About fifteen years ago, I noticed that “nonprofit topics” almost always meant topics specific to nonprofits. I believed this was a misnomer and here’s why. Back then, nonprofit topics usually referred to: Public policy Boards of Directors Strategic planning Programs Fundraising Volunteers Back then, it struck me — as it does now — that there …

“Playing with the media is a game you can’t afford to lose. At worst, your reputation’s at stake. At best, you forfeit a chance to build important relationships which can benefit you, your firm, and your clients. Reporters may make the rules, but media training helps you learn to play the game to your advantage.” …

Too often, when Board members struggle with attendance, participation, or decision-making, they simplistically resort to a Board training session or undertake team building and training to address their problems. Those techniques seldom work to address those problems. Why Board Training Alone Seldom Restores Boards It is not uncommon that Board members want a “quick fix” to …

Effective communication is essential during times of crisis to reduce the negative effects on people, organizations, and communities. However, without sufficient preparation and execution, even the best-intentioned communication attempts might fail. Here are five more pieces of advice on how to avoid crisis communication mistakes in this response, which can help people and organizations deal …

With 15 years in public relations, occasionally it helps to stop and ask, “Why did I get into this profession?” Before answering that, a bit of pre-PR background. I was on the other side of the desk in the world of journalism before making a career change. Specifically, pop culture — music, comedy, the occasional …

Welcome to Crisis Management in the 21st Century and to Internet: The Ultimate Medium. A cross between tabloid journalism and a gladiator competition, between Pollyanna and Pandora, where minds meet and merge, clash and clamor, and where you can get more of anything you want than was EVER available at Alice’s Restaurant. The Internet has …

My clients, and my kids, have been told that there are four ways that they can be perceived as lying: Dishonesty by commission — literally saying black is white. Dishonesty by omission — leaving important information out of your communications. Dishonesty by understatement for the purpose of obfuscating the truth. Dishonesty by overstatement for the …

In many companies HR does not occupy a seat at the strategic planning table. Who's to blame?

A post will be published twice a week, most likely Tuesdays and Fridays. Each of the bulleted items below is a topic of a post. The posts are organized into major sections and subsections. For example, the post “Major Types of Consultants” is in the subsection “About Consulting,” which is in the section “Foundations of …

Public Relations means different things to different people. While this blog is titled Public Relations/Media Relations, media relations is really a subset under the wide umbrella of PR. But it’s often the most critical piece of the process. This blog will work at understanding big picture PR/Media Relations issues and the “small stuff.” It’s designed …