Episodes
Dec. 7, 2021
164: Alec Baldwin's Sit-Down with ABC News: A Public Relations Post-Analysis
The story of Alec Baldwin in the aftermath of the tragic shooting death of Halyana Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust" is worth following if you follow public relations and crisis communication. From the first news stories...
Nov. 30, 2021
163: Is There Any Truth to the Saying, "All Publicity is Good Publicity?"
The actor Jake Gyllenhall knows all too well that bad publicity may not be the best publicity when your name is trending because you broke up with a girlfriend more than ten years ago. Having this ex-girlfriend record a song ...
Nov. 22, 2021
162: The 3 Mistakes Most Spokespeople Make in their Media Interviews (and how to avoid them).
Media trainer Warren Weeks joined me in a webinar to discuss the top mistakes he sees many spokespeople make and how to fix them. Our episode discusses how to overcome these common media interview challenges straight from the...
Nov. 16, 2021
161: The Biggest Media Interview Mistakes of the Month (and what we can learn from them).
A media interview could lead to one of three outcomes: You nail it. You get through it. Your poor performance creates its own crisis. Knowing how to prepare for a media interview increases the likelihood of a positive outcome...
Nov. 9, 2021
160: The Best PR Response for a Rogue Employee Who Makes News
If an employee causes a crisis for his employer due to actions that go viral, the company needs an immediate response. Case in point, Southwest Airlines pilot, who used the phrase "Let's go, Brandon," a euphemism considered t...
Nov. 2, 2021
159: How to Think Like a Journalist and Make Your PR Pitch Land with Kristi Piehl
Making news for the wrong reasons is simple. Just screw up publicly, and you're on your way to going viral. Bad news spreads fast, especially on social media. To make a positive story newsworthy, you have to cut through a lot...
Oct. 26, 2021
158: How to Respond Publicly to a Tragic Event of Your Own Doing: Ten Steps to Control the Narrative During a Crisis
Here's what we know about the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's movie set. Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that struck cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in the chest, and the director, Joel Souza, in the shoulder. Baldw...
Oct. 19, 2021
157: Your Indestructible PR Tip for the Week is About Vaccinations
Vaccines are on the minds of many businesses, especially small and midsize employers. About two-thirds of small employers believe their employees should be vaccinated, and more than half receive questions about vaccinations. ...
Oct. 12, 2021
156: 3 Effortless Tricks To Be a More Confident Speaker with Kerri Garbis
It only takes a few moments for people to form an opinion about you when they see you speak in public. If you nail it, your reputation is boosted. Bungle it - your reputation is at stake. If you want to appear confident on st...
Oct. 4, 2021
155: The First 48 Hours: Amtrak’s Effective Crisis Response After the Derailment
In the week since an Amtrak train derailed in rural Montana, killing three people and injuring dozens more, federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the derailment. Despite the rarity of situations such...
Sept. 28, 2021
154: Why Social Media Sleuthing Can Bring it All Down Quickly
What happens when an army of people begins to dig to solve a mystery? They quickly find answers. The intense interest in the Gabby Petito missing case (now murder) also led to an intense interest in discovering why the case b...
Sept. 21, 2021
153: How to Backtrack When You Send the Wrong Email
We've all done it. The email is written. The email is sent. The email is WRONG. Even though sending a mistake via email is a universal problem, the feeling of having an entire distribution list open that email and see your er...
Sept. 14, 2021
152: How to Successfully Manage a PR Backpedal: Mulaney, Hollis, Murdaugh, and OnlyFans
In this episode, how to use the backpedal in a PR response - but only if you really need to. Exploring the use of this response tactic as a communication for self-defense. This tactic is used as a result of an incident in whi...
Sept. 7, 2021
151: 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Appear Easygoing When You're Nervous
From time to time, it is normal to be anxious when you are in front of a group of people. Whether it's in a group of people gathered at a work conference social hour or speaking alone on stage, being able to calm yourself in ...
Aug. 30, 2021
150: 10 Listening Tricks to Get the Most Out of Every Interview
Interviewing someone for a news story, video, or podcast can be extremely stressful. As an interviewer, part of your job - after you conducted your research - is knowing how to ask the right questions to get your source talki...
Aug. 24, 2021
149: How to Crush it on Twitter: 10 Ways to Build Authority and Thought Leadership
Are you someone who thinks Twitter is a waste of time? Or are you someone who understands the value of a social media platform with nearly 200 million active daily users, but feel the overwhlem of the site and don't know wher...
Aug. 17, 2021
148: How to Win the Trust Jackpot with Jordan Berman
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. Berm...
Aug. 11, 2021
147: 3 Tactics Gov. Andrew Cuomo Used in His Resignation Remarks to Repair His Reputation
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 ...
Aug. 10, 2021
146: How to Tell the Painful Truth in a Crisis When You'd Rather Not with Mike McGill
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...
Aug. 3, 2021
145: How to Be the Best Virtual Presenter Anyone Has Ever Seen with Karin Reed
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...
July 27, 2021
144: How to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disaster with Edward Segal
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: i...
July 19, 2021
143: How One Email Brutally Destroyed a Business Overnight: The Ava Lane Boutique TikTok Takedown
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 graduat...
July 13, 2021
142: Is it Time to Cancel ‘Cancel Culture?’ The Answer from USA Today's David Oliver
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 o...
July 5, 2021
141: How to be a Super-Likable Person That Everyone Will Want to Talk To
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 peo...