Introduction

This site is dedicated to sharing articles, ideas and challenging the way we think about how corporate communications and PR will change in the future; to prompt a dialogue toward developing new models and strategies for leveraging the effectiveness of PR, using innovative technology (Internet) and understanding trends in the media.

Note: All material on this web site is copyrighted.

How Technology and Research are Changing Communications

• Information Preparedness: An Integrated Model for Communication in the Information Age
  How should we begin to think about the Corporate Communications function, considering the growing influence of technology and changes in world of media and communications generally? What is your view of what a Communications department will look like in 10-15 years? Can we use this futurist perspective to help us be more innovative and creative in developing strategy, structure, staffing and overall effectiveness?
  (This article previously appeared in Strategic Communication Management magazine, and has been published in several overseas publications).

• Information Preparedness: Harnessing Technology
  Communications is no longer a "nice thing to do." It is a business imperative.
  (This book chapter appeared in Practical Public Affairs in an Era of Change: A Cutting Edge Communications Guide for Government, Business, and College, Public Relations Society of America, January 2003.)

Annuals — Your Strategic Communications Plan

• Unleashing the Power of the Modern Annual Report
  The Annual represents one of the best and most unique communications opportunities you have to distribute a controlled message to your various stakeholders about your company's vision, values and strategic direction. Use it creatively, and you can unleash a powerful tool in your communications arsenal that is largely unrecognized and untapped.
  
  This article published in Strategic Communications Management magazine in 2005 is based on a presentation to the World Federation of Exchanges, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Conference, November 29-30, 2004

• Redefining the Role of the Annual Report
  Companies today lack a clear understanding of the Annual's role in corporate strategy. They also fail to recognize the critical value it can play in providing a road map of key messages that the company can use in their external and internal activities.
  (This article was previously published in IABC's Communication World magazine, March 2001.)

Planning, Budgeting and Demonstrating ROI

• Selling the Corporate Communication function and budget
  How to measure, quantify results and sell the value of their function to senior management or ROI (return on investment) is one of the biggest challenges corporate communication professionals face. Here you find some tangible ideas from a front-line practitioner. (This article was published in Strategic Communication Management magazine, October/November 2004.)

Advertising Trends

• Future Sold
  Technology has already transformed the world into groups of data gatherers and data integrators, who are only constrained by bandwidth and supercomputers. Mass marketing will soon be replaced by on-demand advertising, rapidly skipping over the push for Internet ads vs. print. This interview published in Australia's Followgentlemen magazine, 2005, discusses what's within reach in the world of advertising.

Writing is a Thought Process

• Becoming an Effective Business Writer
  Writing effectively is not an academic exercise, it is a business imperative. If that's true, why do we have such a hard time getting our ideas down on paper?

How to Pay for Healthcare Reform

• How to Pay for Health Care
  Spiraling health care costs threaten the competitiveness of U.S. companies and the economy's long-term prospects, with current projections estimating that healthcare will consume 20% of the U.S. gross domestic product by 2015. Ironically, the single biggest cause of this growing expense (one third of every dollar spent) is not on the delivery of healthcare itself, but the highly manual, paper-intensive processing of these medical transactions and payments between health insurers and medical-service providers. This article published in The Washington Times, February 2008, addresses how to automate and cut healthcare costs.

Redefining the Role of PR Trade Groups

• A Compelling Vision: An Agenda for Reform
  It would be a mistake and simplistic to think that the only challenge facing PRSA is one of broadened representation. The use of Accreditation as a barrier to leadership in the organization is only symptomatic of the larger issue of PRSA's continuing relevance as a trade organization.
  (This letter was previously published on the PRSA Web site, September 2003.)

• A Member Writes: "It's Time for PRSA to Change Course"
  In April's issue of PR Tactics, one article focused on how to retain senior professional involvement in PRSA and another tried to explain PRSA's professional certification program. Since these issues are linked, I'd like to offer a perspective.
  (This letter was previously published in PRSA's Tactics newsletter and on the PRSA Web site, July 2003.)

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