The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

With over 200 million people now using Zoom to connect (btw, that’s up from 10 million users from just a couple of months ago), this signals a major shift in the acceptability of using tech to communicate. If you’re using these platforms to conduct your business or for meetings, you’re definitely going to want to listen in on this episode. Communication expert Lauren Sergy spoke with me (on Zoom, natch) on techniques for presenting yourself in a polished and professional way during your video conference calls.   [6:28] Lauren and Molly talk about the shifts they’re both seeing in their businesses and clients. [9:21] Reasons why video conferencing is going to affect every business and industry moving forward.  [14:45] Tips for looking engaged and interested throughout the videoconference call as a participant. [15:54] Where to place your laptop, tablet, or smartphone, for optimal camera placement.  [17:13] Lighting tips using items you may already have at home. [18:56] How to set up an appropriate background for your videos. [24:23] Why it’s so important to make videoconferencing work for you sooner than later. [28:22] The best tools to invest in for quality audio.  [32:54] Should you be using a virtual background? [35:28] Acceptable times to choose an “audio-only” work call. Want More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...

Yes, Virginia, you can still brand your company during a crisis.  On this special BONUS episode of the podcast, learning how to market, brand and skirt a crisis in the time of the Coronavirus. As the owner and founder of Red Fan Communications, Kathleen Lucente has tapped into her extensive crisis management experience to help build crisis communications plans and strategies for clients during the pandemic. However, she doesn't think that means there isn't a place for branding and marketing.  How to connect your brand with customers during a crisis.  Mentioned on the podcast Red Fan Communications  COVID-19 Communicaiton Response Kit       Want More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...

In a time of crisis, most of us look to our leaders for both guidance and inspiration. In the turbulence of the current COVID-19 crisis, it helps to tap into the minds of former leaders. With over 36 years serving in the U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral (Ret.) Timothy Sullivan is an emergency management expert who knows his way around a crisis. On the podcast, bridging the leadership lessons from past incidents of significance to today.  [4:13] Ways that the COVID crisis compares to past crises Admiral Sullivan has experienced in the past. [6:25] Admiral Sullivan’s impressions of U.S. Navy Captain Brett Crozier’s choices when the story first broke vs. now.  [9:24] How communication styles of today likely changed the outcomes of Crozier’s decisions. [11:45] Admiral Sullivan’s take on how preparedness styles are evolving with technology and the lessons we can take from coronavirus. [14:20] Thoughts on empowering crew members. [17:58] Examples of flawed leadership from past crises and how we can improve in the future. [19:49] Admiral Sullivan’s advice on communicating with the media. [22:52] Crisis communication techniques that have stood the test of time.  [27:57] Advice for crisis management on the general level - like nonprofits or business owners, for example. [27:57] Advice for crisis management on the general level; like nonprofits or business oWant More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...

Molly McPherson, the creator of the COVID-19 Communication Response Kit, speaks with public relations expert Julia Angelen Joy from Z Group PR, about the best leadership values for CEOs to possess during the coronavirus crisis. Mentioned on the podcast CEOs Will Lead Way Through Coronavirus, co-authored with Jocelyn Brandeis. Want More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...

If someone is between the devil and the deep blue sea, they are in a difficult situation where they have to choose between two equally unpleasant courses of action. Capt. Crozier made a decision, and it wasn't "stupid" or "naive." Trying to torpedo his career, however, turned out to be both. U.S. Navy Captain Brett Crozier was fired after a leak of a letter he had emailed to Navy leaders detailing the service's failures in responding to a coronavirus outbreak on the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt. How will history view Captain Crozier’s decision? What lesson can other leaders take from this situation? In this week’s episode, I’m dissecting the chain of events that define leadership in a time of global war on a virus. [1:14] What was Captain Crozier’s “devil” and what was his ”deep blue sea?” [2:00] Hear a clip from Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly’s press conference.  [2:54] What is the chain of command in the military?  [3:24] Learn why I’m sounding the alarm on this matter. [4:46] Here’s the message that the firing of Capt. Crozier is actually sending to the public, and how they’re reacting. [6:24] My new leadership theory due to the coronavirus. [8:08] What could motivate a captain to sabotage his own career? [10:48] Here’s the PR takeaway.   © Molly McPherson 2020Want More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...

You know a memorable quote when you hear it. You see it published repeatedly or going viral on social media, you have a quote for the ages. We are weeks into a global pandemic and there are multiple heads of organizations attempting to make their mark on this historic moment. How will they succeed? In this episode, you’re going to learn how to create a memorable quote plus hear examples of memorable quotes throughout history.   [4:31] 1: Write like people actually talk.   Learn how to be conversational while leaving out the unnecessary filler language.   [7:29] 2: Use memorable language.   Find out how to use your words to help paint a picture.   [8:52] 3: Avoid the hype.   Lose the hyperbole and focus on the facts.    [9:53] 4: Skip the jargon.   No one wants to burn calories struggling to understand your acronyms.   [11:38] 5: Fancy facts.    Sprinkle storytelling to add depth to the story.   [13:12] 6: Use this grammar style to attribute a quote.   Certain styles lend themselves to speaking; others to writing.   [14:02] 7: Consider the appropriate tense.   Different word choices should be used for something that has just happened vs. something that’s more timeless.   [15:33] 8: No fake news.   Keep it real; avoid the bias.    [16:58] 9: Boil down your big idea.   © Molly McPherson 2020Want More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...

Adam Schwartz, the founder of The Cooperative Way, speaks with Molly McPherson, creator of the COVID-19 Response Kit about the best practices for cooperatives to follow during the first stages of the coronavirus crisis. Interview Date: March 20, 2020 Mentioned on the episode:  The Communication Response Kit (responsekit.org) is a free online resource for business communications in response to COVID-19.    © Molly McPherson 2020Want More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...

You can’t make it very far in March 2020 without seeing some kind of news article or social media post regarding COVID-19. This also makes it very easy to identify the leaders who get it, and the ones who are missing the mark. Whether a leader is doing an admirable job by pivoting their message as needed, or a poor job due to lagging communications, people are taking notice. In this episode, I’m going to discuss seven different tactics that leaders can implement right now to inspire confidence during the COVID-19 crisis.   Lead with Compassion: Find out what this might mean for you and how it’s changed over the years. Lead with Communications: Learn why now, more than ever, a senior communicator is well worth the investment. Lead with Flexibility: Here are the tactics you can use to show how proactive and flexible you are as a leader. Lead with Information: Learn how much information you should be sharing during a crisis. Lead with Speed: Find out how to show proactive sharing starting today. Lead with People in Mind, Not Profit: Get help figuring out how your specific industry can also support your community.   Mentioned on the episode:  Institute for Public Relations Study - COVID-19: How Businesses are Handling the Crisis Video Interview with Julia Joy, Z Group PR, How CEOs Can Lead the Way Through a Crisis  How CEOs Can Lead the Way Through a Crisis, [ArWant More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...

If you’re struggling with how to communicate your way through the coronavirus crisis, then this episode is for you.I’ve assembled a group of savvy professionals working in crisis and risk management, public relations, strategy & planning. You’ll hear how to provide timely and accurate information to your audience, and I share my favorite takeaway tips you can implement immediately in your communication plan.  My contributors: 1. Mary Beth West of Fletcher Marketing PR Listen to the #MsInterPReted PodcastConnect with Mary Beth on Twitter 2. Jared Meade, Founder & Principal, Rayne Strategy Group Connect with Jaren on Twitter 3. Mark Hoffman, Senior Crisis Management & Business Continuity Consultant Connect with Mark on TwitterEpisode 51: Cybersecurity Issues That Will Keep You Up at Night 4. Jo Detavernier, Principal at Detavernier Strategic Communication Connect with Jo on Twitter 5. Michelle Garrett, PR Consultant and Prolific Freelance Content Writer Connect with Michelle on Twitter 6. James Green, Director of Risk Advisory Services at SAI Global Connect with James on Twitter 7. Adam Schwartz, Founder, The Cooperative Way Connect with Adam on Twitter 8. Hinda Mitchell, President and Founder of Inspire PR Group Connect with Hinda on Twitter 9. Julia Angelen Joy, Public Relations Strategist and President of Z Group PR Connect with Julia on TwitterCEOs Will Lead Way Through Coronavirus - read the article Want More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...

It can happen to anyone. You’re out of town at a conference or event, and less than 24-hours before you’re set to take the stage for a talk, your voice decides to completely give out. Without access to your kitchen or a pharmacy full of remedies, what can you do? Canceling isn’t an option, but luckily there are a few ways to get your voice back just in the nick of time. Trust me, I know from personal experience. What not to do: [7:51] 1: Shh.  [8:52] 2: Thank you, Carol Brady. [9:15] 3: Grab this tool. [9:32] 4: Choose your beverages wisely.  [10:18] 5: Don't sing us a song, Piano Man.   What to do: [11:25] 1: Get help. [11:59] 2: Seriously, shh. [12:10] 3: Take a couple of these. [12:31] 4: Drink up. [13:27] 5: Decaf. [13:55] 6: An oldie but a goodie. [14:19] 7: Get steamy. [15:04] 8: Ask your hotel for one of these. Want More Behind the Breakdown? Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, private member chats, weekly live sessions, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It is the inside hub for communicators who want real strategy, clear judgment, and a little side-eye where it counts.Follow Molly on Substack Subscribe to Molly's Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Molly's Live Events Calendar. Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting. Follow & Connect with Molly: https://www.youtube.com/mollymcpherson https://mollymcpherson.substack.com/ https://www.tiktok.com/@mollybmcpherson https://www.instagram.com/molly.mcpherson/ ...