Initially, I created this website to support the public relations courses I taught at Northern Kentucky University, but, now that I've retired, I'm making it available, free of charge, to all public relations students and PR practitioners who may find it useful, especially those seeking professional accreditation. The cornerstone of the site remains my Online Readings in Public Relations which now include more than 100 textbook-style articles, how-to-do-it tipsheets, and fill-in-the-blank templates for public relations planning and project completion.

List of schools & organizations using this website.

Emeritus Professor Michael Turney, Ph.D., ABC

Moments can also be made sticky.

Last month I told you about two books, Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath and Stories That Stick by Kindra Hall, which could help make your writing, presentations, and other messages more memorable to audiences.

But, I forgot to mention another book by the Heath brothers. It's called The Power of Moments and explains why some events have a particularly powerful or memorable impact on people.

Although it wasn't written specifically for PR people, it can be very helpful in planning and executing special events, honoring outstanding employees, announcing major policy or organizational changes, and countless other public relations responsibilities.

It's not just about delivering a memorable, easy to understand message. Properly used, the techniques it discusses could help you create life-long memories for those who experience a moment that you've created for them.

Read more in "Recent Reads."

 
Online Readings in
Public Relations

 
Recent reads
in public relations

Strategic & tactical
PR planning
 

Public relations
during a crisis
 

 
How-to tips
for public relations

 
Ethics in public relations
 

Don't ignore online criticism of your organization,
but keep it in perspective and don't over-react.

It's been years since the term "flame war" was used to describe a vitriolic exchange between critics or dissatisfied customers and the target of their criticism. -- They still occur, and they have tremendous potential to damage the reputation of an organization that either doesn't respond or that responds too forcefully. -- They're just not called "flame wars."

In some ways, that's a shame. It was not only a catchy phrase, it summarily captured how quickly such situations could pop up and how much damage they could do if they weren't handled quickly or carefully enough.

In it's Oct. 2022 newsletter, the Institute for Crisis Communication (ICM) presented very thoughtful and timely tips about dealing with flame wars. It was based on a Megan McArdle column in The Washington Post about the negative online response to Cracker Barrel’s addition of meatless sausage to its menu. Among the lessons it offered PR people facing flame wars was:

• "Ongoing listening and assessment of online chatter helps us to understand and measure true stakeholder sentiment."
• "Don’t feed the trolls. We need not respond to every snarky comment. We should, however, leave them" posted unless they are racist or vulgar.
• "Strong stakeholder relationships need care and feeding." If stakeholders are advocates before issues arise, they will defend us when trolls stir the pot.
• "Know the difference between actual customers and those who merely like or follow the company social feeds. They are not synonymous."
• "View negative online reactions from a wide lens. Even thousands of comments may have little meaning" compared to all 2.5 billion Facebook users.
• As media technology changes company-customer dynamics we must adopt strategies that build respect and resilience in the face of criticism.

Read "Don't feed the trolls." in ICM's Oct. 2022 newsletter.