Vaccines are on the minds of many businesses, especially small and midsize employers. About two-thirds of small employers believe their employees should be vaccinated, and more than half receive questions about vaccinations. If you want to learn how to communicate vaccination mandates externally, this episode is for you. No politics. No position. Just one PR tip for when vaccine compliance is 100%. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021 

Confident Communications

157: Your Indestructible PR Tip for the Week is About Vaccinations

It only takes a few moments for people to form an opinion about you when they see you speak in public. If you nail it, your reputation is boosted. Bungle it - your reputation is at stake. If you want to appear confident on stage, you have to actually be confident in yourself. A challenge for nervous speakers. However, there are some tricks to help. Speaking coach Kerry Garbis discusses three effortless methods for capturing confidence on stage. Mentioned on the podcast:Kerri Garbis from Ovation - Get your speakers from the page to the stageEpisode 124: How to Speak with Impact: Tips for commanding the room with Allison ShapiraEpisode 18: The Secret to Being a Great Speaker Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021 

156: 3 Effortless Tricks To Be a More Confident Speaker with Kerri Garbis

In the week since an Amtrak train derailed in rural Montana, killing three people and injuring dozens more, federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the derailment.Despite the rarity of situations such as these, Amtrak needed a crisis plan to be ready at any moment. In this episode, we explore the first 48 hours of Amtrak&apos;s response to the Empire Builder derailment near Joplin, Montana. What communicators can learn from the rapid response of Amtrak and how they leveraged digital methods:  Media page on the website   CEO statement What was included in the statement and what was missing? Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021

155: The First 48 Hours: Amtrak’s Effective Crisis Response After the Derailment

What happens when an army of people begins to dig to solve a mystery? They quickly find answers. The intense interest in the Gabby Petito missing case (now murder) also led to an intense interest in discovering why the case became such a sensational news story.The answer: social media sleuthingYoung, social media-savvy women used TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to desperately get to the bottom of what happened to the 22-year-old who documented her travels to state and national parks with her boyfriend / fiancé Brian Laundrie for their YouTube channel and Instagram. The same desire to help find the Gabby Petito killer is also used to investigate any wrongdoing by a company, organization or leadership. In this episode, connecting true crime obsession to why communicators must be a little obsessed with the online digging of their customers. And why social media sleuthing can bring it all down quickly if you have something to hide.Three ways to mitigate and control the chaos when people decide to start digging around about your organization. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

154: Why Social Media Sleuthing Can Bring it All Down Quickly

We&apos;ve all done it.The email is written.The email is sent.The email is WRONG.Even though sending a mistake via email is a universal problem, the feeling of having an entire distribution list open that email and see your error will always feel like a kick in the gut.But it doesn&apos;t have to. What if there was a way to turn that slip into an opportunity to make you look even better?On the podcast, three quick and straightforward steps of recovery for backtracking when you sent the wrong email. In this post, I’ll highlight specific use cases to show you how to transform your mistake into an opportunity to earn the respect back from your email list.  Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts

153: How to Backtrack When You Send the Wrong Email

In this episode, how to use the backpedal in a PR response - but only if you really need to.  Exploring the use of this response tactic as a communication for self-defense. This tactic is used as a result of an incident in which a person&apos;s character is called into question or a perceived wrongdoing.   Listen to four examples from the last few weeks and the rating given for their reputation outcome: a thumbs up or thumbs down. We&apos;ll look at the response tactic, as it refers to the restoration and renewal of their image. Let&apos;s discuss how they rate on the use of the backpedal: John Mulaney Rachel HollisAlex Murdaugh OnlyFansMentioned on the podcast 129: How to Avoid the Excruciating Public Shaming from Cancel Culture: Lessons from Rachel HollisListen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021

152: How to Successfully Manage a PR Backpedal: Mulaney, Hollis, Murdaugh, and OnlyFans

From time to time, it is normal to be anxious when you are in front of a group of people. Whether it&apos;s in a group of people gathered at a work conference social hour or speaking alone on stage, being able to calm yourself in the moment is often easier said than done.If the body decides to show external signs of anxiety from being front to center, you need quick and simple tricks to calm it down.  On the podcast, useful and actionable tips that you can test next time you need to calm down quickly.Including: What to think. What to drink. What to do as soon as the anxiety sets in. Mentioned on the podcast: Episode 18: The Secret to Being a Great Speaker with Gina RazónEpisode 124: How to Speak with Impact: Tips for Commanding the Room with Allison Shapira Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021

151: 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Appear Easygoing When You're Nervous

Interviewing someone for a news story, video, or podcast can be extremely stressful. As an interviewer, part of your job - after you conducted your research - is knowing how to ask the right questions to get your source talking, while keeping them comfortable. To do that, an interviewer needs to understand how to listen well. The trick is listening in a way that gets your subject talking and sharing.  Before you jot down your notes or hit record on the conversation with your source, use these 10 listening tricks to get the most out of your interview. Including: Make eye contact. Be conversational. Listen for what isn&apos;t being said. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021

150: 10 Listening Tricks to Get the Most Out of Every Interview

Are you someone who thinks Twitter is a waste of time? Or are you someone who understands the value of a social media platform with nearly 200 million active daily users, but feel the overwhlem of the site and don&apos;t know where to start? This episode will help you adapt your conversations in a way that can strengthen your authority and influence as a thought leader by using Twitter beyond just likes and retweets. In this episode, 10 ways to crush it on Twitter. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021 

149: How to Crush it on Twitter: 10 Ways to Build Authority and Thought Leadership

According to guest Jordan Berman, leadership is about cultivating and maintaining the trust of others.In this episode, exploring three winning leadership characteristics that are key-drivers in high-trust organizations. Berman calls it The Trust Trifecta: All hail authenticity Transparency lives here  Consistency is critical Jordan Berman is a global corporate affairs executive and has worked with and trained hundreds of leaders, helping them lead with trust and impact. With expertise in reputation management, he effectively managed dozens of high-profile and highly-sensitive crises and issues. He is the author of the book, The Trust Trifecta. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021 

148: How to Win the Trust Jackpot with Jordan Berman

It was inevitable. On August 10, 2021, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced he was stepping down from his position after an investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo&apos;s announcement was his chance to respond directly to allegations of sexual harassment against him, and to covertly address his rep for being a bully and thug.Governor Cuomo used his resignation speech to repair his reputation and legacy. Did it work?  In this episode, discussing three strategic tactics Cuomo used in his 21-minute resignation speech to frame the resignation in HIS terms: "I&apos;m New York tough." "The best way I can help now is if I step aside."  "Out of many, one..." A PR case study on what worked for Gov. Cuomo and what did not, as well as a lesson in how to craft a well-meaning resignation letter or remarks. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021  

147: 3 Tactics Gov. Andrew Cuomo Used in His Resignation Remarks to Repair His Reputation

Have you ever had to work around an issue where your leadership did not want to own up to the truth?We all know that sometimes, the truth can be ugly.  There are many business situations where privacy and confidential issues need to protect the truth. But how do you manage it when you are a communicator stuck in the middle juggling the press and an angry public?In this episode, we find out from Mike McGill how to get to the truth of the matter. Our backstory? The Flint Water Crisis. Mike McGill, owner of Water PIO, a communications firm serving the water and wastewater industries, shares three of his battle-tested tactics to help communicators create an environment for their leadership to feel confident about setting the record straight. Before starting his company, McGill worked as a producer in CNN&apos;s Washington, D.C. bureau, producing shows including "Reliable Sources", "The Capital Gang", "Crossfire", and "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021 

146: How to Tell the Painful Truth in a Crisis When You'd Rather Not with Mike McGill

The abrupt shift to virtual meetings in March 2020 was traumatic for many companies and organizations that had to keep operations running while managing a new form of communication. Instead of focusing on what worked best for meetings, they focused on what worked right now. What was lost in the rush to switch to virtual was the ability to communicate on the screen. Now, more than a year after the pandemic cemented the virtual meeting, people are expected to understand the rules for running an acceptable virtual meeting.  Karin Reed provides practical, actionable best practices for virtual meetings, backed by meeting research that leads to more productive and effective virtual meetings.Mentioned on the podcast:Suddenly Virtual: Making Remote Meetings Work (By Karin Reed and Joseph A. Allen).Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021 

145: How to Be the Best Virtual Presenter Anyone Has Ever Seen with Karin Reed

A week doesn&apos;t go by where there isn&apos;t a splashy scandal or crisis situation that leads to a PR nightmare for an organization or brand. This episode with veteran public relations expert Edward Segal is based on the premise: it&apos;s not a matter if a crisis will hit, it&apos;s WHEN. Listen to anecdotes, stories and lessons on how to prepare for, create, manage and communicate in crisis situations. In this episode, the 10 Rs of Crisis Management. Mentioned on the podcast:Colonial Pipeline paid ransom to hackers who infiltrated its system (CBS News). Crisis Ahead (Book by Edward Segal).Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021 

144: How to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disaster with Edward Segal

When an email meant for one person goes to the wrong person. It can be a disaster. When that email goes viral because the unintended recipient shared it to TikTok -- it was a reputation teardown.When a recent college graduate named Gracie Lorincz from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, applied for a position as an ambassador for clothing boutique Ava Lane, she found out it was unlikely she&apos;d get the job because the VP of the company replied in an email that she was "not that cute."That email was intended for the owner of Ava Lane, the wife of the VP, Laura DeGrendel.  Instead, it went back to Lorincz. What happened next was a TiKTok takedown.In this episode, a timeline for this TikTok takedown. What to do when your business unintentionally goes viral in a very bad way.  1.  The backstory behind the email2.  Ava Lane&apos;s poor PR response3.  How to manage a digital crisis. Mentioned on the podcast:Gracie Lorincz (@ggggmoneyyyy) TikTok video about the email from Ava Lane.Ava Lane Boutique Facebook Live Following “Not That Cute” Email TikTokStephanie Elsea on the Confident Communications podcast. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts© Molly McPherson 2021 

143: How One Email Brutally Destroyed a Business Overnight: The Ava Lane Boutique TikTok Takedown

Public Relations expert Molly McPherson, APR, reveals the best practices help leaders become indestructible in today's digital age and crisis-proof their organizations. A mix of discussing current news events along with interviews with newsmakers, communications professionals and business owners while providing insight from 20+ years of public relations and crisis communications expertise working for FEMA and heading communications for the cruise line industry to help take the fear out of communicating in the age of scrutiny. This podcast helps leaders communicate confidently--in writing, speaking, body language, social media -- to be heard, seen and relevant.

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Confident Communications

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