Circle of Fellows

Episode 132 of IABC’s Circle of Fellows examines what the newly released Reimagining Tomorrow 2026 report from the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management means for the profession. The report surveyed 536 communication professionals across six global regions and found a profession that has embraced AI in practice but not yet claimed AI governance in leadership: 95.9% of organizations now permit AI, yet only 8.6% have communication professionals leading the formal governance structure. One in four organizations discloses AI use to no one at all. Joining moderator Shel Holtz are Bonnie Caver and Adrian Cropley OAM, both Global Alliance board directors and the research partners behind the survey, as well as Mike Klein. (Theomary Karamanis was scheduled to be a panelist but laryngitis prevented her from participating.)  Together, they dig into what the data means for the profession, what it will take to move from adoption to accountability, and what it takes to be a leader in the AI era.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #132: AI and the Communication Leadership Moment appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Local newsrooms keep shrinking, journalism schools keep closing their doors, and the reporters who remain are stretched thinner than ever. For organizational communicators, that shift changes the math on media relations. It's no longer enough to know how to write a pitch. You need to understand who's left to receive it, what standards still govern their work, and how to build the kind of relationship that gets your story told well instead of not at all. Circle of Fellows #131 features four IABC Fellows with deep backgrounds in journalism and media relations. Moderated by Shel Holtz, SCMP, the panel discussed what's changed in the newsroom, what hasn't, and what it means for the way communicators do their jobs. The panel dug into what that means day to day for communicators, including: Thinking local and strategic. Where does your story actually need to go, and which relationships and networks get it there? Knowing journalistic standards and principles (JSPs). Understanding what reporters can and can't do — and where the real limits are — makes for smarter pitches and fewer frustrated calls. Respecting deadlines and information needs. How communicators and journalists can work together, rather than at cross purposes, to produce the stories both sides actually want. Getting to know the people in your "journalism 'hood." In a shrunken media landscape, personal relationships with the reporters who remain matter more than ever. Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #131: The Evolving Media Landscape and What It Means for Media Relations appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In the second of our special Circle of Fellows discussions, Brad Whitworth moderated a panel to discuss the remaining three chapters of the book, “The 7 Cs of the New Communication Compass.” The book’s author and editor, Dianne Chase, joined Brad, along with the IABC Fellows who authored the three chapters: Zora Artis, who wrote the “Cohesion” chapter Cindy Schmieg, author of the “Collaboration” chapter Shel Holtz, who penned the “Community” chapter Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #128: The 7 Cs of The New Communication Compass, Part 2 appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The next two "Circle of Fellows" episodes will offer something different from our panels of the last several years. We welcome Dianne Chase, a veteran communicator and former IABC chair, to the discussion. While Dianne is not a Fellow, she did recruit six Fellows to write all but one of the chapters for her new book, The 7Cs of the New Communication Compass. (Dianne wrote the seventh chapter.) The book, which has five stars on Amazon, "offers both a guiding framework and a practical roadmap for mastering strategic communication in complex environments," according to its description. "If you are a leader, manager, educator, public official, influencer, or anyone striving to make an impact, this book is an essential and thought-provoking read. It distills communication excellence to foster collaborative results and organizational effectiveness.” The book's Cs include Collaboration, Connection, Compassion, Cohesion, Community, Congruency, and Calibration. For the first of these conversations, Dianne will join Shel Holtz, Ginger Homan, Jane Mitchell, and Brad Whitworth to discuss Connection (Brad's chapter), Compassion (Dianne's chapter), Congruency (Jane's chapter), and Calibration (Ginger's chapter). Join us for this very different "Circle" at noon EDT on Thursday, April 23. Participants in the live stream can ask questions and share comments, observations, and experiences, and become part of the discussion. If you're not able to join us, you can listen to the audio podcast later or watch the YouTube replay.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #127: The 7 Cs of The New Communication Compass, Part I appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The days when a crisis communicator could simply reach for a dusty binder and follow a pre-scripted, linear checklist are gone — and they aren’t coming back. In the “good old days,” a crisis was often a contained event with a predictable lifecycle; crisis teams could address them by checking off items on a checklist. Today, we face the era of the polycrisis, where economic instability, geopolitical friction, and a 24/7 social media cycle collide, creating a torrent of simultaneous challenges. This new reality has effectively obliterated the traditional news cycle, replacing it with an always-on environment where a single viral post can tarnish a brand before leadership even knows there is a problem. Thriving in this volatile landscape requires a move away from rigid manuals toward a more fluid, strategic approach. Rather than a step-by-step rulebook, modern practitioners need logical scaffolding — a flexible framework of principles and values that provides a foundation for action while allowing for real-time adaptability. It is about preparation, not just prescription. As the boundaries between internal and external perception continue to erode, the ability to maintain transparency and connection through these multifaceted disruptions is no longer a luxury; it is table stakes for organizational survival. Four Fellows of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) shared their perspectives in this episode of IABC's Circle of Fellows. Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #126: Communicating in the Era of the Polycrisis appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.