3?  Just a measly 3?  C’mon, already. I mean, when you think of every foot that’s been unceremoniously shoved into its corresponding mouth during this entire year, how could you possibly limit the list to just 3?

But, as a communications professional, I will attempt to fulfill the mission as assigned by the stern taskmistress who runs the show here at the Insider…starting with:

#3: The Governor of Texas Can’t Count to 3
Gaffe: During a November GOP debate in Washington, DC, Rick Perry (the ever-so-momentarily leading contender to challenge President Obama) stated in no uncertain terms that when HE becomes president, his first order of business will be to eradicate three federal agencies: Commerce, Education, and…uhhhhhhh…the, uhhhh….

Lesson: (eesh, where to start?) If you’re gonna be specific, you’d better be…well…specific. If you’re gonna make inflammatory, controversial statements, you’d better be able to back them up. If you’re gonna prove that you’re smart enough to be the next President of the United States, you’d better be able to count past two. Read More »

It’s the old 80/20 rule come to life once again. I’ve been in communications for the past two decades (scary to think!) and in my opinion, 80% of the change in our business has come in the last 20% of that time.

In just the past 3-4 years, the communications function is SO different.  There are some obvious on-the-surface reasons why this is the case (the ever-more “socially-mediated” information environment, the rise of mobile communication, our daily/hourly/minutely dependence on the internet).

But there are also some below-the-surface sociological/psychological reasons as well (increasing scientific evidence that people are learning, thinking, and making decisions differently than just a few years ago).

Which is why it’s both rewarding–and essential–that CEC (Communications Executive Council) is also very different than it was just a few years ago. Read More »

As a former journalist, ohhhhhh how I HATE media hyperbole. Don’t you? Every bad weather system that’s described as (this year’s) Storm of the Century…every one-day drop in the stock market that has investors reeling…every tragedy that forces local residents to rebuild the shattered pieces of their broken lives. Uhhhhhhgggh.

When I think about what’s become of the news business, I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or go out on the front lawn and start eating grass (isn’t that what animals do when they think they’re about to barf?).

But I gotta say — although you may already be getting a little queased-out from the relentless coverage of this Joe Paterno/Penn State story — for once, this ain’t hype.  This really is the biggest scandal in sports history. More than just another ringing bell for the Pavlov’s Dogs of Media to salivate over, this is a cautionary tale for EVERYONE in a position of authority at any big organization in the world.

Here’s a strong recommendation from your friends and colleagues at CEC: Use this moment as an opportunity to have an important discussion with your CEO.  Particularly if he (90+% chance it’s a he) is a football fan (gut guess on my part = there’s a 75+% chance he at least likes football).

All you have to do is ask him, “So, uhhhh, whadda ya think about the whole Paterno mess?”, then sit back and let him spew. Whatever he says next will enlighten both of you about his understanding of “the way things work” in today’s media environment.

Chances are you’ll get one of three responses: Read More »

When I was a kid, we had a piano in the house. It was an attractive piece of furniture in our family room. I say that, cause no one in our family knew how to play it (beyond say, “Chopsticks”).

But (for reasons which still elude me), we once had it professionally tuned. Now, I’d seen pianos being tuned before. It’s done electronically with a device that analyzes each note and indicates whether it’s flat or sharp. But the guy who tuned our piano had no device — cause he was totally blind.

Think about it. A blind piano tuner (watch the video). Born without sight, this guy’s hearing was so super-sensitive, he could immediately detect the slightest imperfection in each note, and adjust it back to pitch-perfect just by listening.

To him, an out-of-tune note is like a physical discomfort, and he’s the doctor who relieves patients of their pain.

In some ways, that’s what we communicators do. Only not with musical notes, but rather, with words. When we hear something that’s not right — we just know. It gets under our skin, and makes us uncomfortable. In some cases, it triggers our gag reflex and makes us wanna lose our lunch. And we’ve gotta fix it. Read More »

It’s the look.  The facial expressions give it away every time.

I’ve spent the past few months traveling the globe presenting our newest CEC study “Building a Change-Ready Organization” and as I talk to communicators around the world, I’ve personally witnessed the rapid change in expressions as virtually everyone simultaneously reaches the same three conclusions:

• In the decade ahead, the biggest difference between success and failure for most companies is the ability of their employees to adapt to change. (Yeah, I kinda knew that was true)
• The most important quality required to be change-ready is agility. (Sure, that only makes sense)
• Most companies are not really that agile. (I was kinda thinking we’re agile, but if we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve actually got a-ways to go).

But rather than just taking my word for it — decide for yourself.  We’ve come up with (and by “we,” of course, I mean our excellent senior research analyst Kayleigh O’Keefe doing all the hard work, with me just making a bunch of annoying word-suggestions) a brand-new CEC Agility Quiz.

Read More »

I’ve been in Comms long enough to remember the good old “spin control” era (for you young’uns…those were the glorious days when we used to believe we could “control the message”).  Ahhhh, them’s was some great times.

Back in the day* we used to think, “It’s not what you say…it’s how you say it!”

TRANSLATION: We communicators are crafty enough to be able to get our stakeholders to swallow just about anything, if we say it in just the right way.

Today, however, as we’ve entered a more stakeholder-centric, “the-people-control-the-message” era: ”It’s not what you say…it’s what people hear.”

This new reality requires us to make adaptations in our value proposition.  It’s not hard to do, and it’s SO well worth the mental effort.  Because once you shift your self-image as a communicator — away from thinking of yourself as a world-class wordsmith, to becoming an increasingly excellent interpreter of how things sound to people who don’t always “get” what we’re trying to accomplish — it’s amazing what kinds of results you can create. Read More »

Favorite summer activities: lounging poolside enjoying a long summer read, hanging freshly-washed linens on the backyard line, competing in triathlons.

Favorite line from Step Brothers: “Son, we literally have never done ANY of those things.”

OK, perhaps I’m waxing nostalgic about summer activities that exist only in my mind (y’oughta join me in here some time, it’s fun!) but reading a book or two between now and Labor Day isn’t out of the question, right?

Maybe it’s more likely to happen in seat 11C on a flight to Chicago than in a private cabana at The Mirage, but still…as a lifelong communicator, if you’re looking to enrich your spirit and expand your library, here are a few titles I can personally recommend:

What the Dog Saw
OK, I’m a sucker for Malcolm Gladwell, and I’d read his grocery list if they published it.  His fourth title is more a collection of New Yorker essays than a composed book (like “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” or “Outliers”) but it’s still a great read. And you’ll never think of ketchup in the same way again. (coincidentally also on his grocery list) Read More »

I’ve never been in the military.  That’s a good thing. For me…for America…for mankind.  If World War III ever breaks out, I hope they need a decent bugle player — ’cause that’s the only vaguely Army-ish thing I can do that wouldn’t result in some kind of horrible friendly-fire tragedy.

But one thing I remember hearing from my Dad, my uncles, and other true patriots who are better-suited for cammo and ammo than I — is a lesson some progressive Comms practitioners are beginning to realize:

No battle plan ever survived the first shot.

Hey, sure…you can do all the planning, plotting and strategizing you want — if it makes you feel better. But if you seriously think that anything prepared at the beginning of the year will carry your Comms strategy all the way through the next 12 months, then perhaps you’ve been standing a little too close to the bomb range (as my Uncle Benny might say).

Some of the smartest Heads of Communications I know are asking themselves, “What if — instead of working so hard to create the perfect Comms annual plan — we honestly admit that the most strategic thing we could do is to work WITHOUT a formalized plan?”

Now that’s radical. Read More »

Fear kills.

Think of all the phobias that are directly responsible for sub-optimal results at big companies.

The fear of making a decision (often described in government agencies as “paralysis by analysis”). Liticaphobia, the fear of getting sued (also known as “G.C. ya later”). And the one that afflicts far too many organizations — kakorrhaphiophobia.  Fear of the “F” word.  Failure.

At CEC, we’re currently studying why some companies are more successful during times of change than others.  Why are some companies are more adaptable, better able to adjust to their ever-changing environment?  What are the traits and qualities that make some companies more agile than others?

Here’s one hypothesis we’re testing right now – I’m really curious to get your reaction:

Is it possible that one essential element of being great at change, is being unafraid of failure? Read More »

What’s so damned funny about water, barley, hops and yeast?  Apparently, just about everything.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love an icy cold one as much as the next guy  — and that guy happens to be my old college roommate, Earl.  But when I analyze how the big beverage companies communicate to the world, it’s increasingly apparent that their (not-quite-said-out-loud) message is:

“If you’re a dude, and you wanna have fun — your go-to move is to drain a few racks of [insert billion-dollar beer brand name here].”

Did you watch the Super Bowl this year?  Seemed like half the commercials were for beer, and most of them were designed to appeal to a juvenile, goofball, male sense of humor. True confession: Commercials like that make me laugh.  LMAO.  And if that’s the goal, then…mission accomplished.  I love humor that’s as bawdy, sophomoric, and jejune as it comes.

Problem is:  so does my 17-year old son, and most kids like him.

And therein lies the question:  Who’s the target audience for these commercials?  The big brewing companies will tell you “they are aiming exclusively at adults aged 21+.”  And they’ll also tell you they spend hundreds of millions on their corporate responsibility campaigns.  Hey, I’m not saying they don’t.

But if you spend billions on messaging that encourages behavior that often ends up causing immeasurable human tragedy, then you justify it by spending (let’s be fair and say) one-tenth that amount on messaging that urges caution when engaging in those same behaviors — what does that make you? Read More »