It is vital that we are always learning best practice. So much can be gleaned from the experiences of others. With that in mind, I wanted to create a helpful little list of resources I use to stay up to date about higher education communications. In no specific order, here are 9 links I would suggest you take a look at regularly (and I would love to hear your resources too!). LSE Impact Blog This …
Episode 28: McGill University Professor Karl Moore on How to Build Your Thought Leadership by Conducting Interviews
It is great to be interviewed. Benefits come from the external exposure if you have properly communicated your message. There also benefits from being the interviewer. McGill University Professor Karl Moore can attest to this. He conducts a CEO Interview Series in which he interviews a CEO or throughout leader. The interview is disseminated across various external communications channels. But …
Podcast Episode #26: Re-thinking how we Approach Media Training in Higher Education
Many academics are uneasy about how to communicate to external audiences. With good reason - they are trained on how to speak with academic audiences, not the general public. Thus, media training is important. On episode 26, we delve into this topic. It is a bit different than our usual show format. I just launched my new Media Training for Academics online course and share some of what I’ve …
Where are all the podcasting professors?
Duncan Green, a strategic advisor for Oxfam GB and author of “From Poverty to Power”, wrote an excellent post “So you’ve written the research report: what else do you need to do to ensure people actually read it?”. Duncan proposes some options and solicits readers to add to his list. This article is definitely worth a read. One area not covered in this post or the related comments are podcasts. I …
Podcast Episode #19: Dorie Clark on Developing a Content Strategy and Lessons from the “Dean Scream”
How can academics build their individual brand? What are the new realities of book publishing? How can individuals develop a content strategy? Author and executive education instructor Dorie Clark shares insights to these questions on episode 19 of FIR on Higher Education. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Dorie also outlines what one should do when things don't come out as intended. …
Communicating to Students in China – Perspectives from NYU Shanghai
Many universities are grappling with the pros and cons of setting up universities in different parts of the world as well as reaching students in China. In a two-part interview series, I glean some best practice from the experiences of professionals working for NYU Shanghai. Established in 2013, NYU Shanghai is the third degree-granting campus established by New York University (New York City and …
Podcast #12: Dealing with a University Crisis Communications Scenario
Student misbehavior, protests against university policy and violence on campus – these are among the issues that a university spokesperson must be prepared to address from a crisis communications perspective. If you are looking to hear best practice on crisis communications within a higher education environment, then you will want to listen to episode 12 of FIR on Higher Education. Michael …
Teens, Visual Storytelling and Higher Education Communications
It is no surprise that young people are fleeing Facebook in favor of other social media sites. In fact, Facebook even announced their concern about this during an earnings announcement last year. It seems like there are new studies out on a regular basis showing the most used social media sites among particular demographics. The latest one I came across is from Piper Jaffray, an investment bank …
Podcast #2 – Media relations tips in a higher education environment
It is a competitive world out there in media relations land. As we all know, the media industry has been significantly disrupted. So what are they keys to generating consistent positive media coverage for an institution? How can academics and thought leaders best prepare for interviews? What is the role of the media relations professional in the process? What about generating coverage …
Why every academic needs to think about external communications
Most university models financially reward teaching and research. Press visibility may be considered a bonus or contribution towards “good citizenship” (whatever that means), while some institutions don’t look highly upon those doing media work as it takes away from research (a mindset that desperately needs changing, in my opinion). I have worked with many different types of professors over the …
Is the internet making you more knowledgeable?
A few months back, a friend of mine from France was visiting me in North Carolina. We organized a visit to the state fair, which is an “interesting” experience in its own right. While there, we conjured up a little spur of the moment fun poll and decided to ask the local population some trivia about France. We contemplated asking different types of questions – such as what countries border France …