The End of the Generative Artificial-Intelligence Bubble

These are all headlines from the last several weeks suggesting, as Gartner believes, that generative AI has arrived at the trough of disillusionment (the low point in Gartner’s technology hype cycle).  This skepticism can be attributed to the fact that there haven’t been any breakthrough products that have produced huge revenues. Instead of companies making big investments in AI, individual employees are using free or low-cost tools independently.

While those enterprise tools are undoubtedly coming, employees using ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Copilot are seeing big gains in productivity and even creativity. A new report from Microsoft — which looks at Copilot use by 6,000 employees in more than 60 organizations — reinforces this view. In this midweek episode, Neville and Shel dig into the report, along with a Washington Post study that ranks how individuals are using generative AI.

Links from this episode:

The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, August 26.

We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. To obtain the credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request them in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are Shel’s and Neville’s and do not reflect the views of their employers and/or clients.

The post FIR #421: GenAI Is Paying Off for Individual Employees appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Agencies sometimes find themselves mired in micromanagement, worried about the wrong things, or presenting ill-considered solutions to clients.

Much of this can be avoided by asking “So What?” more often.

In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss the importance of that one question and how it can lead to more effective decision-making for agency owners. They highlight the need to challenge assumptions, manage time wisely, and empower team members to think critically.

Through practical examples, they explain how this simple question can uncover inefficiencies and drive better outcomes in client interactions and internal processes. The discussion also covers the benefits of asking team members for their input to foster growth and confidence. [read the transcript]

The post ALP 240: Unlocking agency potential by asking “So What?” appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss the importance of email marketing for agencies. They emphasize that email newsletters should be a top priority for agencies to nurture leads, share content, and maintain direct communication with clients.

The conversation highlights the risks of relying solely on social media platforms, which can change or disappear. They also advise agency owners to publish thought leadership content to differentiate themselves and align with their values, despite potential fear of alienating prospects.

Lastly, they stress the importance of owning one’s content and not just focusing on the size of the email list, but rather the quality of engagement and relevance to the audience. [read the transcript]

The post ALP 239: Does email marketing work for agencies? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

A faulty software update caused the biggest IT outage in history, affecting everything from commercial airline flights to hospitals. The crisis communication demands on CrowdStrike were enormous. How well did the company acquit itself? Neville and Shel look at the company’s response and share what some crisis experts have said. Also in this episode, there’s increased reporting on the strike between journalists and media relations professionals. People are still searching on Google, but they are not clicking on any of the results, creating headaches for websites that need visitors to survive. Ogilvy has introduced a service to deal with rogue influencers. A newsletter has made its way into the fediverse as social networks like Threads continue to expand their fediverse presence. NATO is taking its case to the public in a novel format: a graphic novel. In his tech report, Dan York shares his thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court decision dealing with content moderation and why it’s important for communicators, the release of WordPress 6.6, and the CrowdStrike outage.

The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, August 26.

We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. To obtain the credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request them in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are Shel’s and Neville’s and do not reflect the views of their employers and/or clients.

Links from this episode:

Links from Dan York’s Report:

The post FIR #420: How Well Did CrowdStrike Handle Its Crisis Communications? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The headline is a bit dramatic but it was hard to pass up the “Shadow” reference. In fact, Shadow AI refers to employees covertly using generative AI tools at work without IT, HR, and other departments knowing about it. A recent report found vthat 27.4% of the content employees fed into AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini was sensitive, a 10.7% increase from a year ago. The most sensitive data types shared with AI tools are customer support (16.3%), source code (12.7%), research and development material (10.8%), and unreleased marketing material (6.6%). HR and employee records represent 3.9% of sensitive information uploaded to AI chatbots, including confidential HR details, employee compensation, and medical issues. Neville and Shel examine the problem and the role internal communicators can play in this short midweek episode.

Links from this episode:

The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, July 29.

We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. To obtain the credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request them in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are Shel’s and Neville’s and do not reflect the views of their employers and/or clients.

The post FIR #419: Is Shadow AI an Evil Lurking in the Heart of Your Company? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

If you’re a regular listener, you know that Chip and Gini have strong feelings about staying away from RFPs when possible. But sometimes they can’t be avoided.

In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss offer practical tips for handling RFPs efficiently, like templatizing repeat information, asking insightful questions, and focusing on building relationships. They also touch on strategies for incumbent agencies facing potential renewal through RFPs, emphasizing the importance of not burning bridges and maintaining a full pipeline of business opportunities.

Overall, they highlight the necessity of minimizing effort while maximizing the chances of success in the RFP process. [read the transcript]

The post ALP 238: What to do when your agency can’t avoid responding to an RFP appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

An international panel of IABC Fellows shared thoughts on how to structure and lead effective organizational teams in today’s global landscape. The panel explored various team structures that lead to positive outcomes aligned with business goals. The panel also shared insights on fostering a space where diverse voices are shared with respect and acceptance while addressing the challenges of leading communication teams.

About the panel: 

Diane Gayeski is recognized as a thought leader in the practice and teaching of business communications.  She is Professor of Strategic Communications at the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College and provides consulting in communications analysis and strategies through Gayeski Analytics.  Diane was recently inducted as an IABC Fellow; she’s been active in IABC for more than 30 years as a featured speaker and think-tank leader at the international conference, the author of 3 editions of the IABC-published book, Managing the Communications Function, and the advisor to Ithaca College’s student chapter.  She’s led more than 300 client engagements for clients, including the US Navy, Bank of Montreal, Fiat, Sony, Abbott Diagnostics, and Borg-Warner, focusing on assessing and building the capacities and new technologies for workplace communications and learning teams.

Russell Grossman, DipPR, ABC, FRSA, FCIPR, FCIM, IABC Fellow, has been a communications practitioner for nearly 40 years and a UK Senior Civil Servant since 2006. He’s currently Director of Communications at UK Rail Regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, and also head of the Government Communication Service (GCS) internal communications profession. He’s a non-exec director of the “ Engage for Success ” movement for the advancement of employee engagement and sponsor for both the GCS Fast Stream and GCS Talent. Russell and his long-suffering wife of 39 years are blessed with four children (one of whom also works within GCS) and five grandchildren. Russell and his long-suffering wife of 38 years are blessed with four children (one of whom also works within GCS) and five grandchildren.

In a career spanning roles as a Colonel in the Army, a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication (Fulbright Fellow) and Professor in a business school, a communication consultant, teacher, and trainer, Rajeev Kumar is an author and recognized speaker with a significant profile regionally, across many cultures and languages. Rajeev has a strong commitment to the profession and IABC, demonstrated through local, regional and international leadership roles. Rajeev’s work and references reinforce his commitment to the IABC values and he is a brand ambassador for the association in all aspects of his professional life. His co-authored book, “Outlast – How ESG can Benefit your Business” has been recently launched by Harper Collins.

Leticia Narváez, ABC,  is CEO and Founding Partner of Narváez Group, a consulting firm focused on Strategic Communication, Employee Engagement, Corporate Reputation, Social Responsibility and Communication Training based in Mexico City. A 30 years experienced professional, she held management top level positions at Sanofi, Merck, American Express and Ford Motor Co. among others. She builds communication bridges with the utmost excellence standards. During her career path, she has been at the forefront of divestitures, mergers and acquisitions, diversity leadership, issues and crisis management, team and leadership development, strategic planning and senior executive consulting. She has been a speaker at international forums, is co-author of several books and manuals on business communications and has written a large number of articles on the subject. Leticia has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Public Relations from the Latinoamericana University, a Master Degree on Digital Communications from Cantabria University and a Postgraduate Diploma on Top Business Administration at the Panamerican Institute of Top Business Administration – IPADE-.

The post Circle of Fellows #106: Structuring and Leading a Communications Team appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

For years, Tractor Supply has touted its values and how firmly it has committed to them, as demonstrated by the fact that the Tennessee-based retailer recently set new targets, having already met the ones it established in 2018. But a vitriolic campaign by a right-wing podcaster led the company to summarily abandon those values, leading some employees to quit and diverse members of the company’s customer base to speak up. In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel discuss how firmly a company should stand up for what it believes, especially as political divides threaten organizations’ ability to do what’s best for the business.

Links from this episode:

The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, July 29.

We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. To obtain the credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request them in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are Shel’s and Neville’s and do not reflect the views of their employers and/or clients.

The post FIR #418: These Are Our Rock-Solid Beliefs — Unless You Don’t Like Them appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Share of voice, share of search, share of conversation—brands are forever measuring their share in whatever space they want to dominate. Now that people are seeking answers from generative AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, brands will need to know whether they show up in the responses these models deliver. There is already a proposal to call this measurement “share of model.” In this short midweek episode, Neville and Shel will explain what it means and how brands can get the same out of GenAI models that they have been getting out of Google (i.e., share of search) using SEO techniques.

Links from this episode:

The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, July 29.

We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. To obtain the credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request them in our Facebook group, or email [email protected].

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are Shel’s and Neville’s and do not reflect the views of their employers and/or clients.

The post FIR #417: As AI Adoption Grows, Is Share of Model the New Metric? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss whether PR agencies should report to the head of communications or the head of marketing. They reference a LinkedIn post by Parry Headrick, which suggests that PR agencies should ideally report to the communications lead.

Chip and Gini explore various considerations such as the size and structure of the client’s organization, the types of projects being handled, and the importance of having someone who understands PR work. They also emphasize the need for agencies to adapt and possibly integrate the PESO model to better serve modern client needs. [read the transcript]

The post ALP 237: Who Should PR Agencies Report To? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.