This article was originally published in the March 2015 edition of Public Relations Tactics, a publication of the Public Relations Society of America. See the original published article by clicking here (subscription required). On Thanksgiving evening, I watched shoppers hold their smartphones high above their heads as others jostled, pushed and complained. While someone was recording them, cashiers good-naturedly answered questions about their stress levels. They were also sympathetic with those shoppers who were frustrated that some early bargains were already sold out. Once uploaded to YouTube, people might largely ignore that content, or it could easily appear on “Good Morning America” the next day. How plausible is that? A survey of professional journalists by Arketi Group found that 91 percent of journalists say they use the Web to search for news sources and story ideas, and 34 percent admit to …
Remembering JFK's Masterful Dealings with the Media On this 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy, there will inevitably be a lot of reflection as well as a fair amount of curiosity. I suspect that those under 35 years old were more influenced by the Oliver Stone movie than by family stories and recollections, as I was. Having grown up in the late 60s and 70s in a politically active house full of democrats in western Connecticut, I remember stories about my mom having a chance to shake JFK's hand as well as discussions about JFK's uncanny ability to manage the media and his public image. We had the Vaughn Meader album, "The First Family," which lampooned JFK's press dealings and my older brother had it memorized. Of course, at the time, President Kennedy's uncanny ability was seen in stark contrast …
Social Technologies Will Not Change What PR Can Accomplish or How It Can Be Measured We recently marked our 10th year as an agency and, personally, this is my 20th year in the public relations trenches. Over that time this profession has radically changed, but the basics -- what we can accomplish and how it can be measured have not changed. When I started at Ketchum, we had a single computer that had access to the Internet. Until Netscape software began circulating, the only way to connect to the Net was via AOL or Prodigy. I had a Prodigy account from my days as a journalist and we sometimes logged on using that -- and the office had a single AOL account to share as well. There were about 50 people in the office. Aside from that one connected computer, …
Lessons from Our First Decade Training America's Spokespersons During our first 10 years, DPK Public Relations has been honored to train more than 1,000 spokespersons for organizations throughout Texas and across the United States. We have conducted training in top secret military installations and highly volatile chemical facilities. We have conducted one-on-one training for individuals shortly before major media opportunities and for large groups that were unlikely to ever be interviewed -- but who rightly embraced the training 'just in case.' Through it all, one thing has remained true: how you deliver information is just as important as what you say -- and research suggests how information is delivered can easily amplify the power of the information, or it can suck all the power out of it. The goal is to project confidence and positivity to reinforce that you are …
As I watched Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s news conference this afternoon, I was reminded of a story that I often use as an anecdote in media training sessions. Since Mr. Bernanke is winding down his time with the Fed, I wanted to revisit the subject that I originally discussed in the article, "Media Training Fundamental: Reporters Are Always Working." The key point of the upcoming story is that journalists never turn off their nose for news. There is no 'drink in hand' rule that states a journalist who is relaxing isn't also subtly gathering information. A journalist is never idle. They are always curious. Sniffing out interesting information is what they do and who they are. They don’t punch a clock and turn it off. Ever. So when an executive encounters a journalist, that executive should similarly always be in …
DPK Public Relations is proud to work closely with Lockheed Martin in support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in recent years and we enjoy spreading the word about the jaw dropping capabilities of the plane, which is being built in Fort Worth, Texas. We have helped people throughout the organization -- including test pilots, business development executives and manufacturing leaders -- prepare for all types of interactions. While the program has faced some scrutiny, the feedback from the most important community -- the pilots -- has been universally enthusiastic. This terrific first-person account from British Squadron Leader Frankie Buckler is a great example of why it benefits organizations to have people who can communicate complex information in ways that are easy to understand ready at all times to speak. Con Coughlin, The Telegraph's defense editor, accompanied a …
We recently returned from conducting a couple days of Media Interview Skills Training on the West Coast for one of our aerospace clients and wanted to share some insights that were discussed. One thing we've noticed during the past couple years is a tendency particularly among younger women to inflect up at the end of their sentences. They say powerful things but end them on the upswing. It makes every sentence sound like a question. It saps them of credibility and authority, making them appear eternally uncertain. I love meaningful voice inflection. As a young broadcaster, I loved watching Bill Kurtis on the local CBS affiliate in Chicago. He was a master of using pacing and inflection to build drama and pull a viewer into a story. But if your inflection goes up? At the end of every phrase? It …
Holidays offer great opportunities for your organization to work with the media to get your messages out. First, the news business doesn't rest on a holiday. It might be a sleepy, peaceful day, but that news hole still needs to be filled. That's why there are certain holiday stories that were being done the day I was born and I suspect will be done until the day I die, such as the New Year's resolution story, the Memorial Day boating safety story, the July 4th fireworks safety story and (as illustrated in the video below) the Labor Day story about the American workplace. If you can find a good angle related to the holiday, you have a good shot of attracting attention. Second, nobody else is pitching stories. Your competitors are all enjoying the holiday! Every major holiday we have …
Note: This article was published in the April 2011 issue of Public Relations Tactics. It is posted here with permission. Assessing the impact of social technologies on the winter uprisings is complicated. In the midst of the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain and other Middle Eastern autocracies, pundits attributed the spreading demands for democracy to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. This seriously over-simplified the highly complex web of economic, cultural and political factors that contributed to the demands for change. Revolutionaries are using text messages, blogs and social networks to communicate and collaborate with each other and the rest of the world. However, social technologies weren’t necessary for the U.S. Civil Rights movement, the People Power Revolution in the Philippines or the fall of the Iron Curtain. It is tempting to suggest that social technologies are causing revolutionary change, but that …
I just completed two days of presentation skills training with a large government agency and wanted to briefly share some thoughts about body language and nonverbal communications that came up repeatedly. First, it is essential that presenters think about and prepare for what they want to do with their body during a presentation. We tend to spend most of our time planning for WHAT we are going to say, but completely neglect HOW we are going to say it. The way you stand, your facial expression, your ability to make eye contact and what you do with your hands can each amplify or distract from the potential impact of your presentation. The way you stand. The most powerful way to stand is feet about should width apart, shoulders square and hands at your sides. Try standing that way. Do you …