Tell Me More, Tell Me More

Grease is the word as we roll into August, courtesy of a friend with whom I was reminiscing about the years I spent on stage. Within a few minutes of our hanging up, I discovered she had sent me a YouTube link of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John singing “Summer Nights.” She wickedly did this, I think, because she knows I have a penchant for getting show tunes stuck in my head and not being able to dislodge them for days or weeks at a time.

Unwittingly, she also supplied me with a PR-themed observation about this catchy duet that I hadn’t realized before; specifically, how two people can experience exactly the same event and yet spin it into whatever context best fits their respective listeners. As business owners, this is something you’re likely to do on a regular basis.

If there’s a crisis in the works, for instance, the way you frame the situation to your family and friends is quite a bit different from what you tell your employees, your customers, your board of directors…and members of the media. The challenge, of course, is keeping the various versions straight, especially if there’s any chance of these people ever getting together and comparing notes.

Here’s the lineup of this month’s blogs by my guest contributors:

Crisis Management – Who Needs it Anyway? (Part 2) – by Andrea Obston 

The Joy of Making A Difference – by MJ Pedone

Avoid Looking like a Stalker on Social Media with a Professional Profile Picture – by Amandah Tayler Blackwell

Mum’s Not the Word! – by Andrea Stradling

We look forward to your comments, questions, and suggestions on media topics you’d like to know more about. (And as long as “Summer Nights” is still stuck in my head, it may as well be stuck in yours, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXlnMveRt-Y)