Inside PR #37 – Tuesday, December 12, 2006

• • Agency Life, Inside PR, PR, Show Notes

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This week on Inside PR, Terry and David talk about the questions that clients should ask before choosing an agency. Also, they welcome a comment from Lauren Oostveen. They play Chris Clarke’s commentary for the week. Finally, Terry does his segment of Inside PRoper English.

Show Notes

00:27 David introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

01:45 David talks about the PR Network he started on Feedburner. Also, Terry talks about a service called Ripple that For Immediate Release has been using to monitor the number of FIR listeners.

05:09 Terry brings up this week’s only comment from Lauren Oostveen. Her question is about measurement and she sends along a link to Consultant Journal. He and David don’t have any experience in freelance consulting so instead offer up the question to any listeners with experience as freelancers.

10:50 David talks about being interviewed by a student at Yale University.

12:30 David kicks off this week’s topic. Terry and he are going to talk about the questions a client should ask before hiring a PR agency.

14:35 David thinks that an important question is who is on the account team, and who is the day-to-day contact at the agency? Terry says that agencies are sometimes guilty of the bait-and-switch move, where the president does the pitch but more junior people end up handling the account.

18:04 David asks the next question, where do I rank on budget? You want to find out how important your account is to the firm. At some agencies, a million-dollar budget means being the biggest account, whereas at other agencies it can be a lot lower on the food chain.

24:30 David and Terry talk about investing in current client relationships vs. investing in new business.

27:11 David asks another question: do you have a lot of turnover at your agency?

30:14 David poses two more questions for discussion: do you have billing ethics policies? or more broadly, do you have a code of professional conduct for the staff? Terry talks about retainers and out-of-pocket costs.

34:10 David introduces Chris Clarke’s commentary for the week.

35:26 Inside PRoper English for the week: infer and imply

37:50 David closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcomes listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR #36 – Tuesday, December 5, 2006

• • Agency Life, Comments, Inside PR, PR, Show Notes

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This week on Inside PR, Terry and David host the call-in show. They welcome audio comments from Gary Schlee, Andrew Findlater, Dan York, Francis Wooby, and Tyler Leisher. Terry also finds time to do his segment of Inside PRoper English.

Show Notes

00:27 Terry introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

01:24 David and Terry make reference to the fact that they will be welcoming a number of audio comments this week. Terry notes that he is exhausted because of a busy hockey schedule of late.

02:43 Terry talks about the Canadian Institute’s New Media for Communications conference, which took place November 28th and 29th. David and Terry talk about their sessions at the conference.

06:30 David introduces the first call/comment from Gary Schlee, the Co-ordinator of the Corporate Communications and Public Relations program at Centennial College in Toronto makes an important point about effectively managing internal communications during a crisis.

07:50 Terry says that he and David were remiss to have neglected discussing internal communications when talking about crisis communications on Inside PR #33.

09:10 David thinks that employees are far more savvy than employers give them credit for. David agrees that writing is the most important skill for PR practitioners.

12:10 The next call comes from Francis Wooby from Iqaluit, who makes a very good point in his comment about the important role listening in the PR professional’s arsenal of skills.

13:40 Terry agrees with Francis that listening skills are crucial to the makeup of a good PR practitioner. David echoes Terry’s view and emphasizes active listening, showing an interest, understanding, trying to clarify what they’re saying, etc. He adds that PR practitioners should be able to take the time to reflect upon a question and get back to people with sound advice, as opposed to reflex answers that can turn out to be unsound.

18:22 Dan York calls in with a number of items to discuss. Among them: Dan enjoys the show, likes the Canadian-isms on the show, recommends making the Inside PR logo more readily available, and has a recommendation for Inside PRoper English.

20:50 David and Terry share their thoughts on Dan’s comments.

24:40 Tyler Leisher, a college student, calls in asking for advice on PR education. David thinks that MBA’s are cool, but he can’t recommend doing one over getting a PR education. Terry thinks that it’s important that PR practitioners gain a better understanding of business, finance, marketing, and everything else involved in running a business. Terry and David have a lengthy discussion about the uses of business knowledge in public relations.

36:45 Andrew Findlater calls in with a short message on message training.

39:30 Terry thanks Andrew for his comment, and congratulates him and National PR on being named Marketing Magazine’s Agency of the Year. He adds that what Andrew meant to say was that two Visa member-bank employees were discussing interest rates, as it is the banks who set the rates, not Visa.

41:20 Terry talks about a clip he often uses in media training. David talks about his experience with spokesperson training.

48:53 Inside PRoper English for the week: that vs. who

49:50 David closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcomes listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR #35 – Tuesday, November 28, 2006

• • Awards, Inside PR, PR, Show Notes

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This week on Inside PR, Terry and David have a discussion about the PR stunt. They welcome comments from Julia Stein and Sallie Goetsch. They play Chris Clarke‘s comment for this week. Finally, Terry does his segment of Inside PRoper English.

Show Notes

00:27 David introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

01:17 Terry mentions the podcast he recorded with Shel Holtz and released as an IPR Special Edition.

04:30 David talks about the Canadian Institute’s New Media for Communications conference, which is taking place November 28th and 29th. Terry and David will both be speaking at the event.

06:30 David introduces and Terry reads a comment on the blog from Sallie Goetsch (rhymes with sketch).

09:30 David introduces a listener comment from Julia Stein, a colleague of David’s from Fleishman Hillard. She asks two questions: one about writing, and the other about leadership.

12:10 Terry recommends not only writing a lot but also reading a lot to improve writing skills. David tells a story about his own writing.

15:15 David says that leadership is parts maturity, confidence, and experience.

17:20 Terry mentions that you can learn just as much from people who you don’t see eye-to-eye with than from those you consider mentors.

19:20 Terry tells a story about leadership from his time in university.

20:00 This week’s major topic for discussion: the role of stunts in PR. Terry thinks that stunts play a smaller role than most people assume in PR, and that they should be used as a tactic, not a strategy. Terry talks about a stunt he and David worked on many years ago.

22:40 David talks about the stunt as a means for a quick hit.

25:25 Terry points out that the public view is that the stunt is all there is to PR. He notes that the stunt is ususally what gets the most attention from the media, which makes the public view it as the only part of a campaign instead of one aspect of a campaign.

27:06 David advises to use stunts wisely. He also points out that award-winning campaigns often revolve around stunts, which he considers unfortunate.

29:13 David introduces and plays Chris Clarke‘s segment for the week.

34:20 Inside PRoper English for the week: tricky singular forms

36:00 Terry closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcomes listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR #34 – Tuesday, November 21, 2006

• • Inside PR, PR, Show Notes

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This week on Inside PR, Terry and David have a discussion about what skills transfer best from another sector into PR. They play Chris Clarke‘s comment for this week. Also, Terry does his segment of Inside PRoper English. Finally, Terry and David play a skit from Luke Armour.

Show Notes

00:27 Terry introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

01:17 Terry starts off by talking about the Shel Holtz/Toronto Third Tuesday event.

03:10 David talks about the Canadian Institute’s New Media for Communications conference, happening on November 28th and 29th. Terry and David will both be speaking at the event, along with a slew of other Canadian social medialites.

05:58 David brings up the ads running on a number of Canadian PR blogs from Canada News Wire, including his own.

08:48 Terry introduces a listener comment from Scott McDonald about negative blog comments. David thinks that negative comments are better expressed on your blog than out in the open. He adds that sometimes blogs aren’t the right answer. Terry agrees with David and says that negative comments are easy to respond to on a blog.

15:20 Terry brings up this week’s topic: the skills required when transferring from a different field into PR. David says that the risk of hiring someone from another discipline into PR are high. He advises that those considering such a change understand the PR industry before attempting to make the switch.

18:30 David thinks the core skills of PR are, first and foremost, writing, then strategic thinking, creativity, multitasking, and the ability to work under pressure. Terry adds that there are not as many good writers out there as people think. He says that it’s difficult to teach a bad writer ow to be a good writer.  It is possible to teach a good writer to be better. One important skill that Terry adds is common sense (which is not very “common” at all).

21:25 Terry thinks that the ability to speak and have a presence is important.

22:23 David used to think that the best PR people were the total package, but now comes to believe that there are 3 clearly defined roles: practitioners, managers, and leaders.

24:00 Terry’s final trait is the ability to connect with other people.

27:11 David wraps it up: the ability to write, the ability to think, and the ability to connect with people.

27:45 Terry introduces and plays Chris Clarke‘s segment for the week.

30:00 Inside PRoper English for the week: that and which.

32:40 David closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcome listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

33:40 Luke Armour has graciously sent along the following skit he put together lampooning the PR podcasting community. The Virtual Geek Dinner.   Hilarious!

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR #33 – Tuesday, November 14, 2006

• • Inside PR, Media relations, PR, Show Notes

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This week on Inside PR, Terry and David have a discussion about crisis communications. They welcome an audio comment from Bryan Person. They play Chris Clarke‘s comment for this week. Finally, Terry does his segment of Inside PRoper English.

Show Notes

00:27 David introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

01:17 David starts off with housekeeping. He talks about the music poll and mentions that the “no music” tally is leading the “add music” tally.

02:22 Terry talks about the latest Toronto Third Tuesday event with Shel Holtz.

03:52 Terry reads this week’s first listener comment from Steven in China.

04:53 Bryan Person drops in with an audio comment this week. Terry and David discuss his comment with reference to the Environics case, crayon and Second Life, and how unforgiving the blogosphere can be for those who don’t play by the rules.

15:30 Terry starts this week’s talk on crisis communications. Terry says that every good organization should have some kind of a crisis communications plan.

17:45 David thinks it’s important to differentiate between a crisis communications plan and a crisis plan.

19:25 Terry thinks it’s possible for an organization to come out of a crisis stronger and more respected for their ability to handle it.

23:30 Terry adds that deciding whether the organization actually owns the crisis is key. Organizations should not own crises that don’t belong to them. He says that moving quickly and looking like you’re moving quickly are both extremely important.

27:27 David adds that the media will get their information one way or another. The media can get the spokesperson to speculate at times, and if not they are capable of finding a third party who can speculate for them.

29:48 David introduces and plays Chris Clarke‘s segment for the week.

32:50 Inside PRoper English for the week: led and lead.

34:43 Terry closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcomes listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR #32 – Tuesday, November 7, 2006

• • Agency Life, Comments, Inside PR, PR, Show Notes, social media

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This week on Inside PR, Terry and David have a discussion about a recent Toronto Star article featuring a Toronto PR agency and its blog monitoring service. They welcome audio comments from Maggie Fox and Luke Armour. They also play Chris Clarke‘s comment for this week. Finally, Terry does his segment of Inside PRoper English.

Show Notes

00:27 Terry introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

01:17 Terry starts off with a little housekeeping. David and Terry talk about Michael O’Connor Clarke joining Thornley Fallis.

03:10 David talks about the redesign of Inside PR’s blog page.

04:58 David brings up the possibility of having music on the show. He and Terry have a short discussion and invite listeners to check out the blog page and vote on the poll.

06:01 Michael Seaton has launched The Client Side Podcast.

07:30 Terry talks about Richard Millington, who is searching for his replacement at work through his blog.

09:26 David talks about the latest Geek Dinner, hosted by Mitch Joel in Toronto>

0:57 Listener comments begins with Michelle Sullivan, who comments on the show where Terry and David talked about RFPs, and sends along an article about agencies charging potential clients for RFPs.

18:53 David introduces a comment from Maggie Fox from the Social Media Group. She is referring to this article in the Toronto Star.

22:30 The discussion on Maggie’s comment has spilled over to David’s blog. David thought that, for the most part, Environics wasn’t making a huge effort to become a part of the conversation. He wonders if a person can be an expert on blogging without having a blog of their own.

27:11 Terry thinks that if a PR firm is to be quoted in the newspaper as an authority about blogging but isn’t seen to be fully engaged in social media, bloggers will have their say about it.

30:11 David thinks that bloggers are fairly sensitive to claims being made about their areas of expertise. He says that it truly is an extension of a person’s thoughts. David wants to point out that he changed his post to reflect the comments from Bruce McLellan from Environics.

32:36 Terry introduces and plays Chris Clarke‘s segment for the week.

35:19 Luke Armour drops in with an audio comment.

38:18 Inside PRoper English for the week: “presently”

40:35 David closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcomes listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR #31 – Tuesday, October 31, 2006

• • Inside PR, Media relations, PR, Show Notes

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This week on Inside PR, Terry and David have a discussion about internal communications. They welcome an audio comment from Kansas City Chris as well as a host of other written comments. They also play Chris Clarke‘s comment for this week. Finally, Terry does his segment of Inside PRoper English.

Show Notes

00:27 David introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

01:41 Terry kicks off listener comments with Owen Lystrup. He talks about music on Inside PR, and he and David discuss how they might use music in the future.  Terry mentions he likes the way Mark Blevis and Bob Goyetche use brief music stingers to signal a new topic within their Canadian podcast Buffet show.

05:42 David introduces an audio comment from Chris from Kansas City, talking about the RFP process from the client perspective.

09:06 Terry reads Ian Ketcheson‘s comment on the Garth Turner matter.

10:51 Francis Wooby weighs in on the Garth Turner matter as well.

12:11 Terry kicks off this week’s topic, internal communications. He thinks that internal communications is often neglected , relegated to HR, and is rarely about engagement.

14:16 David believes that some companies do it well, but he thinks that some companies might divide internal and external communications into different camps, which could cause some confusion within an organization.

17:23 Terry thinks that quick growth within an organization can be a factor with internal communications. Going from a handful of employees to hundreds in a short period of time can mean communicating to many with methods originally intended for communicating with few.

19:24 David thinks there’s a vast difference between communicating with employees and engaging with employees.

21:00 Terry concludes that internal and external communications should be interwoven.

22:00 David challenges anyone out there to find a communications plan that deals first with internal communications and external communications second.

25:15 Terry introduces and plays Chris Clarke‘s segment for the week.

28:18 Inside PRoper English for the week: complement and compliment.

30:20 Terry closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcome listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR #30 – Tuesday, October 24, 2006

• • Agency Life, Comments, Inside PR, PR, Show Notes

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This week on Inside PR, Terry and David have a discussion on the three most dreaded letters in the PR industry: RFP. They have a short chat about the Edelman/Wal-Mart case, and Terry talks about his and Chris’ time at Fanshawe College, about which they welcome a comment from Megan Zinn. They also play Chris Clarke‘s comment for this week. Finally, Terry does his segment of “Inside PRoper English.”

Show Notes

00:27 Terry introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

02:10 Terry talks about a comment to the show blog from Megan Zinn. Part of her comment relates to Terry and Chris’ visit to Fanshawe College. Here is the link to the class blog.

03:58 David brings up Garth Turner, who has been painted as an MP fired for blogging. Terry contends that he was not fired for blogging, but for what he said on his blog, which if said elsewhere, in an interview or op-ed or elsewhere, would have led to the same result anyway.

08:59 David mentions that Terry and he had dinner with Joseph Jaffe and C.C. Chapman in Toronto last Thursday night. They talk about their new company, called crayon.

13:10 David brings up the Edelman/Wal-Mart situation. He feels that Edelman’s spokesbloggers could have said something, even if it was nothing more than letting interested parties know that they’re looking into the situation. David also says that he wonders why a policy wasn’t put in place after their last mistake. Terry talks about how big Edelman is and how that relates to the problem.

21:17 Terry brings up this week’s major topic for discussion: the request for proposal, or RFP. Terry doesn’t believe that the RFP process regularly accomplishes the goal the client has in mind: to find the best agency for the job.

22:50 David can understand why clients use RFPs. He says that the best agency is probably the busiest, and that the busiest agency might be too busy to submit a proposal. He talks about the one time he put out an RFP during his time on the client side of PR, which turned out to not be an RFP at all.

26:28 Terry talks about how a written proposal cannot convey intangibles, like team chemistry and creativity. He says that it’s a ton of work for the agency, and offers an example of how one RFP he worked on did not win the business, because it turned that the RFP was just a cover to legitimize the selection of the agency the client had wanted to hire in the first place.

30:24 David and Terry offer advice to clients on how to put out RFP’s to make life easier for both clients and agencies alike. Terry invites any comments from listeners about RFPs.

32:50 Terry introduces and plays Chris Clarke‘s segment for the week.

36:40 Inside PRoper English for the week: enervate.

37:56 David closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcomes listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR #29 – Tuesday, October 17, 2006

• • Agency Life, Comments, Inside PR, Media relations, PR, Show Notes

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This week on Inside PR, David returns from illness to co-host the show with Terry. They have a discussion about whether the PR agency consultant should ever act as spokesperson for their client. Also, they feature this week’s contribution from Chris Clarke and also play an audio comment from Francis Wooby. Finally, Terry does his segment of “Inside PRoper English.”

Show Notes

00:33 David introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

01:13 Terry mentions that there were no comments from last week’s solo-show sans David.

01:52 David brings up tonight’s Toronto Third Tuesday event, where the crowd welcomes Matthew Ingram, technology reporter/blogger from the Globe and Mail. Also, Terry explains his position on the journalist as blogger.

05:18 Terry makes another Third Tuesday Toronto announcement: Shel Holtz will be joining us in November. More information to come – stay tuned.

05:58 David talks about the new marketing agency, spearheaded by Joseph Jaffe. He announces it on his podcast this week.

09:11 Terry mentions that he and Chris Clarke visited Fanshawe College on Monday in London, Ontario.

09:44 C.C. Chapman will be in Toronto this week.

11:02 David starts this week’s chat on the agency representative as spokesperson for a client.

12:23 Terry says that he is not a supporter of the agency speaking on behalf of a client unless there is no alternative.

15:11 David thinks that under certain circumstances it’s admissable, but he has his own opinions on how to represent oneself as the spokesperson.

18:30 David brings out the Canadian Public Relations Society code of ethics. Terry calls for full disclosure always.

20:49 Terry brings up Edelman and Wal-Mart’s blogger relations campaign from this past year. He also says that clients should be their own spokespeople, unless as a last resort. This brings them to talk about the latest Edelman/Wal-Mart issue.

26:32 David introduces and plays Chris Clarke‘s segment for the week.

29:25 Inside PRoper English for the week, with a little help from Francis Wooby: 360 degrees vs. 180 degrees and the word “decimate.”

34:21 Terry closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcomes listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.

Inside PR #28 – Wednesday, October 11, 2006

• • Agency Life, Comments, Inside PR, PR, Show Notes

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This week on Inside PR, Terry is flying solo as David languishes under the weather. David should be fully recovered and at the mic for IPR #29.  Terry adds “government” and “not-for-profit” to the “agency vs. client side” debate after a comment from Colin McKay. He welcomes an audio comment from Bryan Person, and comments from Owen Lystrup, Gary Schlee and Omar Ha-Redeye. Also, he plays this week’s contribution from Chris Clarke. Finally, Terry does his segment of “Inside PRoper English“.

Show Notes

00:33 Terry introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.

01:39 Terry welcomes the listeners from Radio Talent Zoo.

03:12 Terry introduces an audio comment from Bryan Person.

06:58 Terry talks about a comment from Owen Lystrup.

08:29 Terry welcomes a comment from Gary Schlee of Centennial College’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program.

09:46 Omar Ha-Redeye from Centennial College comments on the “agency vs. client side” debate.

10:50 Terry starts this week’s topic by reading Colin McKay‘s comment on last week’s show. Colin talks about “government” and “not-for-profit” areas of PR in the “agency vs. client side” debate. On his blog, he makes the case for working on the government side of PR. Terry spends a few minutes talking about the advantages of working for government.

17:44 Terry spends some time talking about the not-for-profit sector of PR.

21:02 Terry wraps up the discussion and advises young PR professionals to do their research and examine each sector individually.

21:45 Terry introduces and plays Chris Clarke‘s segment for the week.

25:54 Inside PRoper English for the week: “less” vs. “fewer”

26:25 Terry closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, he welcomes listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.

Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.