, an angry social media mob reacted to Khosrowshahi’s comments by keeping the #BoycottUber hashtag trending all of Monday, dragging out many of the company’s skeletons in the process. For PR pros, the latest round of calls to #BoycottUber also contains many lessons around what constitutes good, and bad, investor relations. Here’s what we learned.

We’re guessing the sudden and untimely death of Deadspin (no pun intended) as a purveyor of no-holds-barred sports and social commentary will provide a case study for business students in what not to do with a successful endeavor. This post, from PR pro Dave Dykes and PRNEWS staffer Nicole Schuman, argues that the incident also offers a bevy of PR lessons.

Top Places to Work and Agency Elite Awards keynoter Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO of Pure Performance Communications, and PRNEWS content manager, Nicole Schuman, sat down for a discussion regarding Breakenridge’s research on emotional intelligence. They also covered how the infusion of empathy can improve communications efforts not only in the office, but throughout an overall brand strategy.

It’s one of the dirty little secrets of PR: Internal communications is vital to the smooth operation of a company, yet it’s often the last to be given consideration. Early fall is a perfect time to shine up your internal communications efforts.

Social media has made listening easy, right? Not so fast. There’s listening and then there’s critical listening. It’s not hard to figure out which kind is more advantageous for communicators. Tips and thoughts about listening will help your career blossom.