Category Archives: strategy

Learning research methods: Challenge or phobia?

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Sean Williams

We know the cliche from Saturday Night Live: “I was told there would be no math.” That’s why we communicators often quail at the prospect of research. We always envision acres of mysterious formulae, tables of incomprehensible numbers, Greek letter … Continue reading →

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Learning the scope of strategic communication

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Sean Williams

Every several months, it seems, we in the professional communication discipline have a spirited discussion about what to call ourselves. The marketing world seems to be winning that discussion (in the end, it’s all about selling something…), and then the … Continue reading →

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Learning research methods

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Sean Williams

As communicators, we are socialized from the womb to avoid numbers. We word nerds like all kinds of things, but mainly, the land of the quantitative does not contain very much we want. Au Contraire, mon cher! I’m here to … Continue reading →

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Is public relations evil?

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Sean Williams

My pal Bob Batchelor, once upon a time a professor and before that, like me a PR guy, used to give a lecture with the same title as this post. You can find it in pieces on YouTube, and as … Continue reading →

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Why do we care if we call it PR or Marketing?

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Sean Williams

The battle has been going on for a while. The public relations side says that our work is a management function designed to create, enhance and sustain relationships with relevant parties, securing public permission to do business. The marketing side … Continue reading →

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Ethics. Does public relations have any?

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Sean Williams

I admit it. That’s a link-bait headline. But I honestly am wondering, as some of the most public PR that exists right now is a whopping load of BS. As I’ve written before, I’m talking about political PR, the Spin … Continue reading →

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Where’d August go?

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Sean Williams

Is it just me, or has the time sped up to about 30% faster than “normal?” I noted that I started teaching a summer course on July 6, wrote a post the next week, and now it’s Sept. 1! What … Continue reading →

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Tom Petty was right, you know

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Sean Williams

One of my favorite songs by the late and lamented Tom Petty is, “The Waiting.” The waiting is the hardest part Every day you get one more yard You take it on faith, you take it to the heart The … Continue reading →

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Teaching remotely is remote, but hey…

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Sean Williams

I’ve taught more online than off. From the start of the portion of my career in “academic” pursuits at Kent State University, it was mainly online with some sprinkling of in-person maybe one semester every couple of years. Being a … Continue reading →

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Need to plan faster?

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Sean Williams

Sure you do. At PRSA’s webinar, Internal Communication during COVID-19, my colleagues and friends Becky Graebe from Dynamic Signal, and Ally Bunin from Reynolds Russell Associates and I talked about a heap of ways to do a good job communicating … Continue reading →

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So it’s like that, is it?

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Sean Williams

Yep. We are all online all the time for the rest of this semester. I understand and support the change, and yet, I’m a little sad that it’s come to this. I REALLY like teaching. I REALLY like the students … Continue reading →

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Happy New Year – and thanks for 2019

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Sean Williams

I was never shy about being a bit grandiose. I was shy about a lot of other stuff, but soon I realized it wasn’t shyness — it was fear. After that realization, the shyness was doomed. No one would ever … Continue reading →

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5 tips for choosing a communication grad program

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Sean Williams

Maybe you’ve been thinking about it for a while. Going back to school. You’re in your third job after college, and wondering how to differentiate yourself for promotion, or your next job. Perhaps you’ve been working with people with advanced … Continue reading →

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Strategic Communication, PR, Corporate Communication…Who knows?

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Sean Williams

Many moons ago, a middle-aged PR guy got laid off from a job. It was 2008, and the market was a little soft for that dude — after all, the financial crisis was wailing along, and the best two options … Continue reading →

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