Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
In late September, I had the opportunity to participate in a compelling dinner salon discussion with a handful of local technology and business leaders hosted by Intentional Futures. The topic of discussion focused on “the fight for truth” and how news organizations can combat fake information in light of new technologies. The fight for news has gotten more challenging with the evolution of technologies – including Face2Face, VoCo, and Lyrebird – that enable the digital manipulation of audio and video.
While there are some interesting positive-use cases for this new computer-generated audio and video technology, ultimately these technologies will make it a lot harder for viewers to discern truth from fiction. We discussed the potential impact of this technology, which included:
• Shifting power centers: Those that understand and use this new type of media will be in a position to manage perceptions
• Enabling hyper-personalization of messaging
• Increasing skepticism: What is a “trusted source” in this new landscape?
• Development of new authentication technologies: the idea of “Blockchain-like authentication for your own likeness”
It was fascinating to dig into this topic with leaders representing a broad range of expertise and perspectives. The discussion broadened my awareness of the potential issues and vulnerabilities, as well as possible use cases that might have a positive impact.
What are your thoughts regarding the evolution of fake news? Clearly this is not something that is going to go away and will likely increase in sophistication.
Digiday recently posted an article uncovering how artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way into PR. Newspapers such as the Associated Press and Washington Post are already using AI to develop earnings reports and write articles that don’t require dedicated reporters.
How will this affect PR professionals? Can we begin to realistically and effectively incorporate AI into our day-to-day activities?
This topic has been deliberated by many and sources have come to a similar conclusion: PR is more art than science, therefore its adoption of AI must be strategic and applied with caution.
Given the creativity, storytelling and personalization required to successfully develop most press materials – AI cannot just seamlessly step in – we can conceivably use it as a tool to automate and scale more mundane tasks.
A few tasks that PR professionals have already started handing off to AI include:
- Speech recognition to transcribe speeches, presentations and calls
- Tracking and analyzing high volumes of media coverage
- Monitoring the sentiment of social media posts and engagement
- Using predictive analytics to project trends from existing data
Although it is unlikely that AI will ever fully replace PR jobs, it is still a growing force in nearly every industry that should not be ignored. McKinsey predicts that as many as 45 percent of the tasks currently performed by people will become automated by existing technologies. Given this statistic, it is important for PR pros to embrace technology and use it to help automate some tasks, and then hone creativity and human intellect to uncover and communicate complex stories.
PR pros could technically start writing press releases, pitches and byline articles with automated technology, but it could be risky in terms of losing a writer’s voice or missing a client’s messaging. In order for technology to perform, it needs to be given an equation or set of parameters to follow. AI technology isn’t yet ready to take over telling complex stories. Humans are still required to create the story structure and paint the picture. The best AI can do at this point is help gather data, employ predictive analytics, and help wrangle and process the sheer volume of media being created.
For as long as people and relationships continue to drive news, PR campaigns will rely on humans to be successful and captivating.
Has your company started incorporating AI? What pros and cons have you discovered from automating tasks?
Last week I was trying to make plans with a friend and suggested he “ping me” when he had a better sense of his schedule.
“What’s ping?” he asked. “Is that a new app or something?”
That’s when it hit me. I had become a corporate buzzword abuser.
I “circle back” with reporters. We strive to “move the needle” for our clients. We “disrupt.” We follow “unicorns.” We gauge “bandwidth” and “extra cycles” that can be dedicated to projects.
Exhale. My name is Beth, and I blurt out meaningless jargon to my friends without even realizing it.
In the tech and startup communities, it’s almost impossible not to weave corporate buzzwords or acronyms into everyday conversations. It’s just how we talk and write. And this in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing; every industry has its own language and specific phrases that only insiders will understand.
Buzzwords as a means to build community
As a 2014 article in The Atlantic (“The Origins of Office Speak”) states, “A well-placed buzzword is a great way to claim membership in a certain tribe.” The article offers a fascinating history of office speak, noting that in the 1950s and ‘60s, many American companies underwent several mergers and acquisitions, creating massive conglomerates. “This made it more difficult for workers to feel a connection to their companies,“ writes article author Emma Green.
The creation of a common language, or at least some frequently used buzzwords specific to a company or an industry, was designed (hopefully) to foster a more emotional connection for employees to their work and their workplaces. “In a workplace that’s fundamentally indifferent to your life and its meaning, office speak can help you figure out how you relate to your work—and how your work defines who you are,” writes Green.
Translating corporate jargon for the outside world
Industry jargon presents a unique challenge for PR, marketing and communications professionals. Trying to minimize, or at least translate, jargon for non-techies or other industry outsiders can create both the biggest headache and the biggest reward in our field.
If, as Green writes, office speak helps to define who you are, then industry jargon and buzzwords also help to define a company and what it does. Too often, however, the language that companies (and their PR teams) use to describe themselves mistakenly assumes that their target audiences know (1) who you are and (2) what you do. It’s easy to get caught up in the vernacular of your company and its industry, but when it comes time to talk to outsiders about it – including reporters, investors and other influencers – it’s time to simplify and speak as clearly and plainly as possible. Remember the days when companies had “customers” and not “end users”?
Last year a British PR agency made a list of the most annoying jargon phrases that PR professionals use with journalists. Hamish Thompson, the firm’s managing director recalls in The Drum, “A few years ago, I remember seeing a business describe itself as ‘a global leader in the adhesive labelling solutions sector’ and I thought, what you mean is ‘we sell stickers,’ which I think is better.”
Without proof or explanation, jargon is meaningless
It’s also important to back up your claims rather than rely on the convenience of generic buzzword-y descriptions like “groundbreaking.” In a highly entertaining anonymous post from The Guardian on PR jargon, the author states, “First, I doubt the product is anywhere near groundbreaking. Second, prove it.”
Saying a product is “scalable” or “robust” or “enterprise-grade” is all well and good, but companies need to back up those claims, especially when they’re being shared with journalists. It might seem cumbersome to explicitly reference a survey or report or statistic in a press release or blog post, but the reality is that if a reporter can’t find a source for your claims, you’re going to lose credibility fast.
What are your most-reviled buzzwords that you use in your industry? “Ping” me here and we can “take the conversation offline” if need be.
The local tech community will come together again next week for the annual GeekWire Summit to hear from leaders of known brands including Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks and Zillow, as well as lesser known experts who are driving change through technology.
The conference agenda, which runs Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., covers a wide range of technologies including artificial intelligence, driverless cars, cargo drones, robotics, mobile payments, innovations in cancer therapies, and the application of universal design.
Perhaps a reflection of the broader dialog taking place in the U.S., this year’s event includes stories of immigrant entrepreneurs, a Fireside Chat with Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and a panel focused on diversity and inclusion.
A crowd favorite includes the Inventions We Love, where local entrepreneurs share their latest gadgets, creations and devices. In past years this has included revolutionary bike helmet technology, home brewing solutions and internet-enabled remote pet feeders.
Tickets are still available – click here to register. If you’re going to be there, I’d welcome the opportunity to connect with you. Please reach out!
In the wake of the recent hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires devastating communities worldwide, many businesses, government agencies and nonprofits are reflecting on their crises plans. Any business, at some point, will face some sort of public relations crisis and the response can either benefit or significantly damage the brand.
Aside from natural disasters, there is a wide variety of different types of crisis situations that a business can face such as technological failures, workplace violence, confrontation (boycotts, lawsuits), malevolence and organizational misdeeds, among others. Regardless of the situation, it’s a good practice to have a plan in place in the event of an emergency. Consider the following components when developing a crisis plan:
- Anticipate crises
Work to identify potential scenarios that could occur at your organization. In some cases, you will know a crisis will occur because you’re planning to create disruption, such as a major acquisition or employee layoffs. Consider outlining scenario action plans for anticipated crises, recognizing that the plans will serve as a framework because
specific circumstances of a given event will always drive the actions taken by the company.
- Communicate
In the event of an emergency, swift, accurate and controlled communication – delivered with transparency and sensitivity during the initial hours and days following the incident – is crucial. The tone for coverage around any issue is usually set by the first few stories that break within 24 hours following an incident. Responding quickly with accurate, factual information can help manage a story in a favorable direction.
- Establish roles and responsibilities
While each situation will involve unique facts and circumstances, it is important to have a general protocol in place before such an event occurs to ensure a swift and well-managed response. Components to consider when developing a protocol include:
o Identifying the appropriate crisis response team and establish a chain of command
o Assigning a lead spokesperson/spokespeople
o Communicating clear direction for employees, who may be contacted by media, about who is authorized to comment on the situation
o Disseminating approved messages and materials to key stakeholders
o Following up with key stakeholders, including the media, as more details are confirmed
- Managing media relations
Depending on the circumstance, issuing a statement to the press may apply. This statement could take shape as a media statement for newswire distribution, a press conference, or digital publication such as website and social media channels. Regardless of the delivery mechanism, developing template talking points and media responses will ensure effective information communication.
- Establish notification and monitoring systems
It is absolutely essential, pre-crisis, to establish notification systems that will allow you to rapidly reach your stakeholders using multiple modalities. If you use more than one modality to reach your stakeholders, the chances are much greater that the message will go through.
Intelligence gathering is an essential component of both crisis prevention and crisis response.
Knowing what’s being said about you on social media, in traditional media, by your employees, customers, and other stakeholders often allows you to catch a negative “trend” that, if unchecked, turns into a crisis. Likewise, monitoring feedback from all stakeholders during a crisis situation allows you to accurately adapt your strategy and tactics.
- Aftermath and analysis
In the week(s) following the incident, the crisis planning team should reconvene to review any new details that have surfaced about the incident and determine if additional outreach may be needed. Conducting an analysis of the particular scenario, process and execution will also identify adjustments that can be made to inform future crisis response efforts.
Effective and accurate communication with the media and external audiences following a serious incident or emergency can help build media and general public confidence that the company has responded in an appropriate manner. It is imperative that organizations be prepared to respond to an emergency or other serious incident with a communications plan that can be implemented quickly to minimize potential adverse effects.
We recently had a brainstorming session here at CPR and, not only was it really fun, we generated some good ideas. Despite its popularity, however, when I started researching this blog I found that many people find brainstorming to be a frustrating and fruitless process that fails to get the team’s creative juices flowing. The more I researched, the more I realized that the reason some people find brainstorming unproductive isn’t because brainstorming itself is ineffective, it’s because the method being used is.
Scientists have been studying idea generation for decades and have found that, in terms of generating original ideas, individuals perform better. Where the group really comes into play is evaluating and building on those initial thoughts. This deviates from the traditional brainstorming layout where you get a group of people together, present a problem, generate as many ideas and solutions as possible, don’t criticize initially, and build on the ideas that others throw out.
But traditional brainstorming can lead to a bigger problem – an idea called groupthink. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that happens when a large group of people decide to follow an idea, not because it is the best idea, but because it’s the most popular and they want to fit in. This goes hand-in-hand with another phenomenon that can happen during a brainstorm – idea convergence. This is when someone shares their idea and it affects the memory of the entire group to make them look at the problem through that same lens, cutting down on outside-the-box thinking that is the fuel for a good brainstorm. These phenomena combined generally mean that the more extroverted participants in the brainstorm will shout out an idea early on that the group can’t shake, even if it isn’t the optimal solution.
Luckily, these are easy to combat by simply having each one of the participants spend time generating ideas alone before going into the brainstorm. If everyone comes to the meeting with a list of as many ideas as possible, no matter how crazy, and presents them during the brainstorm, it will allow for more ideas to be shared and avoid early idea convergence. Then the team can work to build off each original idea until they find the best option. It might seem counter-intuitive, but the best way to work together is to work alone (at least at the beginning).
There are a lot of different ways you can implement this idea of combined individual and group work. One example is the stepladder technique. The topic or problem is presented to the entire group, then everyone leaves the room except for two people. They discuss the problem and attempt to arrive at a solution. After an allotted amount of time, a third person enters the room, and shares his or her ideas on the topic before the original pair shares their ideas. This continues until each member has rejoined the discussion and presented their individual thoughts.
Another popular method is the 6-3-5 method. This has six individuals sit in a room and write down three ideas around the topic and then they pass their ideas to the right and build off the ideas passed to them. After five rounds, everyone in the group has had a chance to see each original idea and add their input, and the group then gets together to evaluate each idea.
Both of these methods will lead to better brainstorming, but there are tons of other ways to do it. It is all about finding the right method for you and your team.
Once the pesky issue of stifled creativity is out of the way, brainstorming sessions can have a lot of benefits. It allows you to collect different viewpoints, encourages critical thinking, build up your team, and it can be a lot of fun! It is a great way to break up hours of individual labor and work together in a creative environment. Combining individual and group work is the best way to ensure that your brainstorming session is both successful and effective.
If you’d like to check out some additional articles on brainstorming, here are some great options:
• Five Tips for Effective Brainstorming
• 10 Longtime Brainstorming Techniques that Still Work
• Your Team Is Brainstorming All Wrong