Imagine you’re listening to a choir or a musical group and everyone is singing from a different song sheet. It will sound terrible. There wouldn’t be any synchronization amongst the group. You would be likely to run for the exits. Listening to a group that uses the same song sheet would obviously be a different listening experience (so long as choir has some singing ability!). “Song sheets” in …
Content Recommendations from L&D Leaders
What content should L&D leaders be consuming? I asked this question to 14 different learning leaders on my Learning and Development Stories podcast. It has been interesting to hear their different recommendations. I wanted to consolidate their responses in one place for others in the learning space. So here goes: Dan Pontefract, Founder of the Pontefract Group, formerly Chief Learning …
Lessons on Running Communications Workshops from Nikhil Dey of Genesis Burson-Marsteller
One of the best parts of my job is running communications workshops for clients. I am always keen to learn from others who do similar work. On that note, I am delighted to have picked Nikhil Dey’s brain on this topic. Nikhil is President of the award-winning India-based PR agency Genesis Burson-Marsteller (part of the global firm Burson-Marsteller). Among Genesis Burson-Marsteller’s services …
Increasing Power and Influence as Communicators
Why does it seem like certain folks in organizations accrue more power and influence than others, even if their work or intelligence might not seem all that exceptional? Stanford University professor Jeffrey Pfeffer wrote a very interesting book that provides the rationale as to why this happens. There is guidance in this book that is probably useful for most any professional function. In …
How to Make Your Bio Stand Out
Look around the web at various schools and research organizations and you will see a variety of different ways in which bios are presented. Perhaps you think your bio is stale. Maybe you haven’t updated it in many years. Or alternatively you might be curious to know about other compelling ways that faculty members and researchers write their bio. Here are some tips and ideas from others that you …
Donald Trump, Brexit and the Impact on Business Schools
One of the hallmarks of business education is “global”. It would be hard to find a business school that doesn’t highlight this word in its marketing materials. Global often refers to the make-up of the class as well as the content in the classroom. A number of business schools have applied global from a physical perspective by setting up operations in different strategic countries. There is good …
Podcast Episode #63: Christie Campbell on How to Integrate a Marketing Automation Program at a School
Has your school integrated a marketing automation program? If not, you should listen to the insights from Christie Campbell, Associate Vice President of Marketing at St. Edward's University. Christie led St. Edward's marketing automation program a few years ago. This year, St. Edward's University won the Best Marketing Automation in Content Marketing by the Content Marketing Institute. On …
Podcast Episode #58: Shel Holtz on Employee Advocacy Programs
Imagine the impact that can be generated when you have individuals who can share the brands content, respond appropriately to complaints and routinely advocate for the organization to their respective networks? On episode 58 of FIR of Higher Education, we delve into the topic of employee advocacy with Shel Holtz, an organizational communications expert and the founder of the FIR Podcast …
News Headlines and PR / Communications Implications
The following is a summary of some news stories from the past two weeks and the implications for PR professionals / communicators. Story 1: Live Streaming Summary: House GOP leadership shut off microphones and the video feed to C-SPAN leading to a sit-in by Democrats who started using Facebook Live and Periscope to film the protest. C-Span turned to the Periscope feed used by some of the …
Podcast Episode #55: Steps to Conducting a Strategic Communications Review
Are you confident in your institution’s key messaging? Can you summarize it in a simple, clear and jargon free way to your different audiences? What about within your department? Do you know why the department for which you work exists? Do others know? Episode 55 of FIR on Higher Education will outline steps that you can consider adopting to answer these questions and gain clarity. Since …
Podcast #54: Book Marketing Tactics from Professor David Burkus
It is not enough to rely on your publisher or school communications department to market your book. You have to put in the leg work. So says David Burkus, a professor at Oral Roberts University and the author of two different books: The Myths of Creativity which came out in 2013 and Under New Management which was published earlier this year. On episode 54 of FIR on Higher Education, Burkus …
The Keys to Adopting a Social PR Mindset: Interview with Expert Shonali Burke
One person effectively communicating a message will have some impact. Many people authentically doing the same will have even greater impact. It doesn't require a PhD in algebra to figure this out. Unfortunately many in PR are still wed to the old ways of doing things. Someone who I know that is quite effective in using this social PR approach is Shonali Burke, a consultant based out of …
Communications Commandment #1: Know Your Audience
There is a common thread that led to success when writing a cover letter, marketing message and media pitch: know your audience! I recently interviewed Heidi Scott Giusto on the FIR on Higher Education podcast to discuss a topic that I am not an expert in: communications during the career search. It was interesting for me to hear Heidi discuss how many make the mistake of not communicating …
Podcast Episode #53: Communicating Your Unique Value Proposition Around Your Career
Communicating our unique value propositions as it relates to our careers can be challenging. It is of course very important, especially since we know that the days of staying at one job for life are long gone. Studies show that the average professional changes jobs seven times. We need to have a communications plan as we think about career transitions and opportunities. Dr. Heidi Scott Giusto is …
Why Groups and Individuals Within Higher Education Should Consider Podcasting
It is a crowded content space out there. Attention spans are limited. As you think about your content marketing strategy, you should perhaps consider podcasting as a medium to achieve your goals. Podcasting is the only form of content that can be consumed while an individual is doing other activities. Whether you are doing housework, driving or exercising, you can tune into your favorite podcasts. …