communications — Get In Front Communications

7 communication gems from the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher

by Susan Young at 5:31 pm Leave a Comment

Long before the Iron Chef was the buzz, the world had the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.

The first woman to serve as prime minister of Great Britain passed away today after suffering a stroke.

Margaret Thatcher is being remembered around the world as a pioneer for women and politics. Some have called Lady Thatcher divisive and influential, noting her communication style and leadership.

The Guardian, a London Daily, described the 87-year-old as “the most dominant British prime minister since Winston Churchill in 1940 and a global champion of the late 20th century free market economic revival.”

Thatcher, a conservative and close ally of President Ronald Reagan, served from 1979 until 1990. She was the longest-serving prime minister of the postwar era.

Here are seven quotes that capture the essence of Mrs. Thatcher’s philosophy, values, and communication.

1. “Of course, it is the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story.”

2. “In politics if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.”

3. “You don’t tell deliberate lies, but sometimes you have to be evasive.”

4. “If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time and you would achieve nothing.” — May 3, 1989, commenting on her 10th anniversary as prime minister.

5. “To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the U-turn, I have only one thing to say: You turn if you want to. The lady’s not for turning.” —At a Conservative Party conference, 1980

6. “I don’t mind how much my minister’s talk, as long as they do what I say.”

7. “Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country.” —1979

Finally, actress Meryl Steep who portrayed Margaret Thatcher in the Oscar-winning movie, The Iron Lady, said today: “She was a figure of awe for her personal strength and grit.”

(Image via)

Filed Under: Interviews, Leadership, Margaret Thatcher, Politics, Women Tagged With: Attitude, Business, communications, communicators, credibility, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Great Britain, interviews, Iron Lady, Leadership, Margaret Thatcher, media, Meryl Streep, message, Motivation, Politicians, politics, Ronald Reagan, Self-Confidence

8 classic quotes from New York Mayor Ed Koch

by Susan Young at 3:54 pm Leave a Comment

The beloved former Mayor of New York City, Ed Koch passed away early today.

He may be gone, but he leaves behind a trove of sound bites and quotes for us to enjoy.

Koch was a three-term mayor in New York (1978-1989), a time defined by near financial ruin, government corruption, and AIDS. He was an author and activist. He even appeared on The People’s Court.

A man who often asked people, ”How’m I doin’?,” Koch has been described as acid-tongued, feisty, and pretentious. He was an iconic New Yorker.

I remember Ed Koch’s press conferences and interviews being laced with ‘ah’s’ and ‘ums’. These are the cardinal sins of Toastmasters and professional speakers.

But for Ed Koch, his vocal habits weren’t sinful. They defined him as being real. Mayor Koch spoke his mind. There was nothing tricky about him. Koch’s press conferences showed him without a jacket, sporting a wrinkled shirt, and rolled-up sleeves. Watch out.

Maybe you followed him on Twitter @Mayoredkoch

Here are some classics to shed light on how Mayor Koch communicated and lived:

1. “I know many writers who first dictate passages, then polish what they have dictated. I speak, then I polish. Occasionally I do windows.”

2. “You punch me, I punch back. I do not believe it’s good for one’s self-respect to be a punching bag.”

3. “Tone can be as important as text.”

4. His advice to young people: “Enjoy what you’re doing or don’t do it. That doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult or won’t challenge you, but if you are involved in something that’s causing you to say, ‘Why am I doing this?’ then you’re in the wrong business.”

5. The Mayor, who had never married, was asked by reporters about his sexuality. His response: ”My answer to questions on this subject is simply, ‘F— off.’ There have to be some private matters left.”

6. Koch’s spokesman George Arzt remembered Hizzoner’s sense of humor. “I got into the car and said I couldn’t believe how a kid who grew up in Williamsburg was now sitting next to the mayor. Then the mayor said: “Oh shut, up. Everybody comes from somewhere.”

7. In one of his last interviews, Koch told Vanity Fair Magazine: “At age 88, I wake up every morning and say to myself, ‘Well, I’m still in New York. Thank you, God.’”

8. In 1983, Mayor Koch bought a burial plot at the Trinity Church Cemetery. It was the only cemetery in Manhattan that still had space. Koch, who was Jewish, told the Associated Press: ”I don’t want to leave Manhattan, even when I’m gone. This is my home. The thought of having to go to New Jersey was so distressing to me.” Soon after he purchased the burial plot, Mayor Koch had an engraved marker placed at the site. It has the last words of slain journalist Daniel Pearl: ”"My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish.”

Rest in peace, Mayor Koch.

(Image via)

Filed Under: Communication, Interpersonal Relationships, Leadership, media, Self-Confidence Tagged With: Communication, communications, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Interpersonal Communication, interviews, Leadership, listening, Mayor Ed Koch, media, message, New York, News, politics, PR, Press conference, rapport, reporters, Self-Confidence, Success, Writing

What does social media mean to you?

by Susan Young at 8:00 pm 3 Comments

Communication, conversation, and connection.

These are just a few of the words used by 10 Twitter stars who I asked to define social media. Don’t mind the abbreviations; the goal was to offer a definition in 140 characters or less.

Feel free to comment below and share your own 140 character snippet.

1. SM allows me to participate in discussions about entrepreneurship that I hope will one day change the world. I also get to give back. @BrianMoran

2. Social=meaning friendly gathering. Media=form of communication. Reminding us to gather friendly when we communicate with others. @JessicaNorthey

3. SM has totally shifted the way that small & large businesses connect with audience. It is about the hand shake, conversation, relationship online. @MamaBritt

4. Social Media = Global Diversity – The ability to have a local, national or global & inclusive conversation. Do you have what it takes? @FleeJack

5. Social media is a great way to share insight & connect with people globally. It’s the perfect give & get communications medium. @Rieva

6. Welcome to the ‘Age of Influence,’ where anyone can build an audience, build relationships, effect change… and make a difference. @TedRubin

7. Social media is a great way to connect and inspire your target audience. It is also a great place to build real relationships with those you want. @RayHigdon

8. It’s an opportunity to ‘meet’ people you would have never met otherwise, to share what you know and learn some too! @LeadToday

9. SM is an unprecedented opportunity 2 elevate/expand ur influence. Each tweet/share is a chance 2B more informed, amazed & appreciative. @AngelaMaiers

10. SM gives me the ability to make wonderful connections with people that would be all but impossible in an analog world. @MackCollier

Be sure to follow these folks on Twitter and other social channels. They are smart, savvy, and succinct!

Filed Under: Business, Interpersonal Relationships, networking, Online Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking Tagged With: Attitude, audience, business growth, Communication, communications, Conversation, customers, Interpersonal Communication, listening, message, rapport, Success, technology, Twitter

10 PR stars reveal secrets for social media success in 2013

by Susan Young at 4:25 pm 13 Comments

Want to kick-start your social media optimization in 2013? Of course you do.

I asked 10 distinguished PR and social media pros to share their views on how it can be done.

Here are their responses, with my appreciation for their insights!

Margo Mateas, Founder, The PR Trainer: “PR pros need to remember to take time to become part of the communities they want to reach, and not just engage in ‘driveby’ social media. It only takes a second to ‘Like’ someone else’s post or to leave a supportive comment. This strengthens trust and makes it more likely for them reciprocate the next time you’re promoting something.”

Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO, Pure Performance Communications: “Take the best of your communications past into 2013; your ethics, accountability, critical thinking and great communications skills. At the same time, be open to different types of engagement through social media, by experimenting and embracing new technology to build stronger relationships with stakeholders. You need to be 10 steps ahead to counsel senior executives about the changing media landscape, and on the same page with savvy, wired consumers to understand their preferences and to better serve their needs.”

Brad Phillips, Mr. Media Training, author, The Media Training Bible: 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview: “Few public relations professionals can keep up with all of the new social networking sites that seem to pop up on a monthly basis. So as a New Year’s resolution, PR pros should try to familiarize themselves with each of the platforms—and then commit to participating in the one that is most likely to help them reach their audiences and accomplish their goals.”

Amy D. Howell, CEO, Howell Marketing Strategies, LLC: “Our firm will be measuring how the social posts are driving more traffic to client websites and how that is helping their SEO. We have completed upgrades to client websites to include integration of social platforms.”

Jeff Domansky, The PR Coach & Principal, Peak Communications: ”I’m excited about 2013. It will be the year of the ‘visual.’ Whether you’re storytelling, blogging, content marketing, doing media relations or social PR, great pics and video will drive your success. And everything you do better work on mobile, too.”

Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs: “Focus less on what you think you ‘have’ to do to maintain a social presence. Focus more on what is meaningful for your brand.”

Stacey Acevero, Social Media Manager, Vocus/PRWeb: “Think about social media as a book, or a timeline of the story of your business. But it’s not storytelling, it’s telling a true story well–so write social media posts that inspire conversation, share thoughts and real outcomes that resonate with your audience. Be less ‘braggy’ and involve the insights of others in your PR story.”

Joan Stewart, aka The Publicity Hound: ”Recycle your content, create it in multiple formats, and share it on the social media sites. Example: Take a how-to blog post and turn it into an MP3, and then a video (record yourself offering 3 tips from the article), and then a slideshow for LinkedIn, and then a series of photos for a Pinterest board. Note to self: Do this in 2013 and stop creating content from scratch!”

Michael Cherenson, APR, Executive VP, Success Communications Group; 2009, Chair and CEO, PRSA: “Social media is public relations and today’s professionals, to better serve their clients and help advance their own careers, need to invest in training and learn how to re-learn the art of communications. Every public relations professional must become an active participant, native to various social media platforms. And PR pros need to recognize Google’s algorithm is now one of our most important publics; your content needs to entice your audience and Google’s search engine.”

Shonali Burke, Principal, Shonali Burke Consulting, Inc.: “I see far too many PR pros functioning in a bubble. Offline, they live and work in the bubble of the agency world, and online they don’t interact with people from different industries and walks of life. One of the best things about social media is the way it can connect you with just about anyone else in the world who is using that platform. It’s amazing what we can learn from people so very different from us. So as we embark on 2013, let’s rediscover what makes social media so wonderful-the ability to converse with literally just about anyone.”

Which piece of advice will you be focusing on in 2013?

Filed Under: Branding, Business, Online Marketing, PR, Public Relations, Social Media Tagged With: audience, Communication, communications, communities, content, customers, Engagement, Marketing, message, Mobile, optimization, Pinterest, PR, Public Relations, publicity, Relationships, SEO, Social Media, Success, technology, Video blogs, Visuals

Communicators: You are in sales

by Susan Young at 8:46 pm 4 Comments

Don’t be shocked, but marketing, PR, and communications pros are in sales.

Think about it.

We are:

Selling messages to clients
Selling ourselves to execs in the C-suite
Selling (pitching) stories to the media
Selling our time
Selling our intellectual capital
Selling our creativity
Selling access to our media and social contacts

To be a holistic business communicator, it’s time to stop selling and start building. Build your listening skills and relationships with prospects, the C-suite, colleagues, and reporters. We must move away from the “What can we get?” attitude to “What can we give?”

The holistic communicator

In a typical day, people are trying to get our e-mail addresses. They are trying to get us to sign-up for something. They are trying to get our hard-earned money. They are trying to get access to our personal information. They are often trying to get over on us. Get, get, get. This approach only brings short-lived success.

The flip side of get, get, get is give, give, give.

The most successful people in business are those who focus on what they can give to others, and not what they can get, get, get. High achievers are comfortable in deflecting attention away from themselves. These givers have absolute faith that by being tuned in to others, success will one day come to them. Individuals who live by this mindset aren’t in a hurry to get the deal. Instead, their priority is to build relationships and give value. The givers trust that they will be rewarded with abundance because that’s the way the universe works.

The proof of this is most evident in sales. When people in sales stop chasing money and shift their attention to genuinely helping a prospect, they won’t have to sell anything. Prospects will want to buy from them based on the generosity of the relationship.

Say what?

Our attention is a hot commodity.

The concept of silent listening is the genesis of holistic business. Silent listening requires us to mentally slow down and quiet the unrelenting soundtrack that plays in our heads 24/7. Silent listening requires our undivided attention, free of distractions, judgments, and response planning. It calls for us to be fully present and in the moment.

How many times have you asked someone a question that you were genuinely interested in and as soon as they responded, your mind was jumping around aimlessly with random thoughts?

These mental interruptions occur in a flash. They pull us away from conversations and leave us at a disadvantage as we miss important information that is essential to connecting with people.

For example, you are meeting with a prospect about doing PR for their credit union. Someone mentions that they have ‘service centers,’ not branches. If you write up a proposal to promote their 18 branches, you lose. A split second distraction becomes a costly lesson.

Silent listening is an essential business skill. It shows people that you are fully engaged, and care about the message.

Welcome to sales.

PS: I invite you to take a peek at my new Kindle book, published today!

Filed Under: Business, Communication, Communicators, listening, PR, sales Tagged With: Attitude, Business, business growth, Communication, communications, credibility, customer service, Interpersonal Communication, listening, Marketing, networking, PR, Public Relations, rapport, Relationships, The Badass Book of Social Media and Business Communication

Musings from a new 50-year-old

by Susan Young at 7:53 pm 11 Comments

Today’s my “big birthday.” 5-0.

I won’t reflect on ”Where did the time go?”

I won’t say 50 is the new 30. Gravity tells me otherwise.

I will say that this past week I have become remarkably indifferent about this birthday.

I was going to write a post such as, “50 things PR has taught me.” Or, ”50 snappy lessons from a 50-year-old.” Blah, blah, blah.

Instead, let’s go back 25 years. It’s 1987. On my 25th birthday, I sat in the den in the house I grew up in and talked with my mom.

When she expressed shock that I was 25 (and she wasn’t), I responded that I hadn’t accomplished much in 25 years. But of course, a mother’s wisdom emerged with this gem:

“You’ve been in school for most of your 25 years. It’s the next 25 years that will be more telling. G-dwilling, we should revisit this conversation when you’re 50. Then if you say that you haven’t done much, that’s a different story.”

Good point.

Today, I’m blessed that my parents are still with me and have seen my accomplishments these past 25 years. Naturally, they have been there for the rough patches, too. Which leads me to being grateful for my own two children, my husband, Andrew, my sisters, brother-in-law and their families. Throw in a big extended family, too.

As a 50-year-old, I will share this with you:

I checked the mirror this morning to make certain I didn’t wake up with a moustache. Mood swings: Stay tuned.
I have stopped short of cutting my hair like Jamie Lee Curtis.
I still get a peculiar look on my face when I look in the garage at my 2012 Hyundai Elantra. It’s a far cry from my first car, a 1981 Chevy Camaro.

It’s been a hell of a run these past 25 years.

Big plans for me? Not so much. I won’t be spending time trying to figure out what the next two decades may bring.

Instead, I’ll be busy taking a few deep breaths and enjoying the blessings of the moment.

Every day should be celebrated like this. It’s all I’ve got.

Filed Under: Communication, Interpersonal Relationships, Motivation, Self-Confidence, Success, Women Tagged With: Attitude, communications, Interpersonal Communication, Motivation, rapport, Relationships, Self-Confidence, Success

An open letter to people in a hurry

by Susan Young at 2:00 am 1 Comment

Dear Social Media,

I wanted to talk to you in person but it’s been too hard to nail you down. You seem to be all over the place. Sometimes it feels like your head is in the cloud (s). So instead, I decided to write this post.

To be honest, I am pretty damn disgusted with the time I’ve spent with you.

Yes, I have made wonderful connections with truly smart and good-hearted people throughout the world. You have brought knowledge and information to me that I never dreamed I would need— or want.

I’ve even been OK with the occasional auto responder DM I get on Twitter. If only someone would develop an app to stop this incessant spam and junk mail about Viagra, weight loss, and inheritances. I don’t have a penis, I’m perimenopausal, and the inheritance was spent in the 1990s.

But the real reason I am posting this is that I must know: When will I start seeing some R-O-I on my social media activities? I’m chatting, tweeting and Facebooking. I post videos. I have a book. I’m working my rear-end off.

It’s been six months of this ‘free’ strategy stuff. People are retweeting me, commenting on my blog, and becoming fans. But my Paypal and Shopping Cart are covered with cobwebs. I’ve barely made a plug nickel from all of this building trust and branding crap.

What gives, my friend? When do you step in and start showing me this is a two-way relationship?

@SueYoungMedia

Dear @SueYoungMedia,

I’m glad you got this out in the open. I’m all about communication.

How long does it take someone to make a best friend? I bet it’s more than a few conversations. You don’t keep track of the time you’ve invested in this friend. One day you may just realize that this person is your BFF.

How did it happen? Time. Patience. Trust. Comfort. Respect. Common interests.

How long will it take?

Put away the stop watch. Rip up the calendar page. If you’re super focused on the dust bunnies in your PayPal account, our friendship may need a break.

I don’t want to leave you high and dry, but if you are hell-bent on selling stuff, pay for an ad.

Right channel. Wrong pew.

Cheers.

Filed Under: ROI, Social Media, Social media measurement, Success Tagged With: communications, Marketing, ROI, Social Media, Success, technology

How to Dispel the Myth of Writer’s Block

by Susan Young at 1:17 pm 6 Comments

“Nametag Scott” (a.k.a. Scott Ginsburg) is not only an interesting guy to speak with; he’s an innovative businessman who has the courage to allow his creative and entrepreneurial instincts to thrive.

If you’re not familiar with him, Scott’s been wearing a nametag since he was in college, some 10 years ago. He says he walked out of a campus event, left his nametag on his shirt and people were suddenly quite friendly. They told him he was ”approachable.” And with that, Scott built an enterprise. He’s written 12 books, and is a professional speaker, consultant, and award-winning blogger. He also created NametagTV.com.

I recently interviewed Scott for my “Winning Ways” series on successful leaders. I’m happy to share his insights on creativity and the myth of writer’s block. Here’s Part 1 of our conversation:

The Endless Reservoir

“Writers block doesn’t exist. It’s a lie. There’s no such thing as writer’s block because writing is an extension of thinking, so you don’t have writer’s block you have thinker’s block. If you want to become a better writer, you need to become a better thinker. People ask me all the time how I come up with so many ideas and so much content. They complain they can’t find anything to write about. Are you kidding me?! Do you live on this planet?! It’s easy to get ideas. Creativity is nothing but active listening. That’s it. ….every morning I don’t decide what I’m going to write. I just listen for what wants to be written. That’s the challenge for anyone in any form of art. Just listen to what wants to be written. It’s everywhere; pay attention. There’s an endless reservoir of stuff to write about. No, I’ve never had writer’s block and I never will. It’s not because I’m an amazing writer. I make observations, I listen, I write everything down. I’ll always have a full reservoir.”

Not Everyone’s a Writer

“People have this misconception that writing is with your hand. Not at all. Remember that writing is an extension of thinking. You can talk on a video camera and then have it transcribed. Here’s another idea for non-writers. You can find someone who is great on riffing with you who has a somewhat comparable brain style. Sit down with them, turn on the Flipcam, give them a list of questions to ask you, and have them provoke you. That’s because you always say better stuff when you’re just chatting. Then have it transcribed. There are so many different ways of getting your thoughts on paper. It’s not about writing. It’s about thinking. Consider yourself as a thinker, find out how you can get what’s within your brain onto paper. There’s a million ways to do it that satisfies every learning style.”

Part Two: More with Nametag Scott and building business.

By the way, if you want to refine your communication skills and learn more about blogging, Social Media, PR, and sales, sign up for my 21-day free video series, “Speaking of Communication.”

(Photo Credit: Ethan Hein)

Filed Under: Blogging, Business, Communication, content, Creativity, listening, Motivation, Online Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, Success, Writer's Block Tagged With: audience, Blogging, blogs, business growth, Communication, communications, interviews, listening, message, Social Media, Video blogs, Writing

3 Key Communication Opportunities in Our Digital World

by Susan Young at 11:33 am 5 Comments

The digital and technological landscapes that we’re entrenched in bring exciting opportunities to our business, communication, and networking. Do I dare use the word game-changing? Sure I do.

Consider the 3 A’s:

Access: Social networking channels provide us with access to prominent leaders and experts like we have never experienced before. Millennials and Gen X/Gen Y folks may not remember this but for decades it was nearly impossible to “get the ear” of a CEO. The gatekeeper (receptionist/rejectionist) politely took a phone message that mysteriously dropped into the abyss. The line, ”I’ll give him your name and number” didn’t mean he’d ever call you back. You didn’t have to read too far into her words that this really meant, ”I’ll tell him and he’ll ignore you.” If you weren’t gunning for the CEO, cold-calling those who had purchasing power was also rough. The conversion rates and rejections were beyond harsh. Thankfully, things have changed. On Twitter, I’ve shared messages with prominent leaders in the PR and communications field. I’ve chatted online and offline with Suzy Welch, Gary Vaynerchuk, Patricia Fripp, and Bob Burg. That’s why it’s critical that our communication, identity and message are clear. We’re partying with the big boys. What are you conveying to them?

Attention: The way our brains are wired has not changed over time. Our digital world has significantly impacted how we process and focus on information. We pay attention in different ways than people did five years ago and certainly 25 years ago. Your ability to get someone’s attention in less than 1.8 seconds–and keep it for another 1.8 seconds–is critical. By way of our gadgets, we’re bombarded with multimedia messages that beg for our attention. Your written and verbal communication (hate to sound like the SAT’s) must be crisp and engaging. That’s because an infinite number of people have access to you (see Access). They may not be interacting just yet but they are watching. You have their attention. What are you doing with it? Are your messages compelling or crap? To help you gauge this, look back at your last 10 tweets or blog posts.

Abundance: Clearly there is an abundance of information that’s available at our fingertips. You can communicate with experts at all times of the day or night. The set of World Book Encyclopedia’s my family had when I was growing up didn’t provide us with that opportunity. Let’s combine access to movers and shakers, your ability to grab the attention of others, and the amount of knowledge you can acquire. The result is abundance. Our digital landscape offers you an abundance of relationships, opportunities, education, and prosperity.

Access, attention and abundance are here for you. Now all you have to do is take action. :)

(Photo Credit: Xinem)

Filed Under: Blogging, Business, Communication, content, listening, networking, Online Marketing, rapport, Social Media, Social Networking, Success, Writing Tagged With: Attitude, audience, Business, Communication, communications, Interpersonal Communication, message, networking, rapport, Self-Confidence, Social Media, technology, Twitter, Writing

The Broken Pieces of Breaking News and Social Media

by Susan Young at 2:39 pm 7 Comments

I recently interviewed Michelle Malkin, a syndicated columnist, author and Fox News Channel Contributor. Like me, she is from New Jersey. She’s also a mom, blogger and a humble woman who honed her journalism career by working in the trenches as a news reporter. Sounds awfully familiar.

She told me this is an exciting time in Social Media- especially with the unraveling of the traditional press. ”I think it’s the best thing that’s happened to the first amendment in my lifetime. I’ve straddled both worlds for quite a while now and started out in ‘dead tree journalism’ in 1992. I worked for the LA Daily News and the Seattle Times. I still have a syndicated column. But traditional media–the dinosaur media–has become less and less relevant as people discover they are not fulfilling their role as true watchdogs.”

A Dangerous Free-For-All

I embarked on this Social Media Revolution armed with a college degree in Mass Communication and 20 + years of news, PR and communication experience.

The one aspect of Social Media that makes me cringe is that so many mainstream people (those without formal news training or experience) have decided to become citizen journalists. They want to keep us on the collective “straight and narrow” because traditional media is unable or unwilling to be the media watchdogs. That’s honorable…IF you know what’s involved.

You must be responsible for the content that you write, blog, Tweet and deliver. The real-time pace of news in Social Media means that citizen journalists want to “break a story” or cite statistics without fact-checking for accuracy or attributing sources. There are no watchdog’s; it’s become a dangerous free-for-all.

There can not be a choice between accuracy and speed. The challenge is media wanna-be’s don’t truly understand what happens in a newsroom when there is breaking news. They lack the mindset, critical thinking skills and process that’s essential to the story and ultimately serving the public as a trusted news source.

Accuracy Equals Credibility

Michelle Malkin agrees. She points out that citizen journalists are often walking a fine line.

“The best check and balance is to hold people accountable for what they publish. If you look at citizen journalists and developments in the blogosphere, we have self-correcting mechanisms. We put ourselves out there on the line and all we have is our credibility. In the end people will either trust us or won’t trust us. We have to correct things when we’re wrong. We have to disclose things. There’s an immediacy in this 24/7 cycle that we respond to and react to in a way that the dinosaur media has not learned to do yet.”

Too many media executives are insulated from the pulse and pace of the new news cycle of Social Media. They refuse to be dynamic and creative leaders online. Instead they get caught up with lawyers, policy and outdated methods of delivering their product. The results are massive layoff’s, feeding the victim mentality of news staff, and plunging revenues. As media analyst Bernie Goldberg said, network news executives are their own funeral directors.

Where does that leave us? We must continue to tap into the creativity and talents of those willing to learn and apply technology. The most important lesson we can learn from the “dinosaur media” and apply to our Revolution is this: Accuracy must always come before speed. It’s not either/or. It’s both. In that order.

If you have to ask the question of which comes first, keep your day job.

Filed Under: Blogging, Communication, Leadership, News, Online Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Social Networking, Writing Tagged With: blog posts, Blogging, blogs, communications, credibility, Fox News Channel, interviews, media, Michelle Malkin, News, PR, Public Relations, reporters, Social Media, technology, Twitter, Writing

Specializing in social marketing and business communications training

7 communication gems from the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher

8 classic quotes from New York Mayor Ed Koch

Musings from a new 50-year-old

Susan at Ragan Communications

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