Are You Ready? The crisis you never expected suddenly strikes. Five hungry reporters are outside your door, demanding answers. Another dozen have phoned in the past 15 minutes wanting to know what happened and why?...
The perspiration slowly slides down the middle of your back. Your knees knock and your hands shake. Will you get through this or will you pass out on the spot? Sound like your first date?...
Success does not happen overnight, but failure often does. Critical moments for business and other organizations will never go away, thus the effort to control negative situations continues to become more sophisticated. “Reputation Management” is...
Just learned you have to prepare and deliver a presentation? According to a recent issue of the Wall Street Journal, one of top executives’ greatest fears is public speaking. Presidents, chief executive officers and board...
I just had lunch with an editor at one of the large newspapers in town who opined on the surprising number of PR people who don’t know how to deal with the media. A few suggestions...
Judging by the bazillions of tablets, smartphones and laptops I see people using every day in everyday places from coffee shops to restroom stalls (yes, we’ve all seen it), you’d think most people get most...
(And why they’re all wrong!) In the throes of the BP disaster a few summers ago, I dug through my files searching for one letter in particular. The letter, a gift from a former colleague,...
The news conference, unlike the public speech, involves only the media. It is called either to make a specific, important statement or to provide reporters with access to a representative of your organization for purposes...
Over the course of just a few years, most organizations have grown their social media presence as an extension of their brand and an added tool in their marketing mix. Whether you are just starting...
The letters to the editor columns are among the best-read sections of any newspaper, whether it is the Smalltown News or USA Today. It is your link to the public. But major newspapers get hundreds...
I just finished cleaning out some of our files and ran across an ad that was placed in the Wall Street Journal some time ago. I think we all need to be reminded that the...
The modern definition of an executive’s bad day: Arriving for work to find Bill O’Reilly or Anderson Cooper camped out in the lobby. But even a routine call from a local reporter is enough to cause...
What a speaker looks like should never over-shadow what he or she has to say. A speaker’s appearance, however, can help make the message more convincing. Keep these points in mind as you prepare for...
It is natural to be nervous before a public appearance. Every professional entertainer experiences some kind of “butterflies” before a performance. The symptoms are usually a nervous stomach, perspiring, shifting eyes, death grip on chairs...