There are no happy accidents. Just ugly surprises if unprepared. We all start with a clean sheet. But it fills up fast. Putting aside the advantages of birth and wealth that some…
Tag: tone (page 2)
“Plastics”
In battles for the heart and soul, the target is emotional, not rational. “I just want to say one word to you — just one word: ‘Plastics.’” ~ Friend of…
The Very High Cost of Being Unprepared
A crisis is no time for wondering what to do. Every organization is vulnerable to PR crises at any moment. Government investigation. Nasty litigation. Financial turmoil. Sudden management change. Data breach. Product…
Speed & Accuracy
The world isn’t going to get slower. So Crisis PR needs to get even faster. There are few, if any, better training grounds for journalists and Crisis PR people than The Associated…
Just a Little Bit Pregnant
Hubris has a very high cost. The higher people are in business or social circles, the more they believe they can get away with it. It’s hubris, writ large. When Scott London,…
No Wasted Words
Choose your words wisely and make each count. In a recent interview, a popular nonfiction author was asked if his daily output of polished writing was 1,000 words — a respectable number.…
Fashion & Style
Fashion is seasonal. Style is forever. The same is true for high-stakes Crisis PR. There’s a saying in the high-end rag trade: “Fashion is seasonal. Style is forever.” The same applies…
Lies, Damned Lies & Reputation Management
Lying can be worse than the original sin. A colleague was fond of using a one-liner with senior management at his corporation, “I need to know what the facts are, so I…
Memory Fades. The Internet Is Forever.
The Internet knows what you did last summer….or for the past decade (and in great detail) for that matter. Truth is an early casualty in any dispute. Presidential campaigns are the worst.…
There are no such things as magical unicorns…or PR do-overs
Too bad these don’t exist in real life…In PR, there are no do overs. Journalists are a lot of things. Forgiving isn’t one of them. (I know, because I was one.) If…