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The Flack

The Flack for Friday, November 6, 2020…

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.