Leading the Battle Against Filler Words

  By Tim Conway At age 63.5, my observations are blunt and biased.  I’m okay with that reality. A conclusion — after being an Adjunct Faculty of “Public Speaking” along with Entrepreneurship judge, startup mentor and career coach — is that young professionals often sound Stupid (cap ‘S’). The reason:  twenty-somethings over rely on filler…… Continue reading Leading the Battle Against Filler Words

Edelman Family Saluted by Hometown Senior PR Pros

  In Chicago this week, senior leaders of the PR community celebrated the industry and civic contributions of the entire Edelman family during the more than 72 years since Dan Edelman launched his agency with one client from a tiny 4-person office in the sprawling Merchandise Mart. “This is a family that has been thinking…… Continue reading Edelman Family Saluted by Hometown Senior PR Pros

How Your PR Career Can Drive Social Change by Breaking All the Rules

  By Gur Tsabar The mainstream media’s gatekeeping is real. It controls the narrative and protects the powerful, sidelining issues like racial justice, labor rights, and international solidarity. If you’re entering PR with a hunger for social change, you’re on the front lines of a battlefield. Let’s talk about hacking this broken system, not just…… Continue reading How Your PR Career Can Drive Social Change by Breaking All the Rules

Chicago is No ‘Second City’ When it Comes to PR

  Chicago was the epicenter of public relations last week with five major events and announcements. Bright and early on Thursday, some 25 educators and PR leaders gathered for the first meeting of Plank Partners. The new Plank Center affiliate brings together like-minded individuals who want to make a difference and help empower and advance…… Continue reading Chicago is No ‘Second City’ When it Comes to PR

Is the Press Release Dead? No Way

A professor friend from the west coast last week lamented the fact his college stopped teaching press release writing, claiming such news conveyance is outdated and no longer relevant in the current digital age. Such a decision couldn’t have been made by the boomers who most likely began their PR careers by writing press releases.…… Continue reading Is the Press Release Dead? No Way

How to be an Active Audience Member

By Morgan McCullough In this blog series, we have covered writing for the ear, establishing credibility, and overcoming stage fright in public speaking scenarios. What we haven’t yet talked about is the other piece of the presentation puzzle: the audience. The audience is a major factor in a speaker’s success. Therefore, it’s important to be the…… Continue reading How to be an Active Audience Member

Remembering Kathleen Kelly, Ph.D.

The public relations world lost one of its most enthusiastic and honest champions last week with the passing of Kathleen Kelly, Public Relations Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida. I was introduced to Kathleen many years ago by the late Betsy Plank, who described Kathleen as one of the all-time great mentors in the…… Continue reading Remembering Kathleen Kelly, Ph.D.