The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Trust me when I tell you that Generation Z matters. Especially if you’re a parent of teens, you want to figure out how their brains are working. If you own or run a business, they matter because you’re going to need to learn how to get them motivated and engaged in your product or service. Today’s guest on the podcast is the author of InstaBrain: The New Rules for Marketing to Generation Z , Sarah...

If you’re like most of us, any communication you do through the written word is via the keyboard - either on your phone or at your computer. It’s no wonder that when it’s time to sit down and put pen to paper, the outcome can sometimes look more like a ransom letter than a thank you note. Handwriting doesn’t come easy to us anymore, but it’s still very important. Some benefits of writing things do...

It’s official. Harry and Meghan have left the royal family to become financially independent.  They can now "Chip and Joanna Gaines" their way into brand royalty, à la the likes of former presidential couples Barack and Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton. And of course, the Broadcast Queen herself - Oprah. Trust me; there is a lot of money to be made off of their new role as roy...

This week I’m sharing my 7 deadly sins of grammar. These are some of the mistakes you might be unknowingly making in your writing that’s causing you to lose credibility - especially online. The goal of this episode is to give you more confidence in your writing. It is, after all, one of your most valuable currencies for intelligence. Proper grammar makes for good business, helps you command respec...

Many businesses have a crisis on their hands. It's not the threat of a devastating event that should have them worried. It's the lack of planning for when it does.  In this episode of the podcast, I’m speaking with Robert Burton. Rob is the Managing Director of PreparedEx, where he leads a team of crisis experts who prepare organizations to be more resilient to the myriad risks they face...

A New Year’s Eve episode airing on the cusp of 2020 dedicated to listeners who want to make a transition in 2020. For many, this is the time of year that people seek change and crave renewal. Who better to guide us through that process than a life coach?   My guest is Steve Piacente. Steve is a former colleague of mine - we worked together as executive communication coaches - who has a great deal...

We mean to write them, but we don’t always get around to it even though we know we should. It’s the "always love to receive one, but dread writing one" thank you note. Listen to this episode for tips on how to write an unforgettable thank you note. I've timed this episode around the holidays to offer a gentle push for completing a task that many people tend to overlook. Best tip: If...

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me A PR crisis, or one or two or three. In this (almost) end-of-the-year episode, I wrap-up the PR season by covering the best (or worst?) PR crises of 2019. It's my holiday gift to myself and to anyone else who has a passion for practicing public relations. My definition of a PR crisis? A public reaction from an event that causes a brand or...

Merry, Merry!  Let's get into the festive spirit and talk about conversation etiquette at holiday parties. You might remember my guest, public speaking expert Lauren Sergy from her appearance on Episode 55, Executive Presence: What It Looks Like, Why You Need It and How to Get It. If you have some parties coming up soon, you’ll definitely want to listen to this one. Lauren is from our neighbo...

Ho ho ho ! You are listening to this special bonus holiday episode as a gift for being a loyal subscriber to the Confident Communications Podcast. Think of it as my holiday card to you as a thank you for listening. Speaking of holiday cards, this episode offers some things to consider when it comes to sending out professional holiday cards. Not sure if you should send them in the first place? I’ll...

According to this week's guest, a company owns its brand; the public owns its reputation. Crisis communications expert Bill Coletti reveals how to build reputational excellence by meeting the needs and expectations of the public.  We discuss his various strategies for companies to work their way through a crisis. Bonus -- Bill offers a phenomenal crisis preparation tip you can put into place...

It’s Thanksgiving week in the United States; a time of year when a lot of people plan to travel through airports on their way to visit family and friends for the holiday. This is the episode to help you, and everyone around you, travel with ease in the air.  Everyone holiday, you can almost bet on someone picking up their phone to snap a photo or film a video of not-so-good behavior on the plane....

Can you believe it’s been a full year since we launched the Confident Communications Podcast? Well, here we are! One year later and one year wiser. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting at Pat Flynn’s Power-Up Podcasting boot camp ( Pat was also a guest on this podcast in episode 40 ) which played a major role in helping me get this podcast out into the world. I wanted to celebrate this year...

Executive Presence is a term you may hear a lot, but do you know what it means? Simply put, having it means you own a room the second you stand in front of it. It's a mix of confidence and savvy communications that inspire your peers, subordinates and leaders. Lauren Sergy, an expert on all things communications, walks us through the steps for building your executive presence in the workplace...

As a business leader, employee or owner, you have the opportunity to interact with many people from all walks of life and places. Just as important as why you interact with people, is that you’re able to greet them appropriately so you get off on the right foot. But greeting etiquette depends on so many factors, aside from culture--how you know the person and who is hosting the meeting also plays...

Someone at your organization was accused of sexual harassment. Perhaps the harassment was in the form of an inappropriate remark, behavior, incident or outburst.  You work in leadership and have to respond. Or you may even be that person accused of harassment.  Now what?  This episode looks at recent news stories of how organizations dealt with a sexual harassment issue when it became public.  Dis...

It's October, and all four major professional U.S. sports leagues are in full swing, making it the busiest sports month of the year. The sports industry is a very profitable one as well, which means there is a lot to learn about it from a business point of view.    My guest today is Emmy-award winning supervising producer Stu Kirshenbaum, who worked over 20 years in network sports television...

This month is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. A perfect time to remind people that we live in a world increasingly reliant on technology, which makes us all vulnerable to cyberattacks.  This week's guest helps companies prepare for the days they hope will never happen -- a cyberattack. Mark Hoffman discusses how phishing attacks occur and why organizations need cybersecurity plans. Mentioned i...

Matt Lauer is having is a very bad week. This week, former MSNBC correspondent journalist Ronan Farrow released his book, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators . The book highlights the claims of sexual misconduct claims against the former host of The Today Show and how his employer, NBC News, handled the fallout. This special edition of the podcast looks at the PR eff...

We live in the time of the internet, where information travels at the speed of your WiFi connection or data plan. That’s just one reason communication is so important--because communication online isn’t anonymous and anything you post (or say, tweet, etc.) can and will be used against you. This week on the Confident Communications Podcast, I’m speaking with Diana Peterson-More, who has worn many h...

No business or individual is immune to online attacks. If you want to be visible and a leader, it’s bound to happen. Groups of unsatisfied customers taking to Facebook to build a community to rise against you--warranted or not. What you need is an action plan so you can quickly respond to these online attacks professionally and appropriately. But unfortunately, too many business owners and leaders...

Sorry, but here we go again.  Poor judgment turns up online, and someone now needs to apologize.  School photos of a high-profile politician wearing blackface surface online before an election and the masses call for a resignation.   A cast member on a popular television program is hired, then quickly fired for comments made on a podcast. Why do some people survive the PR crisis while others peris...

Leaders in business juggle communication challenges from all angles--their teams, the media and even their families. On the plus side, if we’re open and communicating, we’re able to choose the message that others hear. Unfortunately, that’s not always what happens in the real world. As this week’s guest, Scott Harvey, tells us, too many people aren’t good at actively listening. And in some cases f...

What were you doing 18 years ago this week, on September 11, 2001? If you’re like most people in my talks and workshops, you know exactly where you were, what you were doing and what you thought about first when you heard about the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center. But have you thought about how the way you find and react to the news has changed since that day? Today, we wouldn’t r...

LinkedIn is for Leaders Facebook is a bit too young and social for business leaders, but with 252 million people logging in each month, LinkedIn is the place to be. If you know how to use it.  In this week’s episode of the Confident Communication Podcast, how to get started on LinkedIn and how to make sure your profile is working for you. It’s a professional social platform that can help you netwo...