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The Flack

The Flack for Friday, December 18, 2020…

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 VisionDwight 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.