Public Relations Stories and Strategies

Professional communications is about making an impact to help the organization. It must get things done, change attitudes, or at least understand them. At the same time, we need to be evidence-based, use “best practices”, provide ROI and meet KPI. Is our battle on the street or in the boardroom? Is it better to be street-smart or book-smart working in PR and Marketing? 

Guest: Eva Shortt, Zahav PR

https://zahavpr.com/ 

[email protected] 

Connect with Eva on Instagram: instagram.com/zahavpr

Take the Quiz “Are you more book smart or street smart?” https://play.howstuffworks.com/quiz/are-you-more-book-smart-or-street-smart

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Those who respond to help people in high-tension, or even life-threatening situations, need strong communication skills and the right training. Police Officers, Security Guards, front-line health care workers, even bus drivers all find themselves, with alarming frequency, in interactions where safety is at risk.  In this episode we speak with an expert in de-escalation and mental health training who has dedicated her professional life to helping those, who must help others.

Guest: Dr Yasmeen Krameddine, Ph.D.

Protraining.com  

[email protected]

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You may have recently heard on social media a song from the early 1970’s, Prisencolinensinainciusol, by Adriano Celentano. The song’s lyrics are in no language – total and utter nonsense. It was a smash hit in 1973 in Italy, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. 

The song resurfaced on social media in 2010 and once again in 2020. Seems every generation finds it and marvels in the creativity and originality. 

The idea itself has a long and storied history going to back to creative arts. It uses Grammelot, a system of language, based on gibberish, popularized by Commedia dell’Arte, a theatrical form that emerged in 16th Century in Italy.

In this episode we speak with a leading professor in business ethics and stakeholder theory who says the creative arts can have powerful impacts to human dignity in organizations, and help managers to develop their moral imagination.

Guest Simone de Colle, Ph.D. in Management and Business Ethics, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia)

Associate Professor of Business Ethics & Strategy, IESEG School of Management in Paris

[email protected] 

Dario Fo example of Grammelot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A4n9Ez9O8g&list=RD8A4n9Ez9O8g&index=5 

Professor de Colle’s presentation mentioning grammar of improvisation: https://responsiblecapitalism.it/presentations

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The Global Capability Framework is the Global Alliance’s benchmark for how professionals in public relations and communications management perform at their best. It applies to individuals as well as those who assemble teams of communications professionals, including entire departments. The framework took two years to build with contributions from all around the World. In this episode we explore the 11 capabilities, speaking with one of the authors of the Framework, Dr Amy Thurlow.

Guest Professor Amy Thurlow Ph.D., APR, FCPRS

[email protected] 

Link to the Global Capabilities Framework https://www.globalalliancepr.org/capabilitiesframeworks 

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According to World Press Trends 2019, digital news subscriber numbers are up 208% over the last five years. That could be a welcome sign that local news may survive after all. As many legacy news outlets struggle, industry analysts are looking to digital start-ups to fill the need. And without some of the traditional business models, some are showing remarkable creativity. In this episode we speak with the co-founder of an award-winning digital model based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 

Guest: Karen Unland

[email protected] 

https://www.taprootedmonton.ca/

“On every continent and in every market context, innovating news publishers are finding ways to adapt and thrive in the face of changing consumer behaviour and competition that is driven, in large measure, by the rapid changes and challenges of digital technology.” 
Dr François Nel, Editor of World Press Trends 2019

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In a special report, authors Anne Gregory, Ph.D.,  Bill Nichols, Ph.D.,  and Professor John Underwood examine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for professional communicators in the English National Health Service (NHS). Specifically, they look at the first three months of the pandemic from March 2020 to the beginning of June 2020 – the period when communication was initiated and the peak of first-wave infections. Inevitably they found gaps we can all learn from.

Guest: Professor Anne Gregory, Ph.D., BA, FRSA, HonFCIPR, Huddersfield University, [email protected]

The article Anne refers to ““The lived experience of health communication professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic” is not yet available. Once it’s public, we will publish a link to it in these show notes – please check back.

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Throughout this COVID pandemic we all know frontline healthcare workers have been doing extraordinary work and working under exceptional stress. 

A few weeks ago, between Christmas and New Year’s, one physician in London, part of the NHS system, made a comment on Twitter that caught the ire of public relations professionals not only in the UK, but other parts of the world. Dr Meenal Viz seemed to suggest removing anyone “with the title Communications Manager” from NHS Communications, because “we don’t need to pay someone £30k to update the hospital Twitter feed.”

It’s so hard to communicate on Twitter – that limitation of 280 characters. In this episode we chat with Dr Viz, toss the character limit aside, and get to the heart of the message… and to the right audience intended.

Meenal Viz, Ph.D. Clinical Fellow

[email protected] 

Link to Meenal’s World podcast (via apple) https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/meenals-world/id1499166981 

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Cancel Culture is a neologism meaning it’s a newly coined term. It’s essentially the phenomenon of publicly shaming, rejecting, and ceasing to provide support to people, companies, or stores if they are deemed unacceptable. Celebrities are frequent targets but not exclusively. The shaming, for the most part, is done through social media. 

T.S. Eliot once wrote, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

But how are we, as people, supposed to progress if accountability, and the inherent ability to “cancel” is left to the unaccountable?

Guest: Alex Malouf, SCMP

[email protected] 

@alex_malouf

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This is an episode about “Positivity” which has everything to do with communication. It’s a state of mind we all want but let’s be honest, it can also be really annoying. False positivity is an irritating personality quirk. 

The official definition from the Oxford Dictionary implies that positivity is not something you are; it's more something you feel. 

Positive Psychology is an investment in who you are and what you can do to live your best life. Your best life looks and feels different every day.

Annoyed yet? 😊

Guest Josephine Tite, Positivity Centre

[email protected] 

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Stress is almost an evil word in our lives today. Nobody wants stress. Do we? Actually, could you imagine life with no stress? In this episode we speak with a neuroscience expert who says we can all benefit from the right kinds of stress.

Guest: Sue Langley, Langley Group, Australia

[email protected]

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