Pressing our buttons

How manipulative communication techniques can harm society and our mental well-being. In the same way that “we are what we eat”, I wonder if as a society, we are “what we consume” from an information point of view. Here are my thoughts on ethical considerations for communicators.

From time to time, I find myself getting angered or irritated by something or other that I read on social media or sometimes even on the mainstream TV news.

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Why you should think about deleting the dissenters if you really want to engage with your fans

Some think social media has become a slightly toxic place to hang out. But I don’t think it needs to be, if only brands, celebs and politicians would start to manage their accounts properly. Here is my six-step plan to dealing with negative comments and trolls.

Social media, when it was launched, was a brilliant tool for democratising communication. It gave everyone a voice and made everyone a publisher. Unfortunately somewhere along the road, something went a bit wrong.

However, I think there are things that brands, organisations, causes, celebrities, politicians could do to make social media more enjoyable again for all of us.

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When you don’t know…. communicate uncertainty

If you don’t say something, then people will start to fill in the gaps themselves. Stay in control of your story by learning to communicate uncertainty when there’s nothing to say yet.

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Stay Alert, Control the Virus, Save Lives: dissecting the new UK Coronavirus messaging

After watching the UK Prime Minister’s address, here’s my analysis of the new three-point messaging and my recommendations on what you should be saying to employees this week

Just finished watching the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson address the nation tonight in what appeared to be a prerecorded address. Since I said on LinkedIn that I felt a blog post coming on, here it is…

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PR, Marketing & Communications: Boom-time extravagance? Or survival essential?

When things get difficult in business, owners usually look for ways to cut costs. PR, Marketing and Comms might appear to be likely candidates for the chop, but I think cost-slashers should start elsewhere if they value business survival.

When things get difficult for businesses and income takes a nose-dive, business owners usually look for ways to cut costs. They will often start with the fixed-cost overheads in head office.

PR, Marketing and Communications (especially Internal Communications) are sometimes seen as non-essentials that can be dispensed with in an emergency or financial squeeze. You will not be surprised to learn that as someone who works in this field I have an interest in proving to you that cost-cutters should look elsewhere if they value the survival of their business.

So if you are a CEO or business owner, here is why I think you should hold onto these functions and why I think your ability to ride out the storm depends on it:

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