FIR Interviews

In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson speak with Monique Zytnik, a business communicator and author of Internal Communications in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Monique delves into the transformative impact of AI on internal comms, highlighting the need for experiential, audience-centered engagement over a flood of generic content. This approach, she explains,... Continue Reading → The post Trends, AI and Authenticity in Internal Comms with Monique Zytnik appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this FIR Interview, consultant, writer, and science fiction enthusiast Ezri Carlebach offers a unique perspective on how speculative fiction can be a valuable tool in business leadership, innovation, and ethical decision-making in planning for the future. He discusses how sci-fi fosters imaginative thinking, helping organizations tackle complex challenges, including the ethical dilemmas posed by... Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Ezri Carlebach on Speculative Fiction in Business appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

AI can greatly enhance media production and social media engagement, but it should be used to complement, not replace, human creativity and connection. And, as AI becomes more integrated into media and social platforms, it’s crucial to establish ethical guidelines and robust systems to prevent the spread of misinformation. In this FIR interview with Pete... Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Pete Pachal on AI, Social Media, Journalism and Brand Engagement appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Google searches link to Wikipedia more than any other website. It is the largest and most-read reference work in history. It is consistently ranked as one of the 10 most popular websites in the world, and as of 2024 is the fifth most visited website on the net. Wikipedia is also one of the richest sources of information for AI training models. With all those eyes on Wikipedia, it's no surprise that PR professionals want relevant entries to reflect their priorities and messages. Yet Wikipedia's rules generally prohibit people and representatives of organizations from editing their own entries. Some people try to game the system, frequently with consequences. Others work with companies like Beutler Ink, a reputation agency that specializes in Wikipedia entries based on founder William Beutler's knowledge of how to work with Wikipedia's volunteer editors to achieve the best possible results for his clients. In this FIR Interview, Shel and Neville talk with Bill about the current state of Wikipedia's relationship with the PR industry, how AI is affecting Wikipedia, and a host of toher topics of interest to communicators.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: William Beutler on PR and Wikipedia appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Volumes have been written in the last year about how to apply ChatGPT and other generative AI tools to the practice of public relations and organizational communication. In this midweek episode, we let ChatGPT speak for itself about how it can enhance communicators’ work — and whether communicators are at risk of being replaced by AI. Shel is solo in this episode, so he interviews ChatGPT to ask about its processes for press releases and other PR writing and editing, its non-media and non-writing capabilities, ethical considerations, crisis communication functionality, and much more. Hear ChatGPT in her own words articulate the best approaches professional communicators can take to optimizing their work with an AI collaborator.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interviews: ChatGPT Speaks for Itself About Its PR Capabilities appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The latest research report out of communication agency Edelman is rich with takeaways. The 2023 Corporate Communications Study follows a 2021 edition that explored the implications of the pandemic on the role of organizational communication. The report revealed that Chief Communication Officers (CCOs) now spend nearly 20 percent of their time counseling CEOs on issues unrelated to communication. That's just one sign that the CCO's stock has risen in organizations, with 91 percent of top communicators involved in crafting strategy before or during the decision-making process. Speaking to Axios, U.S. Corporate Practice Chair Radina Russell said, "These stats are indicative of (CCOs) informing decision making, having a seat at the table, and helping to steer the enterprise." Neville and Shel spoke with Russell in this FIR Interview about other findings from the report.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Radina Russell on Edelman’s “Future of Corporate Communications” Study appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Robert L. Dilenschneider has learned a lot about power and influence during his storied career. The former president and CEO of global PR firm Hill & Knowlton has led his own agency, The Dilenschneider Group, since 1991. The author of several books, Bob is about to launch his latest work, "The Ultimate Guide to Power and Influence: Everything You Need to Know," which hits bookstores on July 25. In this FIR Interview, co-host Shel Holtz speaks with Bob about the nature of power and influence and the various ways to acquire and use it. Of particular interest is Bob's perspective on what power and influence are: tools that help you get things done.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Bob Dilenschneider on Power and Influence appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Allan Schoenberg has spent much of his career as a communication leader in the financial services space, including a stint as Sr. VP and Global Head of Communications and Social Media for NASDAQ.  Allan, former co-host of the FIR Podcast Network's "FIR B2B," recently pivoted to become Chief Communication Officer at Vinson & Elkins, a New York-based law firm. In this FIR Interview, Allan discusses the move along with a culture audit he undertook at the firm. He also shares his views on the current state of Twitter (and its potential alternatives), Artificial Intelligence, and more.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Allan Schoenberg on His New Job, Twitter, AI, and More appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Jeremiah Owyang has a habit. Whenever a new digital technology emerges that seems to be poised to disrupt business and society, Jeremiah dives in, talking to everyone he can, attending conferences, meetings, and talks,  and undertaking a deep dive into every research resource available. In his eighth FIR interview, Jeremiah shares his perspectives on Artificial Intelligence (AI), which has been around for some time but has only recently taken the world by storm with the release of ChatGPT.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Jeremiah Owyang on the Artificial Intelligence Marketplace appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

While journalists are sick of spray-and-pray pitches and press releases, they are equally heartened to see pitches that are tailored to their interests. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gained prominence since the November 2022 public release of ChatGPT, more public relations practitioners may be open to the idea of using AI to help identify the right journalists for their stories and craft pitches that will be more likely to appeal to them. In this FIR Interview, Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz spoke with Aaron Kwittken, founder and CEO of PRophet, which is billed as "the only generative and predictive PR platform." Once you have created an initial pitch, PRophet evaluates it, predicts media interest, and then helps draft personalized pitch copy to interested journalists.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: PRophet Founder and CEO Aaron Kwittken appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Three Whiskey conducted extensive research into online anti-vaccination sentiment, identifying distinct groups, all of whom are critical of vaccination campaigns. Based on this research, the agency posted recommendations for public health institutions to consider when introducing vaccination campaigns. This approach is repeatable in other campaigns in which a group digs in its heels in opposition to the recommended course of action, vocally opposing the initiative. In this FIR Interview, Neville and Shel talk with Ben about the research and its application to marketing planning and execution.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Three Whiskey’s Ben Myall on Anticipating Resistance appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Anyone working in communications has learned that storytelling is a vital element of influence. (An old Indian proverb proclaims, "Tell me a fact and I will learn, tell me the truth and I will believe, but tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.") There is a wealth of literature and research that supports the value of a narrative approach to reinforcing or changing behaviors and for building support for an initiative or point of view. Does it always work? In one case, in one study, it did not. In fact, using a narrative strategy in the argument presented in this study actually led some in the audience to move even further away from the desired position than they already were. In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz speaks with Dr. Liana Winett and Dr. Jeff Niederdeppe, co-authors of "When 'Tried and True' Advocacy Strategies Backfire." There are clear lessons from this study for public relations and public advocacy professionals.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: When Narrative Strategies Fail appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Faisal Saeed Al Mutar is the founder and CEO of Ideas Beyond Borders, a non-profit organization based in New York. We recently connected on Twitter and Faisal was telling me about a project to rebuild the library of the University of Mosul in Iraq that had been destroyed by the Islamic State or ISIS during the war in Iraq. It’s been almost four years since ISIS was expelled from the city of Mosul, but life is still far from normal at the University of Mosul, where students pass bombed-out departments on the way to class that have yet to be replaced. The central library—once among the largest in the Middle East with over a million books in English and Arabic—has become a symbol of the devastation suffered by the whole city, its charred columns and scorched shelves a stark reminder of the education blackout imposed under the occupation by ISIS. I spoke to Faisal on July 15th and recorded our conversation. He described the project to bring back the books and computers that began in 2017. Book by book, the library is being rebuilt: by 2021, IBB has donated more than 4,000 books and 20 computers and printers to the University. We also talked about the project to translate English-language Wikipedia articles into Arabic for the Arabic Wikipedia that we covered in FIR 188 in October 2019, a project at the heart of IBB's work to address misinformation and "to make the inaccessible, accessible." And Faisal speaks of the mission of Ideas Beyond Borders, to champion a positive alternative to the extremism, authoritarianism, censorship, and violence that plagues the Middle East. Watch the interview here or on the FIR YouTube channel, and you can read a full transcript below. Learn more at ideasbeyondborders.org (Arabic website: Bayt Al Hikma, or 'House of Wisdom').Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Faisal Saeed Al Mutar and Bringing Books Back to the University of Mosul appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Eric Schwartzman, an early contributor to the "For Immediate Release" podcast, has written a new book, "The Digital Pivot," and discussed it with Shel and Neville. In the book, Eric explains what successful digital marketers do differently.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Eric Schwartzman on His New Book, “The Digital Pivot” appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

David Murray's new book, "An Effort to Understand," is a collection of essays drawn from many years of posts to his blog, Writing Boots. Addressing the challenges of communicating with one another in a polarized society, the book is structured first to define communication, then move from the personal to the organizational. Like the society on which the book is focused, not everyone will agree with everything in the book, but Murray offers sage wisdom about how to engage in conversations about these matters. In this interview, FIR co-host Shel Holtz talks with Murray about the book, including his assertion that it is not communication if you know the outcome and that communication should not be civil.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: “An Effort to Understand” Author David Murray appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Andrea Weckerle first appeared in an FIR Interview a decade ago after she had founded CiviliNation, a non-profit that is "taking a stand against online harassment, character assassination, misinformation, and violence." That's a tall order given the state of civil discourse these days. In this FIR Interview, Andrea is joined by CiviliNation's new president, veteran technology journalist Jolie O'Dell. The conversation covers the organization's approach to addressing the issues that underlie outrage culture, doxxing, and other behaviors that undermine the potential of online conversation.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: CiviliNation President Jolie O’Dell and VP/Founder Andrea Weckerle appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

You can't visit a news site or check your feeds right now without seeing articles about NFTs -- non-fungible tokens -- and how they have captured imaginations. Taco Bell, the National Basketball Association, the Kings of Leon, Jack Dorsey, and artists like the one who sold a JPG for $69 million are examples of digital assets that have been purchased (or are up for grabs) with NFTs. There are scenarios that make NFTs exciting for brands and, by extension, for communicators. What are they and how do they work (in terms we communicators can understand)? For that, we turn to Phil Gomes, former digital executive at Edelman and current head of global communications and marketing for Bloq's multiple services and brands.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Phil Gomes on the NFT Craze appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz talks with Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, the Mayo Clinic's chief medical editor and associate medical director for Content Management and Delivery, and Jay Maxwell, senior director of Health Information, about the development of the Clinic's new First Aid skill for the Amazon Alexa platform, how it works, how they measure its effectiveness, and their approach toward preparing for a voice-enabled world. The interview includes a brief demonstration of the Clinic's Alexa skill.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Sandhya Pruthi and Jay Maxwell on Creating a Smart Audio First Aid Skill appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

According to its website, Diva Tech Talk "is a specialized communication channel highlighting women doing wonderful things in the technology arena by creating podcasts from interviews with successful female individuals in the field and covering various technology events.  It was created to inform and inspire women of all ages to succeed in professional and life missions that are technology-driven." The podcast has also won Clarion Awards from the Association for Women in Communications in 2017 and 2016. In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz spoke with Diva Tech Talk co-founder and host Nicole Scheffler about the show's origins, its goals, and life as a female engineer in a male-dominated industry (and what communicators can do to help change that).Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Nicole Scheffler, Host of the Diva Tech Talk Podcast appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this FIR Interview, host Shel Holtz talks with Edelman's Phil Gomes, senior vice president of U.S. B2B Digital, about his new blockchain white paper, published by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. that makes the case for marketers and communicators to add blockchain technology to the list of technologies they must understand. some of the startups whose work could change communication processes and content, as well as other dimensions of blockchain that will soon be part of communication workflows.Continue Reading → The post FIR Interview: Phil Gomes on Blockchain and the Marketing Value of Digital Permanence appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.