It was both the weirdest and most challenging presentation to prepare for. After years of preparing my presentations for PRSA, this particular presentation for PRSA ICON2020 has adapted and evolved in a number of ways due to the smoldering COVID-19 crisis. What I can promise to you crisis communications and public relations professionals, is valuable […]
Twas the Night Before Christmas With Edits
By Gerard Braud The poem, Twas the Night Before Christmas, is only 56 lines long. As writing goes, it’s pretty perfect. But we all know there are people where you work, who feel compelled to make edits, no matter how perfect your writing is. Maybe it’s the CEO or CFO, or an engineer, IT guy, […]
3 Traps Public Relations Folks Fall Into
1) Too many people in public relations fail to ask for help when they need it. There are many sources for expert help and advice. There are great professional organizations like the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRA), and the Southern Public Relations Association (SPRF). Many […]
What’s the best piece of public relations advice you were ever given? Sharing follower’s answers
You may have been educated for years on public relations strategies, attending presentations, sitting in classrooms, joining professional PR associations like PRSA or PRSSA, hearing from advisors, professors, instructors, and professional speakers. Maybe you have heard some expert tips from your colleagues, or an influential boss. Maybe you have had some excellent public relations professionals or consultants help you […]
What is your best tip for writing great quotes for news releases?
By Gerard Braud – Each week we seek your best public relations practices on the BraudCast. Your discussion question this week is, “What is your best tip for writing great quotes for news releases?” As a corporate writer or public relations professional, capturing the attention of your audience and writing effective news releases is not an easy […]
BraudCast Answer: When should your CEO be your spokesperson?
By Gerard Braud – Public relations professionals and corporate communications managers have weighed in across the globe to answer the question, “When should your CEO be your spokesperson?” Listen to the video to hear their responses as well as my professional recommendations then share your thoughts. This question is one of a series of debates […]
Brian Williams Suspended: Layers of a Media Crisis for NBC & Williams
By Gerard Braud — Leave it to Jon Stewart to once again be the expert voice of reason in modern media. He clearly points out in this crisis that there is the “Brian Williams Anchorman” persona, and as I pointed out previously, the “Brian Williams Storyteller” persona at public events where he appears as a […]
Selecting the Right Spokesperson: Should it be Multiple People?
Who should be your media spokesperson? In this series of blogs, we have reviewed the argument for the CEO serving as the spokesperson and the PR person serving as the media spokesperson. Consider option 3: Should a Variety of People Should Serve as Your Media Spokespeople? A subject matter expert, with proper media training, can be […]
How to Select the Right Spokesperson? Should it be the PR person?
Who should be your media spokesperson in a crisis? In a recent blog, we reviewed Argument #1: The CEO Should Always Be the Spokesperson. Now we can review Argument #2: When Should the PR Person Be the Spokesperson? The public relations person is an excellent choice as a spokesperson in the first hour of the crisis when […]
Super Bowl Media Interviews: How to Manipulate What a Reporter Writes
How often do you do a media interview with the intended goal of having a specific quote used by the media? It is one of my intended goals for every media spokesperson in every media training class I teach, and here’s why… Every reporter writes their story around your quote. And guess what? You can […]
Did New York City Overreact? A Crisis Communications Case Study
Yesterday’s crisis communications blog regarding the winter storm Juno and the #Blizzardof2015 promoted the idea of managing the expectations of those who will be affected by a crisis. Today, some critics are saying New York City overreacted. Two observations: 1) The people who complain about “overreacting” are idiots. These would be the same people who […]
The Fog of Decision Paralysis: A Lesson in Crisis Behavior
You should know it is fog season in New Orleans. With fog season comes some significant lessons about human behavior in a crisis. Dive in with me, if you will, on an incredibly foggy morning. We are crossing a 12 mile long bridge over Lake Pontchartrain from Mandeville, Louisiana to New Orleans. We’re on this […]
Public Relations Help for the Asking
Today’s public relations epiphany is that too many people in public relations fail to ask for help when they need it. There are many sources for expert help and advice. There are great professional organizations like the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the Canadian Public Relations Society […]
A PR Epiphany About Your Value As a Public Relations Expert
Did you find your moment of public relations epiphany following yesterday’s blog and BraudCast video? I’d love for you to write me at gerard@braudcommunications.com and tell me what it is. In addition to yesterday’s epiphany, there are several others I’d like to share with you as we all work together as communications professionals seeking to achieve effective […]
What is Your Public Relations & Personal Epiphany?
I’d like you to stop for a moment as you plan for the New Year and your public relations goals. Reflect if you will, on the year that just ended, as well as the years before. Today is the Day of Epiphany, and I’d like to challenge you to identify moments of epiphany in […]
Media Training 29: Conclusion
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com We began this 29 lesson discussion with the admonition, “Don’t talk to the media.” The original admonition was that you speak through the media to your audience and the media’s audience. But as we conclude, let me take this thought a bit further. We’ve poured out for you 29 lessons of […]
Media Training 28: Speaking Off the Record
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Never agree to speak off the record. This lesson really could end with just that phrase: Never speak off the record. Speaking off the record has been taboo among the wisest media trainers and public relations sages for decades, but rarely do I teach a media training class in which I don’t […]
Media Training 13: The Vote of Confidence or No Confidence
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com In lesson 11 we discussed the fact that when there is an industrial accident and a spokesperson does not appear in a timely manner, reporters often go looking for facts and quotes from other people, such as the ones with no teeth who live in trailers. Something else happens, which also […]
Media Training 7: Never get in a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com I find it unbelievable that in the 21st century we still find executives who don’t want to take on a reporter or news outlet that has wrongly damaged their reputation. The traditional way of responding to a media outlet that makes a factual error is to ask the management for a retraction. But […]
Media Training 4: They Took Me Out of Context and They Left My Best Stuff on the Cutting Room Floor
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com The 2 single biggest complaints I have heard from executives over the years, after they have done an interview, is that “the reporter took me out of context” or that “the reporter left my best stuff on the cutting room floor.” (If you are young, the cutting room is where film […]
The Doctor of Crisis Communications
If you were a smoker and your doctor told you to stop or you would die of cancer, would you stop? If you had diabetes and your doctor told you to change your diet so you don’t die, would you change? Amazingly, there are people every day who ignore the advice of an expert and […]
Ebola Crisis Communications Plan Question: Would an Expert Approve My Plan?
An expert would ask you these questions: 1. Count the pages of your crisis communications plan. If it is 6-10 pages long, it is likely only a list of standard operating procedures and not a true plan. Most organizations have been lead to believe this is a plan. My description is that this is little […]
5 Ebola Crisis Communications Considerations
By Gerard Braud Your personality type may decide the fate of your crisis communication response if the Ebola crisis touches your company (or the company for your work for.) On one extreme is the personality that says, “It’s too soon. Maybe we should watch it and wait and see.” On the other extreme are those […]
Key Messages That Convey What’s In It For Your Audience: Apple iPhone 6
By Gerard Braud As I watch the Apple iPhone 6 roll out, I’m hearing lots of technical stuff. That’s great if you are a techno geek who cares about screen size, pixels and data points. But what does the new iPhone 6 do to make my life better? As a consumer where is the “What’s […]
3 Ways to Refocus for Fall and Beyond: Better Public Relations After Summer’s Distractions
By Gerard Braud Is “work – life” balance possible for people in public relations? Experience tells me many public relations professionals get stressed trying to complete job tasks while also balancing their family or personal life, especially this time of year. Look at your life today, for example. The kids are back in school. The […]
3 Secrets to Undervaluing a Crisis Communication Plan
By Gerard Braud Your expert crisis communication and public relations feedback is invited on this crisis communications case study. A global company called to inquire about my crisis communication plan program and training. Their corporate revenues are $2 billion dollars annually. The company stock trades at about $66 per share. It has about 8,000 employees […]
Who Should Be Your Spokesperson in a Crisis?
By Gerard Braud In media training and crisis communications training, there are many debates about who should be your spokesperson in a crisis. Here are three common arguments and what you should consider. Argument 1: The CEO Should Always Be the Spokesperson A CEO who wants to be the only spokesperson is destined for failure. […]
Re-Think Your Writing: Three Ways to Make Your Words Resonate With Your Audiences
By Gerard Braud Few people read to the end of an article. I have little confidence that you will read to the end of this article, even though the final thought may change your life and career. Every reader makes several judgments throughout each article as to whether they should move on or read on. […]
3 Symptoms of Emergency News Release Syndrome and 3 Ways to Deal With Them
By Gerard Braud Our last article focused on the need for public relations experts to be more strategic as they accomplish tactical tasks. You were reminded that the articles you write must result in behavior change. Your Tweets, Facebook posts and videos must also result in change such as better employee productivity, more sales, or […]
The Death of PR Perseverance (F-bombs included)
By Gerard Braud Five public relations veterans, pontificating and dropping F-bombs over cocktails recently at the PRSA conference, concluded the biggest problem in PR today is the lack of perseverance by those in the media relations, public relations and the communication professions. Is this true or not true for you? Read on… I’ll describe the […]
Lesson 11: Test Your Security Team During Your Crisis Communications Drill
By Gerard Braud While working with crisis communications clients, I provide a “first critical statement” template. This template is intended to be read to the media, emailed to employees, and posted to the web in the first hour of a crisis when little is known about the emerging crisis. Some companies that operate facilities that […]
Lesson 10: Mock Media in Your Face at Your Crisis Communication Drill: Six Great Tips
By Gerard Braud A real crisis is a pressure cooker and your crisis communications drill should replicate that. The pressure causes the media to be intense and often abrupt. The media may appear hostile. You will see similarities between media and sharks that sense blood in the water. Your crisis communications drill must duplicate that. […]
Free Teleseminar May 10-14 with Gerard Braud
If you have to talk to the media or train people who have to talk to the media, here is a free teleseminar opportunity for you. May 10-14, a group of All-Star A-Lists hosts will be interviewing author Gerard Braud (Jared Bro) about his new book, Don’t Talk to the Media: 29 Secrets You Need […]
Media Training, Whole Foods, Health Care Reform & Cow Poop
The most fundamental rule of media training that I discuss with every executive is this: “If you could attach a dollar to every word that comes out of your mouth, would you make money or lose money?” That brings us to Whole Foods and the much publicized letter to the editor in the Wall Street […]
Crisis Communications, Michael Jackson & Your Executives
I’ve been wanting to share these thoughts with you since the story first broke about the death of Michael Jackson, but I thought some may consider it insensitive or overtly opportunistic too close to his death. But now that some time has passed, let’s examine what we, as communicators, can learn from the death of […]
Lesson 29: Conclusion
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com We began this 29 lesson discussion with the admonition, “Don’t talk to the media.” The original admonition was that you speak through the media to your audience and the media’s audience. But as we conclude, let me take this thought a bit further. We’ve poured out for you 29 lessons of […]
Lesson 28: Speaking Off the Record
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Never agree to speak off the record. This lesson really could end with just that phrase: Never speak off the record. Speaking off the record has been taboo among the wisest media trainers and public relations sages for decades, but rarely do I teach a media training class in which […]
Lesson 27: Body Language
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com What you don’t say is often as important or more important than what you do say, when you are talking to a reporter. How you stand, how you act, how you fidget, how you move, how you stutter, how you sit, and where you look, all says a lot about you. […]
Lesson 26: Looks are Important
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Looks are important. With just three lessons left to go, I would be remiss not to cover some important basics, such as how to dress for a news conference. Dress for men has always been easier than dress for women in the world of media. That’s because men’s fashions tend to […]
Lesson 24: Death by News Conference
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Many reporters fear what I often call “death by news conference.” In lesson 17 we discussed the concept of committing news as a premeditated act. Reporters hate to cover news conferences for two main reasons. The first reason is because usually there are way too many spokespeople saying little if anything […]
Lesson 23: Selecting the Right Spokesperson
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Picking the right spokesperson really depends upon the situation. Many organizations tend to have two extremes in selecting spokespeople. Some organizations always send out their top PR person while other organizations insist that only the CEO speak. I endorse neither of these approaches as perfect and will suggest that sometimes the […]
Lesson 22: The Power of Passion
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Few things are as underestimated in a media interview as the passion a spokesperson conveys. In lesson #8 we talked about why the facts don’t matter and how to create great quotes. If you learn to combine great quotes with passion you not only insure your quote gets used in a […]
Lesson 21: The Secret to Handling Negative Questions
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Most questions from most reporters are negative. News in general tends to be negative because it is usually about serious change or a disaster. I wish news wasn’t negative, but I spent 15 years in the business trying to change that and couldn’t. Then I’ve spent every year since 1994 trying […]
Lesson 20: The Secret to Internalizing Key Messages
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com In the early stages of media training, many students are skeptical about the concept of key messages. Accepting key messages and using key messages effectively takes time and practice. As I mentioned in lesson 15, in most media training classes I first conduct a baseline interview, then I introduce the concept […]
Lesson 19: Preparing for a Desk Side Visit
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com If you are a big organization, occasionally a reporter from a major media outlet will call and ask for permission to do a “desk side visit.” Be careful. These can be deadly. A desk side visit is when a reporter wants to come by the office, not to write a particular […]
Lesson 18: Practicing for the Big Negative News Story
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com So far we’ve discussed what an ordinary media training program includes and we’ve discussed the need to practice before every interview. But if you are being interviewed about a negative issue by an investigative reporter or a major publication or network news magazine, you need more than your average media training […]
Lesson 17: What Makes the Media Say Wow! – Commit News
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com As a reporter, I generally hated going to a news conference or a media event that was about good news. It’s not that I’m opposed to covering good news, it’s just that generally the spokespeople were poorly prepared and the organizers were completely oblivious of the wants, needs and desires of […]
Lesson 16: Practice, even if you only have 5 minutes
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com In our last lesson we talked about how to structure a media training class and how I always tell the executives I train that they must practice before every interview, even if they only have 5 minutes. I’d like to expand on that and explain why this is so important. I […]
Lesson 15: How to Structure Media Training
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com One of the most difficult challenges I have in my job as a media trainer is to get executives to carve out time in their schedule for training. As mentioned in lesson 2, some don’t see the financial benefit. An even greater percentage are afraid of what ever embarrassment they may […]
Lessons 14: Reporters Like to Speculate
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com What’s the worst that could happen? How much worse could it get? But what if… ? Oh, those great “what if” questions. Reporters love the what if question. Why? Well, reporters lover a great story and sometimes the story doesn’t materialize the way they hoped it would. Remember all the lessons […]
Lesson 13: The Vote of Confidence or No Confidence
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com In lesson 11 we discussed the fact that when there is an industrial accident and a spokesperson does not appear in a timely manner, reporters often go looking for facts and quotes from other people, such as the ones with no teeth who live in trailers. Something else happens, which also […]
Lesson 12: Passing the Cynic Test
By Gerard Braud (sign up for the free audio version of this program at gerard@braudcommunications.com) Reporters are among the biggest cynics in the world. They doubt everything you tell them and you have to prove everything to them. This is especially true if you are trying to promote a good news story. I have found […]
Lesson 11: Why do they interview people with no teeth who live in a trailer (with all due respect to trailer dwellers)
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com Let’s be respectful here and realize that many poor people don’t have either dental insurance or the ability to pay out of pocket for dental care. And let’s realize that while hoping to someday fulfill the dream of home ownership, many people live in an affordable alternative – a mobile home. […]
Lesson 10: What Does That Mean?
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com The question I ask most often these days is, “What does that mean?” I’m relatively well educated. I’m well read. I travel the world constantly teaching media relations and crisis communications. But what bugs the ever living daylights out of me is hearing people speak in mumble jumble that they think […]
Lesson 9: The Myth about 3 Key Messages
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com So in the last lesson, we talked about not letting facts get in the way of a good story. The secret is to keep it simple. When you go through media training (which I enjoy teaching more than anything in the world and I would still do every day even if […]
Lesson 8: The Facts Don’t Matter
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com One day, as a joke in the newsroom, I uttered the phrase, “don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.” We all laughed. A colleague was pushing for a story to make the evening news, but there were lots of holes in the story and I (who […]
Lesson 7: Never get in a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com I find it unbelievable that in the 21st century we still find executives who don’t want to take on a reporter or news outlet that has wrongly damaged their reputation. The traditional way of responding to a media outlet that makes a factual error is to ask the management for a […]
Lesson 6: I Wonder What the Next Question Will Be?
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com I want you to think for a moment about the last interview you did with a reporter. The reporter asks you a question then you start talking. Think very carefully now – what were you wondering the entire time you were answering the question? In most cases, my media training students […]
Lesson 5: The Media is Biased
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com There is much debate about whether the media are biased; especially whether there is a liberal bias. If you truly want to explore that subject, I suggest you read the book Bias by Bernard Goldberg. It has been my experience over the years that much of what is perceived as bias […]
Lesson 4: They Took Me Out of Context and They Left My Best Stuff on the Cutting Room Floor
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com The 2 single biggest complaints I have heard from executives over the years, after they have done an interview, is that “the reporter took me out of context” or that “the reporter left my best stuff on the cutting room floor.” (If you are young, the cutting room is where film […]
Lesson 3: It’s About Me
By Gerard Braud www.braudcommunications.com My wife often reminds me that it’s “not about me.” But she forgets that I come from a 15 year career as a journalist, where everything was about me. Everyday it was my story; my interviews; my scoop. Reporters have big egos. Accept it. You can’t change it so don’t even […]
Spring, Fox News and Panyhose
There are blizzards, floods and tornadoes in the news — all signs of a changing season. But you can never tell what season it is based on how Megan Kelly of Fox News dresses. How you dress when being interviewed on TV is important. News anchors are becoming bad role modes as we hear in […]
Gerard’s Day 1 Tip for 2009 – Dealing with the crisis
Welcome to the New Year. Generally, the New Year is a time of great optimism, but heading into 2009 there is a lot of uncertainty. It’s going to be especially challenging for a lot of people in public relations, so I’ve put together this short 5 part series to provide some guidance to communications professionals […]