For Immediate Release

Big Four accounting firm KPMG has committed $30 million to the metaverse in order to establish an "innovation hub" and train employees so they will be prepared to work with clients as the metaverse becomes a more common interface. Like many organizations, KPMG is citing breathtaking figures as it predicts the metaverse's eventual value. Neville and Shel discuss KPMG's move, various metaverse valuations, and other metaverse-related news and information in this FIR short.
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The post FIR #266: How Many Trillions Will The Metaverse Be Worth? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

As the economy cooks, inflation ratchets up, and interest rates rise, some companies are faced with laying off staff. As we have moved to remote and hybrid work, how those layoffs are handled is changing. But is it ever a good idea to lay someone off over Zoom or Teams? And if so, are there good and bad ways to go about it?
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The post FIR #265: Fired Over Zoom appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

From the title of this episode, you might think we were talking about company sources going on background when speaking to a reporter. (Quick advice: Don't. Either be on the record or don't talk to a journalist.) But that's not what this episode is about. Instead, we're talking about Zoom backgrounds (or Teams, or Skype, or Webex, or Google Meet, or whatever). With flexible work the order of the day in many organizations, is it time to give serious consideration to what people see behind you in a call? There's a book (that's right, an entire book) on the subject. We cover it in 15 minutes.
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The post FIR #264: On Background appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In the monthly long-form episode for June, Neville and Shel consider a Google employee's claim that the company's AI has become sentient, the reactions the claim has provoked, and what it might mean for business communicators. Also in this episode:

In his tech report, Dan York talks about countries that want to change the Internet from a "permissionless" place to one where you have to pay for access to users.
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The post FIR #263: It’s Alive! (AI, That Is. Or Is It?) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In the tech industry, there's a trend: Rescinding offer letters as a cost-cutting measure. In this short episode of "For Immediate Release," Neville and Shel explore the PR and internal comms repercussions of these moves.
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The post FIR #262: You’re Hired! Or Not… appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

As it faced a unionization effort, Tesla contracted with a PR agency (where one of its communication directors once worked in an executive capacity) to spy on employees, including those in a semi-private Facebook group, an activity one academic found unethical. While there is nothing wrong with a company monitoring employees' online activities, there are lines that should not be crossed. Was one of those lines crossed in this case?
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The post FIR #261: Crossing the Line When Surveilling Employees on Social Media appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

We all know that leaders should strive for authenticity. What does that mean, exactly? It's easy to say authenticity is being who you are, but when you're meeting with a department that is struggling to succeed, are you the person who rocks out at concerts? The one who coos little nothings in the ear of your significant other? There's more to authenticity than just being genuine. Communicators need to understand the nuances since most leaders don't have the time for a graduate-level course on the subject.
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The post FIR #260: Grappling With Authenticity appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

A new mid-year Trust Barometer is out from Edelman, and the news is excellent for most things Western (and bad for all things autocratic). Who in the West didn't fare well? Companies that have opted to continue doing business in Russia.
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The post FIR #259: Trust Rises in Companies That Left Russia appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Communicators worldwide covet a seat at the leadership table (wherever that mythical table may be). But if executives don't even want you to brief them on issues that matter to them, that seat will never materialize. In this FIR podcast short, Neville and Shel discuss how to give an effective executive briefing -- and get one step closer to that seat.
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The post FIR #258: How to Brief an Executive appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

For the past several years, momentum has been building as more and more organizations -- recognizing public expectations that they take steps to address social and environmental issues in the wake of declining trust in other institutions -- articulate strong positions on issues ranging from climate change to transgender rights. Then came the leak of the U.S. Supreme Court's abortion decision, indicating the Court will overturn 50 years of precedent with Roe v. Wade. The response from the corporate world has been tepid. In this monthly long-form episode, Neville and Shel look at the few organizations that have spoken out and how some are taking internal measures rather than public-facing positions, while most remain silent.

As if that's not enough heavy discussion, we also spend time looking at the culpability of social media that provide access to live-streamed footage of hatred-motivated mass shootings, from Christchurch to Buffalo.

Also in this episode:

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The post FIR #257: Purpose Vs. Polarization appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.