Conferences are microcosms of human society. They are opportunities to observe people of all ages interacting, performing, charming and arguing. Everyone is a little nervous before they arrive and then they reveal themselves in the few appointed days of concentrated interaction. Conferences are a great way of focusing and honing your communication skills and your …
Monthly Archives: February 2014
A Lesson for PR pros in Robert Redford’s “All is Lost”
It’s unusual that film makes you think about public relations strategy, but Robert Redford’s All is Lost recently did this for me. I happened upon it accidentally, while perusing the new rentals on iTunes. Redford’s performance is masterful: an epic battle of a man against the elements, alone on his damaged keelboat, adrift after a freak …
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@McMasterMCM Winter Residency – A great success!
Last thursday, the Winter Residency of the @McMasterMCM program – a resounding success. We had a record number of 42 students registered across years 1 and 2 of the program. Our students came from all over Canada: every province except New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI. We also had students from Mexico and Oman! We …
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McMasterMCM’s photostream
McMasterMCM’s photostream on Flickr.
MCM Winter Residency 2014: Strategic reputation management through research
This week, I have the pleasure of hosting the McMaster-Syracuse MCM Winter Residency 2014. Both the first year and the second year cohorts are here. Here’s what they will be taking: First Year MCM (2nd Term of Program): COMM MGMT 722 Managerial Finance COMM MGMT 712 Public Relations and Communications Research Second Year MCM (5th …
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Strategy is a very human thing.
When we say “thinking strategically” we often seem to mean thinking managerially. We confuse strategy with good planning. However, planning really is a question of organizing your tactics in a logical and efficient way. Strategy goes beyond planning and setting measurable goals and objectives – it means being able to imagine how your organization or …
Law vs PR: is there an arena or a court of public opinion
I have been thinking about what it means to manage a reputation or deploy a communications strategy. So often, public relations professionals will start with a strategic vision for a brand, public figure or idea and then quickly be pulled into the vortex of tactical responses as context and circumstances overwhelm strategy. Why does this …
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Startups need strategic public relations
Building and managing relationships strategically is at the core of a business startup. When you have an idea for a new product or service, the first thing you do is build the relationships you need to nurture the idea. You find people you trust: mentors, partners, financiers, potential founding clients, gauging carefully whether they will …
The generosity of those who have little
I have recently had occasion to witness how those who have little can give almost everything to others. I was attending a board meeting recently, where we were fed gourmet pizza, given that the meeting happened over the dinner hour. This privilege seemed normal – a proper compensation. After all, we were giving up our …