Episodes

If an employee causes a crisis for his employer due to actions that go viral, the company needs an immediate response. Case in point, Southwest Airlines pilot, who used the phrase "Let's go, Brandon," a euphemism considered to be a vulgar phrase aimed at President Joe Biden, over the plane's PA system. On this week's podcast, the best PR response for a rogue employee who makes bad news for your brand. Learn the immediate steps communicators can take to manage reputation by dissociating the br...

Making news for the wrong reasons is simple. Just screw up publicly, and you're on your way to going viral. Bad news spreads fast, especially on social media. To make a positive story newsworthy, you have to cut through a lot of noise to become a leading authority. Discover how to make your story newsworthy and become famous the right way. My guest on the podcast is former television journalist Kristi Piehl. She is the Founder & CEO of Media Minefield and the host of the Flip Your Script Pod...

Here's what we know about the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's movie set. Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that struck cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in the chest, and the director, Joel Souza, in the shoulder. Baldwin is cooperating with the investigation and (as of now) in contact with Hutchins' family. Earlier, some crew members reportedly walked off set over working conditions. Alec Baldwin described the shooting as a "tragic accident." What we don't know? How will this traged...

Vaccines are on the minds of many businesses, especially small and midsize employers. About two-thirds of small employers believe their employees should be vaccinated, and more than half receive questions about vaccinations. If you want to learn how to communicate vaccination mandates externally, this episode is for you. No politics. No position. Just one PR tip for when vaccine compliance is 100%. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts © Molly McPherson 2021 Join Molly on Patreon f...

It only takes a few moments for people to form an opinion about you when they see you speak in public. If you nail it, your reputation is boosted. Bungle it - your reputation is at stake. If you want to appear confident on stage, you have to actually be confident in yourself. A challenge for nervous speakers. However, there are some tricks to help. Speaking coach Kerri Garbis discusses three effortless methods for capturing confidence on stage. Mentioned on the podcast: Kerri Garbis from Ova...

In the week since an Amtrak train derailed in rural Montana, killing three people and injuring dozens more, federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the derailment. Despite the rarity of situations such as these, Amtrak needed a crisis plan to be ready at any moment. In this episode, we explore the first 48 hours of Amtrak's response to the Empire Builder derailment near Joplin, Montana. What communicators can learn from the rapid response of Amtrak and how they leverag...

What happens when an army of people begins to dig to solve a mystery? They quickly find answers. The intense interest in the Gabby Petito missing case (now murder) also led to an intense interest in discovering why the case became such a sensational news story. The answer: social media sleuthing Young, social media-savvy women used TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to desperately get to the bottom of what happened to the 22-year-old who documented her travels to state and national parks with h...

We've all done it. The email is written. The email is sent. The email is WRONG. Even though sending a mistake via email is a universal problem, the feeling of having an entire distribution list open that email and see your error will always feel like a kick in the gut. But it doesn't have to. What if there was a way to turn that slip into an opportunity to make you look even better? On the podcast, three quick and straightforward steps of recovery for backtracking when you sent the wrong ema...

In this episode, how to use the backpedal in a PR response - but only if you really need to. Exploring the use of this response tactic as a communication for self-defense. This tactic is used as a result of an incident in which a person's character is called into question or a perceived wrongdoing. Listen to four examples from the last few weeks and the rating given for their reputation outcome: a thumbs up or thumbs down. We'll look at the response tactic, as it refers to the restoration and...

From time to time, it is normal to be anxious when you are in front of a group of people. Whether it's in a group of people gathered at a work conference social hour or speaking alone on stage, being able to calm yourself in the moment is often easier said than done. If the body decides to show external signs of anxiety from being front to center, you need quick and simple tricks to calm it down. On the podcast, useful and actionable tips that you can test next time you need to calm down quic...

Interviewing someone for a news story, video, or podcast can be extremely stressful. As an interviewer, part of your job - after you conducted your research - is knowing how to ask the right questions to get your source talking, while keeping them comfortable. To do that, an interviewer needs to understand how to listen well. The trick is listening in a way that gets your subject talking and sharing. Before you jot down your notes or hit record on the conversation with your source, use these ...

Are you someone who thinks Twitter is a waste of time? Or are you someone who understands the value of a social media platform with nearly 200 million active daily users, but feel the overwhlem of the site and don't know where to start? This episode will help you adapt your conversations in a way that can strengthen your authority and influence as a thought leader by using Twitter beyond just likes and retweets. In this episode, 10 ways to crush it on Twitter. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or ...

According to guest Jordan Berman, leadership is about cultivating and maintaining the trust of others. In this episode, exploring three winning leadership characteristics that are key-drivers in high-trust organizations. Berman calls it The Trust Trifecta: All hail authenticity Transparency lives here Consistency is critical Jordan Berman is a global corporate affairs executive and has worked with and trained hundreds of leaders, helping them lead with trust and impact. With expertise in reputa...

It was inevitable. On August 10, 2021, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced he was stepping down from his position after an investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo's announcement was his chance to respond directly to allegations of sexual harassment against him, and to covertly address his rep for being a bully and thug. Governor Cuomo used his resignation speech to repair his reputation and legacy. Did it work? In this episode, discussing three strategic tactics Cuomo used in hi...

Have you ever had to work around an issue where your leadership did not want to own up to the truth? We all know that sometimes, the truth can be ugly. There are many business situations where privacy and confidential issues need to protect the truth. But how do you manage it when you are a communicator stuck in the middle juggling the press and an angry public? In this episode, we find out from Mike McGill how to get to the truth of the matter. Our backstory? The Flint Water Crisis. Mike Mc...

The abrupt shift to virtual meetings in March 2020 was traumatic for many companies and organizations that had to keep operations running while managing a new form of communication. Instead of focusing on what worked best for meetings, they focused on what worked right now. What was lost in the rush to switch to virtual was the ability to communicate on the screen. Now, more than a year after the pandemic cemented the virtual meeting, people are expected to understand the rules for running an ...

A week doesn't go by where there isn't a splashy scandal or crisis situation that leads to a PR nightmare for an organization or brand. This episode with veteran public relations expert Edward Segal is based on the premise: it's not a matter if a crisis will hit, it's WHEN. Listen to anecdotes, stories and lessons on how to prepare for, create, manage and communicate in crisis situations. In this episode, the 10 Rs of Crisis Management. Mentioned on the podcast: Colonial Pipeline paid ransom ...

When an email meant for one person goes to the wrong person. It can be a disaster. When that email goes viral because the unintended recipient shared it to TikTok -- it was a reputation teardown. When a recent college graduate named Gracie Lorincz from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, applied for a position as an ambassador for clothing boutique Ava Lane, she found out it was unlikely she'd get the job because the VP of the company replied in an email that she was "not that cute." That email was in...

Is it time to cancel the cancel culture once and for all? Not really. But it might be time to rethink what the term actually means. Many people know the online shaming that happens when a person's past actions, affiliations or offensive social media posts return to haunt the reputation, but many disagree on the reason for it. Is it a mob of spiteful Twitter users or people who want certain names held responsible for problematic behavior? USA Today reporter David Oliver discusses his recent ...

A podcast listing 10 easy ways to become a super-likable person that people will want to talk to. Whether you are attending a conference, a meeting, or dinner, learn how to exude likability that will help you connect with people in a way they won't forget! In this episode, we discuss how to be likable. Here are a few to get you started... Start here - first tip. (2:05). The eyes have it. (2:35). How to remember names. (3:15). Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts © Molly McPherson 202...

Coming out of a tumultuous year has meant changes in how organizations communicate to their audiences. It seems that there is greater need to understand what is behind the motives of companies. People not only ask, "What's in it for you?" They want to know what's in it for the community. Together, civic engagement and PR can make good bedfellows when there is a cause in mind addressing a problem in a community. What are the communication tactics behind a successful campaign that contribute to ...

June is Pride Month. A time to acknowledge and celebrate the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community. But behind the jubilant events and rainbow flags, there is a community of people who want Pride to be a part of the conversation every month of the year. Anthony Hayes has spent more than 15 years in communications, crisis and issue management, political and legislative campaigns. He founded The Hayes Initiative to apply his experience steering organizations’ public a...

As people strive to improve conversations about race and racism in this country, the environment for speaking about both seems to be constantly shifting. What is appropriate to say? What will offend? What is genuine? What is off-the-mark? These conversations are more important now than ever, which is why people need to feel confident when they speak up or ask questions about race and racism. Mentioned on the Podcast: Ep: 014 How to Talk About Racism Without Sounding Like a Racist with Jeffrey B...

A press release is one of the most powerful ways to communicate news and events. And one of the most powerful ways to write a press release is to create it with SEO-friendly words to help rankings in search engines. Rich Brooks, founder of the digital marketing agency flyte new media in Portland, Maine, helps SMBs and non-profits increase their online visibility, drive more qualified traffic to their sites, and convert that traffic into leads and business. He is the host of the Agents of Change...