Back to the Office? This Comms Benefit May Surprise You!
RTO (Return to the Office) may be this year’s most hated acronym, but some surprising comms benefits are being created as teams reassemble. When the pandemic sent employees packing for their home offices, comms training was often put on hold. Media and crisis...
LA’s Comms Heroes
Flying into LA last Tuesday evening I saw what looked like erupting Volcanoes. The winds driving the fires tossed the A320 around, forcing the pilots to circle LAX and land from the opposite direction. In those few minutes, even from miles away, I could see the fires...
This is One SWEET Tuesday Tip-Off!
Hey, team! As we’re approaching the final throws (pun intended) of the holiday season, I digress from my typical comms-themed Tip-Off to something a bit different. Today’s topic: CHOCALATE. Really GOOD chocolate, perfect for late season tailgates, holiday...
Uhm, this is a problem (and how to solve it)
It seems that the wretched overuse of the non-word “uhm” has been normalized in public speaking. Even professional media spokespersons get away with using it, along with other fillers including “uh," "like," "you know,” "so” and my most despised, “frankly.” Non-words...
Coming soon! A Rare Media Training Opp
Have you ever wanted to attend a media training program but your organization doesn’t have the budget to bring in a coach? Or maybe you don’t have enough spokespersons to justify the expense? Good news! This December the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and...
What Do Media Think of Media Training?
Get journalists and comms professionals in one room and you can count on a lively, if not downright spirited conversation. We need each other to do our jobs, and most of the time we all get along just fine, thank you. But there are occasional disagreements and...
Tuesday Tip-Off: Do This Now to Avoid a Social Media Mess
The final countdown to the November election is on with the political temperature on the rise. That can mean trouble ahead for just about any organization. Call it “Cleanup in the Social Media Aisle!” Consider this scenario: an employee, on a personal social media...
How to Avoid the TMI Trap in Your Next Talk
Ever been in a presentation when the speaker dumps so much on you that it makes your head hurt? You were caught in the too-much-information-trap. Maybe even you have victimized an audience with a level of detail that dooms your talk. One common pitfall in business...
Are You Overdue for Your Comms Check-Up?
While this Tuesday Tip-Off was on its way to your inbox, I was on my way to my annual physical. Nobody looks forward to these check-ups, but they play a crucial role in maintaining overall well-being, detecting potential problems and preventing serious ones. It’s the...
Does Your Organization Have a Culture of “Response-ability?”
It’s a fact: people are drawn to bad news. The news media are often criticized for only reporting negative stories, but there’s plenty of research that explains why bad news and “fake news” catch our attention – and why they spread more widely than accurate...