Episodes

According to guest Jordan Berman, leadership is about cultivating and maintaining the trust of others. In this episode, exploring three winning leadership characteristics that are key-drivers in high-trust organizations. Berman calls it The Trust Trifecta: All hail authenticity Transparency lives here Consistency is critical Jordan Berman is a global corporate affairs executive and has worked with and trained hundreds of leaders, helping them lead with trust and impact. With expertise in reputa...

It was inevitable. On August 10, 2021, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced he was stepping down from his position after an investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo's announcement was his chance to respond directly to allegations of sexual harassment against him, and to covertly address his rep for being a bully and thug. Governor Cuomo used his resignation speech to repair his reputation and legacy. Did it work? In this episode, discussing three strategic tactics Cuomo used in hi...

Have you ever had to work around an issue where your leadership did not want to own up to the truth? We all know that sometimes, the truth can be ugly. There are many business situations where privacy and confidential issues need to protect the truth. But how do you manage it when you are a communicator stuck in the middle juggling the press and an angry public? In this episode, we find out from Mike McGill how to get to the truth of the matter. Our backstory? The Flint Water Crisis. Mike Mc...

The abrupt shift to virtual meetings in March 2020 was traumatic for many companies and organizations that had to keep operations running while managing a new form of communication. Instead of focusing on what worked best for meetings, they focused on what worked right now. What was lost in the rush to switch to virtual was the ability to communicate on the screen. Now, more than a year after the pandemic cemented the virtual meeting, people are expected to understand the rules for running an ...

A week doesn't go by where there isn't a splashy scandal or crisis situation that leads to a PR nightmare for an organization or brand. This episode with veteran public relations expert Edward Segal is based on the premise: it's not a matter if a crisis will hit, it's WHEN. Listen to anecdotes, stories and lessons on how to prepare for, create, manage and communicate in crisis situations. In this episode, the 10 Rs of Crisis Management. Mentioned on the podcast: Colonial Pipeline paid ransom ...

When an email meant for one person goes to the wrong person. It can be a disaster. When that email goes viral because the unintended recipient shared it to TikTok -- it was a reputation teardown. When a recent college graduate named Gracie Lorincz from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, applied for a position as an ambassador for clothing boutique Ava Lane, she found out it was unlikely she'd get the job because the VP of the company replied in an email that she was "not that cute." That email was in...

Is it time to cancel the cancel culture once and for all? Not really. But it might be time to rethink what the term actually means. Many people know the online shaming that happens when a person's past actions, affiliations or offensive social media posts return to haunt the reputation, but many disagree on the reason for it. Is it a mob of spiteful Twitter users or people who want certain names held responsible for problematic behavior? USA Today reporter David Oliver discusses his recent ...

A podcast listing 10 easy ways to become a super-likable person that people will want to talk to. Whether you are attending a conference, a meeting, or dinner, learn how to exude likability that will help you connect with people in a way they won't forget! In this episode, we discuss how to be likable. Here are a few to get you started... Start here - first tip. (2:05). The eyes have it. (2:35). How to remember names. (3:15). Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts © Molly McPherson 202...

Coming out of a tumultuous year has meant changes in how organizations communicate to their audiences. It seems that there is greater need to understand what is behind the motives of companies. People not only ask, "What's in it for you?" They want to know what's in it for the community. Together, civic engagement and PR can make good bedfellows when there is a cause in mind addressing a problem in a community. What are the communication tactics behind a successful campaign that contribute to ...

June is Pride Month. A time to acknowledge and celebrate the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community. But behind the jubilant events and rainbow flags, there is a community of people who want Pride to be a part of the conversation every month of the year. Anthony Hayes has spent more than 15 years in communications, crisis and issue management, political and legislative campaigns. He founded The Hayes Initiative to apply his experience steering organizations’ public a...

As people strive to improve conversations about race and racism in this country, the environment for speaking about both seems to be constantly shifting. What is appropriate to say? What will offend? What is genuine? What is off-the-mark? These conversations are more important now than ever, which is why people need to feel confident when they speak up or ask questions about race and racism. Mentioned on the Podcast: Ep: 014 How to Talk About Racism Without Sounding Like a Racist with Jeffrey B...

A press release is one of the most powerful ways to communicate news and events. And one of the most powerful ways to write a press release is to create it with SEO-friendly words to help rankings in search engines. Rich Brooks, founder of the digital marketing agency flyte new media in Portland, Maine, helps SMBs and non-profits increase their online visibility, drive more qualified traffic to their sites, and convert that traffic into leads and business. He is the host of the Agents of Change...

Are you someone who hesitates to talk about matters that matter to you because it is easier to stay quiet and avoid the backlash because you are responsible for other people's well-being? Yeah? Well, me too. I understand how it feels to be in a position of wanting to speak out when you sense there is an injustice - when something is not aligning with your core values. But caring for people who rely on you to stay stable may keep you quiet. My book, Indestructible, was written to help people u...

The best way to manage a crisis is to prevent one. The best way to prevent a crisis is to identify the types of crises that can affect your business. In this episode, we cover the top 10 crisis types communicators need to know how to handle to lessen the damage or remove it altogether. Each one has its own unique set of challenges and implications, but each type of crisis can create significant fallout if unprepared for properly. Mentioned on the podcast: Ep. 122: How to Use Social Media In...

Pitching the press is an important part of the PR process, but it is part of the job that many PR people do not necessarily want to do. Regardless of the industry you work in or represent to the media, knowing how to effectively create a pitch for the media is the most critical step to success in PR and content marketing. Guest Christy Laverty discusses the changes in news coverage from timing to Twitter. Christy Laverty spent over 20 years as a media expert, but now works to help people pitc...

Many law enforcement agencies, particularly local police, have learned how important it is to use social media to reach the public and the press during an active incident. Whether it's Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, social media is as valuable resource for many police departments as it is for traditional brands and businesses. On the podcast, Julie Parker will share her strategies for how law enforcement can use social media to communicate directly with the public, as well as tips to improve a ...

I love giving presentations, workshops and keynotes because I love helping people. I love giving virtual presentations because they are incredibly convenient, interactive and easy to use. What I know is that people no longer love (perhaps even despise), is sitting through virtual presentations. "Zoom" fatigue has certainly set in for most people when they have to log in to another - ugh - meeting. Although we are so close to returning to those in-person meetings, many of us still have months ...

Simply put, companies in 2021 should have a diversity statement. When Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged with killing George Floyd in May 2020, it triggered a national wave of protests throughout the country. The protests eventually simmered down, but the call for more diversity and inclusion gained the necessary traction to make diversity and inclusion a priority for companies. A strong statement shows a company's commitment to building an inclusive workplace that welcomes p...

The pandemic has created many problems for businesses and organizations, but it has also created a greater need for PR and communication practitioners to find ways to think beyond the challenges of 2020 to solve issues dealing with social distancing, diversity, and inclusion in 2021. Gini Dietrich shares how she advises her clients to update their PR and communication plans to meet public expectations. She's also sharing her take on the shrimp in the Cinnamon Toast Crunch fiasco. Dietrich is t...

Mega-influencer and bestselling self-help author Rachel Hollis found herself in her fan's crosshairs again(!) after sharing a blunt assessment of one of her follower's comments that rubbed her the wrong way. After seemingly comparing herself to Harriet Tubman among other notable and "unrelatable" women on a Tik-Tok video, Hollis faced a severe backlash online with calls for her cancelation and people calling her out for her views on a work ethic tied to a person's worth - not to mention how she...

As many business leaders come to recognize that online media is an important part of any reliable business plan, many are reluctant to take the leap onto social media for many reasons including: fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. However, there is a significant push for turning to public relations to help boost the visibility and credibility of not only the business, but of the CEO. However, PR today usually means social media. How can CEOs make that leap? Public relations prac...

Mastering the on-camera presentation is a skill that can benefit anyone working in today's virtual environment. (Look no further than Governor Andrew Cuomo. He got an Emmy for it for crying out loud. First discussion point of the episode.) The need to convey trust and leadership via a computer screen isn't going away - ever. Brad Phillips is a master at understanding how to convey a message to the media, whether in person or a virtual interview. In this episode, he offers three objectives for...

The value of social media in a crisis skyrockets when you know how to use the different platforms to boost your PR response efforts. Molly shares tips from her social media playbook, which she uses for her clients, as well as examples of major brands that use social media to manage and issue or crisis. Listen for PR response tactics for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Clubhouse. Mentioned in the episode: Episode 125: Build an Indestructible Social Media Crisis Plan in 3 E...

Social media's effect on crisis communication is powerful. A growing number of crises not only start on social media, but its viral power fuels the communication crisis as well. This episode explains the difference between a social media fail and a social media crisis, and why the latter is so damaging to a brand or organization. Learn the three categories of a crisis based on responsibility and how social media contributes to each level. Then, three easy steps for how to build a social media ...