The Flack

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

What Not to Say After Trading Your Franchise Star — Being the general manager of a professional baseball team can be a stressful job, and it’s particularly tough when you trade your franchise player. You have to explain your rationale to the media and fans, and you don’t need to make it any harder than it has to be. Here’s a framework for how not to go about it—brought to you by Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort and GM Jeff Bridich on the recent trade of All-Star third-baseman Nolan Arenado.

The Case for Semicolons — The semicolon is the unsung hero of punctuation; it’s a period on top of a comma, and it works like both a period and a comma. You can use it to separate two independent clauses — two sentences that work on their own — or to separate items in a series that would be particularly unwieldy with only commas, often because the items contain commas. This article from The New York Times Magazine reminds us of the power and beauty of the semicolon.

New Amazon CEO’s Scary Meetings Make Sense — Andy Jassy, Amazon’s incoming CEO, has a conference room named “The Chop.” It’s where ideas, and sometimes employees, go to get chopped down to size. Despite the name, Jassy’s meeting management style isn’t anything to be feared. In fact, leaders could learn from it. Here’s the gist: if you’re going to meet with the boss, come prepared. Presenters draft an extensive memo in advance, and a lot of preparation goes into it. Attendees review the memo in the room, together, in real time. After reading and taking notes, attendees pepper the presenters with questions about their plan. The goal is to pressure-test the assumptions and data in the memo. This story from Bloomberg explains the benefits.

COVID-19 Has Caused a Spike in Book Sales, But Not All of These Books are Being Read — The pandemic has caused people around the world to spend more time at home, and that has caused increased demand for streaming services, board games, puzzles, books and more. That said, not all of these books have been purchased to read. Check out this quick story from BBC NEWS about why some people have decided to purchase books they will never read.

How Our Brains Process Speech — The average 20-year-old knows between 27,000 and 52,000 words. Spoken out loud, most of these words last less than a second. With every word, the brain has a quick decision to make: which of those thousands of options matches the signal? And about 98% of the time, the brain chooses the correct word. How is this possible? Gareth Gaskell digs into the complexities of speech comprehension. This four-minute lesson from TED explains how it works.

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How to Write an Obituary

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

The Photographer Behind Image of Bernie Sanders Reflects on The Moment and Its Virality — We’ve all seen it. It’s the viral picture that has entertained a nation. The sight of bundled, mitten-clad, mask-wearing Senator Bernie Sanders sitting on a folding chair was just one of many snapped by veteran photographer Brendan Smialowski at the inauguration. Little did he know the seemingly innocent view of the proceedings would go on to break the internet wide open, becoming an iconic peek into an event like no other and sparking a tidal wave of creative memes the world over. This is the story behind the famous photo that almost didn’t happen.

More Americans Are Getting Their News From Social Media — As social media companies struggle to deal with misleading information on their platforms about the election, the COVID-19 pandemic and more, Americans continue to rely on these sites for news. About half of U.S. adults (53%) say they get news from social media “often” or “sometimes,” and this use is spread out across a number of sites, according to a recent and insightful Pew Research Center survey. 

Is America Divided? Perhaps, but TV News May Be Contributing to This Perception — Major network and cable TV news outlets have given the most airtime to members of Congress with the most extreme views, creating a perception there is greater division among elected leaders than actually exists, researchers have found. Their analysis indicates broadcast news outlets — Americans’ primary source for political news — are partly to blame for growing political polarization in the U.S. and for voters’ heightened dislike for members of the opposing political party.

Boston Globe Starting “Fresh Start” Initiative as Part of Rethinking Criminal Justice — It’s been said, “you can’t rewrite history.” Or can you? Last week, the Boston Globe introduced its new “Fresh Start” initiative. The purpose of the program is to allow people to ask the newspaper to update or anonymize past coverage of them online. The newspaper said this program is part of a “broader effort to rethink the Globe’s criminal justice coverage and how it affects communities of color, amid a national reckoning over racial inequity.” This feature from Forbes explores the new program and the challenges it presents. 

Why Swearing is a Sign of Intelligence, Helps Manage Pain and More — Polite society considers swearing to be a vulgar sign of low intelligence and education, for why would one rely on rude language when blessed with a rich vocabulary? That perception, as it turns out, is full of, uh … baloney. In fact, swearing may be a sign of verbal superiority, studies have shown, and may provide other possible rewards as well. “The advantages of swearing are many,” said Timothy Jay, professor emeritus of psychology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, who has studied swearing for more than 40 years. CNN gives five reasons to consider swearing.

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Super Bowl 2021: Watch All The Commercials Released So Far

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flack noun : one who provides publicity flack verb : to act as a press agent or promoter for something The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

He Created the Web. Now He’s Out to Remake the Digital World — Three decades ago, Tim Berners-Lee devised simple yet powerful standards for locating, linking and presenting multimedia documents online. He set them free into the world, unleashing the World Wide Web. But now, Mr. Berners-Lee believes the online world has gone astray. Too much power and too much personal data, he says, reside with the tech giants like Google and Facebook — “silos” is the generic term he favors, instead of referring to the companies by name. That said, he has a solution that could change everything and create the Web he originally intended. Dig into this piece from the New York Times.

A Photograph Can Change the World. The Story Behind the Image that Will Haunt Josh Hawley — Sometimes we don’t stop and think about the power of images, but the photograph of Missouri Senator Josh Hawley last week is a good reminder. The freshman Republican gave a thumbs-up, fist pump and wave as the crowd outside the Capitol cheered. Francis Chung, a photographer from E&E News, which covers energy and environmental issues, didn’t have any inkling he was about to capture one of the most iconic images from the day the Capitol was breached by rioters. But within an hour the context of the fist pump changed dramatically, for Chung and for Hawley. Check out the story behind the photo from The Kansas City Star.

Science Needs Public Relations — These days it feels like science is on the losing end of public opinion. In a recent 3M State of Science Survey, 32% of those surveyed believe their life wouldn’t be that different if science didn’t exist. Around the world, we see basic safety precautions like wearing a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 go ignored due to the lack of faith in scientific advice preached by public health officials. As if these examples are not reason enough for worry, a recent paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that, historically, trust in scientists and the benefits of their work is significantly reduced after global pandemics. So why, despite all the available evidence, does the general public choose not to trust science? Herein lies the public relations challenge.

5 Communication Lessons From Dr. Anthony Fauci — Few had a busier 2020 than Dr. Anthony Fauci. The 80-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases was front and center as spokesperson for the White House Coronavirus Taskforce. With multiple interviews and daily press briefings, Fauci has proven himself to be a particularly effective communicator. In addition to his expertise as an immunologist, there are other reasons reporters want to speak with him and the public wants to hear from him. Here are five of the top reasons why he has been so effective.

How to Write a Sister of the Groom Speech — We aren’t in the wedding planning business, but this article from Brides magazine was too good to pass up. The tips they offer for writing a sister of the groom speech could easily transfer to the workplace. It’s filled with simple tips that could work for a keynote speech or any presentation. Key takeaway: “You want to think of your speech like a good, old-fashioned story with a beginning, middle, and almighty climax.” 

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How Newspapers Around the World Covered the Siege of the U.S. Capitol

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flack noun : one who provides publicity flack verb : to act as a press agent or promoter for something The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

As Legal Betting Booms, Journalists Jump from Sports Page to Sportsbook — Since the Supreme Court overturned a federal law in 2018 that limited sports gambling mostly to Nevada, 19 state legislatures and the District of Columbia have legalized sports gambling in some form, with another 27 moving toward legalization. In a rush to attract new customers, gambling operators have turned to sports media companies, which are in their own race to cash in on the legal-betting boom. ESPN, NBC and CBS have formed lucrative advertising partnerships with big-name sportsbooks. The Washington Post takes a deep look at the evolution of sports journalism.

Walmart Apologizes for Calling Josh Hawley ‘Sore Loser’ — Corporate social media gaffes were prevalent throughout 2020. Walmart was the latest company to take a major misstep when a member of the Walmart social media team mistakenly tweeted a personal comment on the company’s public Twitter feed. On Wednesday, Walmart apologized for “mistakenly” calling GOP Senator Josh Hawley a “#soreloser” on Twitter. Newsweek takes a look at the issue and the company’s response.

How to Rehearse for an Important Presentation — The best speakers make presentations look effortless because they put so much effort into perfecting their delivery. But becoming a great speaker is neither magic nor rocket science. It takes time, energy and commitment if you want to be great. And those who rehearse consistently and properly get better every time. This guide from Carmine Gallo will put you on the right track.

This App Makes Presenting in Zoom More Effective and Entertaining — 2020 has been called the year of many things, but it was certainly the year of the Zoom meeting. Virtually everyone, young and old, learned to navigate the world of video conferencing and tried to manage user and technical challenges. A new video app called Mmhmm is looking to make things much better in 2021. Check out this quick read from Fast Company.

It’s Not all Bad! 20 things That Made the World a Better Place in 2020 — In many regards, 2020 was a rough year; however, there were some bright spots. From record-breaking scientific discoveries to an elephant baby boom, 2020 was about much more than a global pandemic. Wired takes a look at some of the more positive news of a year many would like to forget.

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5 New Business Books That Will Elevate Your Communication Skills in 2021

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flack noun : one who provides publicity flack verb : to act as a press agent or promoter for something The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

Heated On-air Exchange Between CNBC Hosts Mirrors National Debate About Covid Lockdowns — Good debates can make for great television, but things got more than heated earlier this month on CNBC. Hosts Rick Santelli and Andrew Ross Sorkin engaged in a throwdown over the logic of allowing big-box retailers to stay open while forcing small business owners to close their doors. Check out the story and make sure to watch the clip.

There are Three Components to a Great Story — Don Hewitt, creator of “60 Minutes,” was famous for saying four words: “Tell me a story.” Great stories can inspire, motivate and entertain, but they also can help deliver messages your audience will remember. That said, there are three components of any great story. Anett Grant, CEO of Executive Speaking, Inc., explains in Fast Company.

When Managing Through Ambiguity, Develop a Clear Vision — Dwight Eisenhower is credited with saying, “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” It’s a remarkable statement from the man responsible for planning the Allied invasion during World War II. Eisenhower needed to set goals, consider a variety of perspectives, lay out a course of action, and identify potential points of failure. This quick read from the Harvard Business Review recalls the lessons of Ike and the importance of planning, particularly in times of ambiguity. 

Google’s 2020 Year in Search — 2020 was the year we asked “why?” While “coronavirus” was the top trending search worldwide, we also asked questions like “why is it called COVID-19?” and “why is mental health important?” more than ever before. We searched for ways to help each other, including looking at how to support essential workers on the front lines of COVID-19 or how to aid people affected by the wildfires in Australia or devastation in Beirut. Google’s year-end search report always supplies an interesting peek behind the curtain to see what we’re all searching for. 

2020:  A Year That Needed a lot of Visual Explanation — Needless to say, 2020 has been a year like no other. COVID-19 and all that resulted from it will define the year, but it was also the year of devastating wildfires, the third impeachment of a U.S. President, the killing of George Floyd and the social unrest that followed, and the election of the 46th President of the United States. USA TODAY created dozens of graphics and visual stories throughout the year to keep readers informed. This is a quick summary of some of their most important images used to help tell stories during an incredible year. 

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The Bests Books of 2020, According to CEOs

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flack noun : one who provides publicity flack verb : to act as a press agent or promoter for something The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

Welcome to The Flack™ for Friday, Nov. 6.

Every other Friday The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

Do You Have E-Charisma on Zoom? Here’s How to Get It — With the rise of working from home, some people accustomed to using their charisma in person have learned a tough lesson: Commanding a room isn’t the same thing as commanding a Zoom. It comes down to “E-charisma.” In face-to-face meetings, physical charisma often goes a long way in helping someone get noticed and advance in their career. More reserved or shy types are often at a disadvantage. But physical charisma can be more challenging to replicate online — creating a potentially different pecking order. Check out this quick read (or listen) from The Wall Street Journal.

‘Someone’s Typing…’: The History Behind Texting’s Most Dreadful Feature — You may not know the term “typing awareness indicator,” but you see it every day. More often referred to as “so-and-so is typing,” TAIs have shaped how we interact with each other. TAI technology was created (and patented) by IBM engineers in 1997 while working on a Tom Clancy video game (yes, you read that right). Interesting bit of tech history from SF Gate.

Some Words Are More Effective Than Others When It Comes to COVID-19  — Word choice matters, particularly when it comes to communicating about topics as serious as COVID-19. The de Beaumont Foundation conducted a poll of 1,100 registered voters to better understand the language Americans prefer in COVID-19 messaging that deals with behavioral change. This article highlights the poll’s five key findings.

Hershey’s Classic Christmas Bells Ad Got a Makeover … And People Aren’t Having It — ‘Tis the season for “classic” holiday ads from iconic brands. Some of these spots have been airing for decades, and, to some, they serve as warm, secure reminders of the good things in life. For 31 years candymaker Hershey Co. has been airing an ad that reimagines Hershey Kisses as bells playing, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” but this year they decided to make a change. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

What Great Listeners Actually Do — Most of us think we’re good listeners. People’s appraisal of their listening ability is often similar to their assessment of their own driving skills, in that most adults think they’re above average. Traditionally, people thought good listening skills simply meant not talking when others are speaking and utilizing facial expressions to show interest. However, research from leadership-development consultancy Zenger/Folkman suggests these behaviors fall well short of good listening skills. This quick read from Harvard Business Review outlines what it takes to elevate your listening skills.

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Miller Lite Bids Farewell to Office Holiday Parties

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

Welcome to The Flack™ for Friday, Nov. 20.

Every other Friday The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

The Convergence of Ransomware and Public Relations — Imagine it’s an ordinary workday. You log onto your computer, only to be greeted by a message that reads: “YOU’VE BEEN HACKED… EMAIL THIS ADDRESS TO START THE PAYMENT PROCESS AND THE SAFE RETURN OF YOUR DATA.” Later that same day, you receive a call from a local media outlet asking about your security breach. How did they find out about this so quickly? The hackers let them know. After hacking into systems, some cybercriminals are issuing press releases announcing what they’ve done. It’s called “double extortion,” and you need to be prepared. This article explains how it can happen and what you should do if it happens to you.

Twitter Launches Disappearing ‘Fleets’ — Similar to features on Instagram and Snapchat, this week Twitter introduced ‘fleets,’ tweets that disappear 24 hours after being posted. You can learn more about the new feature in this article from Reuters. Remember to be careful what you tweet / fleet — just because it disappears after 24 hours doesn’t mean someone didn’t take a screenshot. 

Forgive Me, for I Have Sinned … Against The English Language — Synergy, deep dive, win-win, 30,000-foot view, ping me — if you’ve worked in the corporate world you’ve likely heard so much jargon, you may not notice it anymore. Corporate jargon is rampant, but it isn’t random. Its use is often tied to where people stand in a social hierarchy. A new paper from social scientists at the University of California’s Marshall School of Business and Columbia Business School explores where jargon comes from and when/why we use it. Interesting, three-minute listen from National Public Radio.

Zoom and Text Less, Call More, New Science Suggests — 2020 has been the year of working remotely, and that has caused a significant increase in texting. While texting is efficient and can spare us the awkwardness of a voice call, it’s also making us feel more disconnected, according to new research. And Zoom isn’t the solution either. New research suggests we should all pick up the phone a lot more. Check out this sharp article from Inc.

Follow the 10-20-30 Rule for Killer Presentations — The business world is full of horrible presentations. We’ve all sat through them, and a few of us have delivered them. We often find it daunting when challenged to improve. Some don’t know where to start; while others feel they just don’t have enough time. But, fear not. The 10-20-30 Rule for Killer Presentations can lower your stress and give you a simple, straightforward method to make sure your messages are heard and retained by your audience. Keep in mind, no presentation approach will save you if your idea is bad. That said, many great ideas fall on deaf ears due to poor presentations. If you want to improve your presentation skills in the boardroom or on a Zoom meeting, start here. 

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Careful, that’s a hot mic:

NBC’s Ken Dilanian caught cursing on air when brought onto MSNBC to deliver breaking news

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.

Welcome to The Flack™ for Friday, Nov. 6.

Every other Friday The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.

We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.

How Should Black People Sound? — Hollywood hasn’t always made great choices about how people speak. That may be changing. Recently major studios have shown renewed interest to depict people of color thoughtfully and authentically. It isn’t really possible to verify the sincerity of these efforts, but the changing role of dialogue coaches — and how they’re allowed to work — may offer a way to judge their success. Check out this deep dive from the New York Times.

Girl Scouts Congratulate Amy Coney Barrett … and Then Change Their Mind — Last week the Girl Scouts of America posted a congratulatory tweet regarding Amy Coney Barrett being appointed the 5th female justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. The tweet read: “Congratulations Amy Coney Barrett on becoming the 5th woman appointed to the Supreme Court since its inception in 1789.” However, it drew so much criticism, the organization quickly deleted it and posted this. And of course deleting the original tweet — you guessed it — drew more criticism. Quick lesson: 1. Think through the possible ramifications before you tweet. 2. If quick criticism will cause you to delete the tweet, then don’t tweet it in the first place.

Joe Rogan and Spotify Find Themselves in the Crosshairs — Earlier this year, comedian and UFC host Joe Rogan signed an exclusive agreement with Spotify to have his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, broadcast on the platform. The agreement was reportedly worth $100 million. The podcast began airing on Spotify in September and almost immediately became the platform’s highest-rated program. But now there’s controversy. Rogan, who is known to discuss a wide variety of topics, from illegal drugs to conspiracy theories, recently had Alex Jones as a guest. The backlash was almost immediate, and now Spotify finds itself caught in the middle.

How to Deliver an Effective Presentation via Zoom — Since March, most business meetings have taken place via Zoom or another video service. The first few months were tough as many struggled with technology and a host of other distractions including curious children, noisy pets and regrettable wardrobe choices (remember: always wear pants). And while the struggle has been real, almost everyone has improved. But now it gets tougher. Since virtual meetings will continue to be the norm for the foreseeable future, it’s essential to learn how to give effective presentations in this medium. These 10 tips from Throughline Group will put you on the right path.

Four Tips and One Tool to Help You Perfect Your Slides — Good presenters know it takes preparation to deliver effective, memorable presentations that influence and affect an audience’s behavior. From identifying key messages, to explaining the rationale, to utilizing effective body language and anticipating questions, it all takes time and practice. But the job of the presenter becomes more difficult if the slides have not been built correctly. Check out this sharp guide from Duarte, and keep it handy next time you have to build a deck.

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Earning Good Will:

Jon Lester on How to Win Friends and Influence People

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flack

noun

: one who provides publicity

flack

verb

: to act as a press agent or promoter for something

The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.