David and Simon share their advice on how to deal with backstabbers.

David and Simon share their advice on how to get ahead when you're shy.

David Yelland and Simon Lewis share their tips on dealing with the media

Quick Wins is a series of mini episodes from the When It Hits the Fan team to steer you through your own personal PR in your working life.

In this episode, David and Simon answer listener Joe's question about how to deliver difficult information that people may not want to hear. Getting the tone right is crucial, tell it like it is and be visible.

Producer: Eve Streeter

David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss an extraordinary and terrifying weekend of political drama in the US, with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump crowding out calls for Joe Biden to quit the presidential race. And they reflect on England losing out once more on the main prize at an international football tournament.

How does the invisible industrial complex of spin that quietly hums along, shaping so much of what you see and hear, kick into action in these moments of high public drama? How do communicators use their skill in crafting words - and images - to create history, to fashion phrases that capture moments which live forever? Simon takes us behind the scenes at Number 10 and the Palace.

They reveal two areas of PR not often discussed in public: Loser PR – how to lose in public – and Elder PR – the art of giving Fan-Hitting counsel to very old and very powerful men who are inclined not to listen. Is there an expert in Elder PR at work in the White House?

Producer: Eve Streeter

Just days after Sir Keir Starmer entered Downing Street, David Yelland and Simon Lewis take a special deep dive into what may prove to be a great communications reset at No 10 under the new Prime Minister, with greater transparency at its heart.

But will Sir Keir be able to create the space to govern between the media and his administration? And if he plans to build, build, build, how is he going to manage being very unpopular in a populist era?

Producer: Eve Streeter

With the UK general election upon us, David Yelland and Simon Lewis look at the two sides of campaigning of all kinds – positive PR and negative PR. Who decides whether to go for optimism or fear, and what works? In the great game of persuasion that is PR, connection is key. When Banksy’s migrant boat was carried across a sea of hands at Glastonbury it was a moment of powerful positive communication. But in the world of short-term political campaigning, negative PR can be an equal but opposite strategy.

Also, as many MPs and prospective MPs face the possibility of defeat, David and Simon dsicuss the art of being disappointed in public. How best to lose with cameras whirring?

And the power of being seen in the right place with the right people at the right time – why the PR industry loves Wimbledon.

Producer: Eve Streeter

Three podcasts, one question: How influential is the media on the election?

Newscast, The Today Podcast and When It Hits The Fan are coming together for a special election episode. Hosts from all three podcasts will discuss the role of the media in this summer's political campaign. Do newspapers still matter to political campaigns? Do the TV debates change people’s minds? And how much impact is social media really having?

The episode features Adam Fleming, Amol Rajan, Alex Forsyth, Marianna Spring, David Yelland and Simon Lewis.

This episode was a collaboration between the teams that make Newscast, The Today Podcast and When It Hits the Fan.

David Yelland and Simon Lewis discuss Taylor Swift’s 'magical air cover' and the power of having your photo taken backstage or anywhere inside the Eras tour, whether you’re the Royal family or Keir Starmer. But would every politician risk the Taylor test?

And the latest political fan-hitters - why no-one wants to be a 'Putin ally', the Conservative’s 'Betgate' and how to get your message across if you're the SNP and you know most people listening can’t even vote for you.

Also, how podcasts, social media and the change in the velocity and ferocity of comment has so damaged the reputation of Gareth Southgate’s England. Is it possible to recover from losing the commentariat?

Producer: Eve Streeter

David Yelland and Simon Lewis administer the Fan Hitter PR slide rule to Sir Keir Starmer's election campaign. How has the Labour leader dealt with some of his stickier PR moments around his previous endorsement of Jeremy Corbyn, questions on tax and his dad's job as a toolmaker provoking laughter in Grimsby? Also, even though they are currently ahead in the polls, Labour - like the England football team - has to deal with the perennial PR problem of expectation management. Perhaps they could both learn a thing or two from the Royal Family?

Also, the Green Party's election campaign. How do you keep people listening when your core message - climate change - could be seen as alarmist? One solution is to focus your comms locally, which is what the Greens are doing. As is Nigel Farage...

And finally, actor Joe Alwyn has spoken out about his previous relationship with Taylor Swift. What can we learn about being dragged into the media spotlight on account of who you love – and then break up with? How best to deal with the global glare of Swifty scrutiny?

Producer: Eve Streeter