I hear it at least once a week. A grandiose statement about how savvy twenty-somethings are and that they are the experts in exploring and using technology. I interact with that generation every week at the college level, and see a different type of native. In the past two years, I have had students who: […]
In case Halloween is under the radar at your attraction, here are some staggering stats from the National Retail Federation. 170 million people will celebrate Halloween this year, according to the group’s annual consumer spending survey. 24% of those plan to “visit a haunted house,” a category which has grown consistently year after year from […]
It’s easy to get lost in conflicting advice when you attend conferences. I’ve been to one too many conferences in which I came away with a mere checklist of tactics which I was told to get….right now. Lately, the list includes social media, mobile web sites and integration. All those things are important to those […]
It’s hitting the fan. Your organization is in crisis and you have 30 minutes to get your act together and prepare the first response. The challenge for any organization in crisis is that you are still gathering facts to figure out what happened yet the “always-on” media and persistent public demand a response. It is […]
A disturbing media trend emerging the past few years really came to light for me last week while scanning the morning news programs: media interviewing other media. I’ve noticed it on two occasions: celebrity news and breaking news. Here are two scenarios. Scenario 1: Celebrity News Celebrity A is divorcing Celebrity B. The news coverage […]
A friend was recently lamenting his frustration on yet another crazy board meeting. The group dynamics were contentious and the meetings went way too long. The leader often stifled conversation during meetings. After serving 12-plus community organizations in the past 10 years, I have experienced boards, committees and organizations with a wide range of communication […]
In the early days of my public relations career, it was an accepted fact that you should train the key people in your organization who may be called upon to speak to the media. In some organizations, this “training opportunity” was geared to one or a few key executives. In larger organizations, it was often […]
A lot changes when you age. My attention span has really changed in the last five years. While I’m not exactly sure whether it’s physical aging or environmental factors, I have recently begun calling this syndrome “late onset ADHD.” Never in my working life have I had so many things happening at once. Irons in […]
Is PR talk value? At a recent professional development event I attended, the speaker continually referred to talk value as PR. The first couple of times, it was okay. By the seventh or so reference, I started to cringe each time the phrase was used. What is it about this reference which grates on my […]