You’re halfway through what’s been a rather interesting year in business, politics, brand successes and blunders and Game of Thrones developments. Which is to say: you still have another five solid months to make this your best year ever as a communicator. First, you’ll need to take stock of what you and your team have… Continued
Corporate Responsibility
Zappos Takes ‘Giving Back’ Literally With Dead-of-Night Gift Drop-Off in Hanover, N.H.
December 4th, 2015 by Steve GoldsteinPlease visit your local mom-and-pop shops this holiday season. Go to that toy store that's been around for 65 years and which just suffered another humiliating rent increase. Buy your wrapping paper at the greeting card store that's hanging on by its fingernails and getting by on deeply felt smiles. OK, my commercial's over. I'm… Continued
9 Issues for a Nationally Televised PR Debate
October 15th, 2015 by Diane SchwartzEnvision a nationally televised debate among leaders in Public Relations. Who you picture on that stage is a pretty good indicator of the state of our profession. To keep the personalities out of this for now, what issues would you want debated? What are the themes resonating now that also will prepare us for a… Continued
‘Meet the Team,’ Ferguson and PR’s Diversity Problem
September 2nd, 2014 by Diane SchwartzTake a look at your “Meet the Team” and “About Us” pages on your web site. Do these pages reflect a multifaceted workforce? Do the photos of your team and their bios underscore an understanding of your many stakeholders? In other words, can visitors relate to you? You might not think these questions are worth… Continued
Business Conversations That Make Me Lose Sleep
May 30th, 2014 by Tony SilberWhich workplace exchanges do you find to be most difficult? For most people, they’re centered on two things: Personnel and performance. Both of these things straddle the worlds of internal communications and HR, and both are also general managerial challenges. I recently read an interesting column in Business Insider about the toughest conversations you can… Continued
Is There a Game of Thrones Character on Your Team?
May 5th, 2014 by Diane SchwartzI am writing this blog post because I know you either watch Game of Thrones or have to listen to people who watch it. Not that I’m trying to game the system, but let’s face it: you need a break from your cerebral workday to think or water-cooler-talk about your favorite TV show, be it… Continued
14 Pieces of PR Advice to Read and Heed
April 21st, 2014 by Diane SchwartzDispensing advice is a centuries-old activity and it never gets old. When the PR News team decided to produce a Best PR Advice Book, it looked to the smartest people in the room to write it: the speakers and attendees of our PR News conferences. Over the past two years, we’ve disseminated the little black… Continued
When an Old Crisis Resurfaces: 4 Principles for an Effective Response
February 13th, 2014 by Tony SilberYesterday, I was driving home with a friend, and the conversation turned, as it inevitably does, to Howard Dean’s famous scream in the 2004 presidential campaign. (Okay, it’s not really inevitable, it’s just funny to say that, and it goes to a point I’m about to make.) And that point, to borrow from an old… Continued
9 Habits of Highly Effective PR People
February 10th, 2014 by Diane SchwartzThere are three types of PR professionals: ineffective, good and great. It’s as simple as that, really. Most PR pros are good – they’ve found a comfortable place to practice their trade and are making an impact with their organization or clients. But Public Relations cannot afford to be a majority of Good professionals if… Continued
When to Apologize
November 11th, 2013 by Tony SilberAs I write this I’m watching a report on MSNBC criticizing the apology issued by 60 Minutes for a report last month about the attack on the embassy in Benghazi. The apology, by correspondent Lara Logan, was not enough—that was the consensus. “It was not nearly satisfying,” said guest David Brock. “I thought it was… Continued