The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

For most people, your voice is simply the tool you use to communicate. But for Gina Razón, this week’s guest on the Confident Communications podcast, the voice is much more than that. And when you don’t use your breath properly, your voice (and your credibility) can suffer. A former opera singer and current public speaker and voice coach, Gina shares with us why the voice is a tattletale for your...

Did you watch the 2019 Oscar telecast? I did - that's why I’m looking at how the stars’ publicists did on the most important night in Hollywood. It was the first time in the history of the broadcast that the program went hostless. Join me and my long-term friend and fellow pop culture enthusiast Mary Mitschow as we each chose our top three hits and misses by both stars and publicists on Oscar...

Let’s face it, we all lie. Many of those lies are innocent white lies with the intent of making the other person look or feel better ( That jacket looks great on you! ) but other lies are much more hurtful and impactful (think: the Fyre Festival). Most people can’t spot a lie because humans are wired to believe one another. In this episode of Confident Communications, I’m sharing the common reason...

More than ever, being President of the United States means you need to be at the top of your game as a communicator. And no matter what you think about current or past presidents, each one had his own challenges and triumphs when it comes to communicating with the American public. In this non-partisan episode of the Confident Communications podcast, I’m sharing how communication by our nation’s le...

The subject of race is a hot-button topic, one that many people shy away from for fear of offending someone. But in America today, it’s not going away. Part of being an effective communicator means being able to relate to and talk to a range of people, regardless of race, creed, origin, sexual preference, age and more. That’s why I wanted to talk to Jeffrey Blount about the topic. Jeffrey is an ac...

When a big story hits the news, we all take notice. Many of us dissect the events strictly from a "just the facts" point of view, but plenty more tune in to watch the twists and turns, and eventually, the reputation fallout. The latest - the story of Nick Sandmann. A Covington, Kentucky teen who was caught on video with what looked like a smirk on his face while allegedly staring down a...

We’re in a whole new age when it comes to making personal announcements. No matter what the announcement is, the bigger the name, the bigger the story. When Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos announced their divorce on January 9, they chose only one public communication channel - Twitter. Twitter posts for high-profile news announcements have taken the place of the tried and true press release, and Facebook...

December is one of the most popular times of the year to get engaged, which means that many brides (and their mothers) are planning weddings! There are so many communication dynamics that go into wedding planning--from announcing the big day to booking vendors to managing family relationships and opinions. In this episode, we’re tackling all of these issues, as well as how vendors can help brides...

In this non-traditional Golden Globes recap, I’m looking at how the stars’ publicists did on one of the most important nights in Hollywood.   More than 18 million people tuned in to the 2019 Golden Globes on Sunday night and I was among them, as usual. As a Gen-Xer, I’m a pop culture fan and usually tune into the awards shows for both the entertainment value and to theorize about publicists’ angle...

Every business needs a foundation to communicate with its employees, which is why I brought Victoria Dew of Dewpoint Communications to talk about this critical piece of the communication puzzle. Victoria’s unique perspective as a former entertainment industry professional and in-house communication professional both in the U.S. and overseas helps to bring a new voice to the creativity and transpar...

Communication fails are a starting point in talking about the importance of having a sound communication skill set. And there were a lot of them in 2018. It helps to know what mistakes look like so you can avoid them, and even learn how to come back from them effectively. Last week, I talked about the top communications wins in 2018; in this week’s episode of the Confident Communications Podcast ,...

With the year coming to an end, this week's episode delves into ten communication wins of the year by the people, politicians, brands, and beer drinkers who made headlines and then made hay from an earlier challenge they faced at some point in 2018. The stories on the list range from publicity stunts to political maneuvers that captured the public's attention over the past year. From #10...

As the country mourned the passing of President George Herbert Walker Bush, former presidents, congressional leaders and figures from across the political spectrum gathered for his funeral at Washington National Cathedral. While millions of people watched the service to honor Bush as a member of Congress, an ambassador to the United Nations, the director of the CIA, and the vice president and pres...

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”  - Stephen R. Covey. Are you really listening? One of the most valuable tools for communication is the ability to listen and understand what someone is saying and feeling. Whether we are solving issues at home or tackling tasks in the workplace, effectively listening can help us reach our goals sooner....

With our daily communications frequently moving to the online world, we have forgotten some of the nuances of face to face interaction. Improving our conversation skills, both as a speaker and a listener, allows us to sharpen our message and get a better understanding from those we communicate with. This episode features a recent NY Times article about NPR's Terry Gross and the art of a good...

Interviews don’t have to be stressful.  Chances are you’ve been in many job interviews over the course of your career, and maybe even interviewed some candidates for your organization. Ellen Mahoney, chief human resources officer of Harvard Business School, has more than 30 years of experience interviewing applicants from a wide background, and she’s seen it all. Ellen dives into interview secrets...

If you want to project confidence and competence, you need to eliminate filler words from your vocabulary.  Filler words. They’re a pesky tic that everyone uses. But if overused, filler words can undermine the potential for your success. We use them to take up space in a conversation, give us time to think up a response or simply because it’s a habit we’re not even aware of. In this episode, I’m s...

No matter your age or professional level, you need a guide to communication so you can be seen, heard and relevant. Today’s episode gives you the “tells.” Do you know that you can tell how old someone is just by how they communicate? It’s true, and many marketers and other professionals are savvy at using this information to determine whether you’re a good fit for a product or even a job. In this...