Communications Week kicks off Nov. 15
Here’s a look at all the free events and signature programming about this period of transformation for the communications industry.
It’s a big week for the communications industry.
The much-anticipated weeklong event to investigate change and the future of the PR and communications industry is finally here. Join Ragan and our partners and sponsors for a robust slate of forward-thinking sessions designed to shine a spotlight on the role of the communicator—now and in the future.
There’s still time to register for all the week has to offer, including our signature Future of Communications virtual conference on Nov. 17. Check out the full calendar and sign-up for the events here.
MONDAY, NOV. 15
COMMSWEEK WEBINAR:
Transforming Communications: Leaders Speak Out
10–11:30 a.m. Eastern
VIRTUAL SESSION:
Cultural Relevancy for Diverse Communities
12–1 p.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
How to Make the Most Out of Your Influencer Marketing Campaigns
2-3 p.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
New Age of Disinformation: Why Silence No Longer Means Safety
3:30-4:30 p.m. Eastern
TUESDAY, NOV. 16
COMMSWEEK FREE PANEL:
Pivoting to a Better World-International Panel Debate
9-10 a.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
How to Thrive as an Internal Comms Pro in 2022
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Eastern
PCNY PRESENTS:
Streaming News
Noon – 1 p.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
Start Strong: Engaging Hearts & Minds Through Strategic Onboarding
1-2 p.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
Bridging the Hybrid Divide Through Video
3 – 4 p.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK:
Networking Reception
5:30-7:30 p.m. Eastern | New York City
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 17
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE:
The Future of Communications Conference
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Eastern
Buy tickets for this signature event here.
THURSDAY, NOV. 18
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
Global Communications Without the Budget of a Global Conglomerate
8-9 a.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
The Role of the Internal Communications Leader: Today, Tomorrow and Beyond
11-11:45 a.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
Data, Digital, and Diversity – The Evolution of the Communications Career
Noon-1 p.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
Digital Transformation for Internal Communications
3-4 p.m. Eastern
FRIDAY, NOV. 19
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
Lessons From the Past that Shape Our Future
10-11:00 a.m. Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
How to Communicate with Busy Stakeholders and Keep them Engaged
11 a.m.-Noon Eastern
COMMUNICATIONS WEEK FREE WEBINAR:
Can Your Agency Afford Inaction? – Executive Roundtable
12-1:15 p.m. Eastern
Two phrases emphasized on this first day of Communications Week are significant in Accusation PR Technology.
.1. “WHY SILENCE NO LONGER MEANS SAFETY.” This title of from the Ragan PR seminar can save good companies from bad consequences when a company is accused.
Although the presumption in a criminal trial is supposed to be innocence, the presumption when a company is accused—often with a tone of “with all their money, look how little they care about the public”—is often guilt. When an accusation is made of unfairness to the public, and defense is made in the name of the company, which side is the public more likely to favor?
Even Facebook, Google and other companies that actually give the public FREE services worth billions a year, even these companies can be attacked by politicians hoping to look like heroes to the voters.
Don’t blame only the politicians. Unintentional villains are often CEOs and EVPs advised by lawyers that “we have a right to remain silent” because “we have a presumption of innocence.” Wrong and wrong. Nowhere is it written—
nowhere—that the public must presume innocent a company when attackers accuse: “Look how those rich bastards are getting even richer on the public.”
Neither is it written anywhere that using an imagined “right to remain silent” won’t get millions of people to think correctly that INNOCENT people who are accused yell like hell!
2. “IMMINENT DEATH OR GREAT BODILY HARM.” This phrase from the Kyle Rittenhouse trial tells what an accused person must show in court to be excused for killing someone. But what can a giant company earning billions a year show in the court of public opinion to survive an accusation of making “obscene profits” by charging too much, not paying enough or both?
Billions a year can be lost by a company because of accusations but your PR savvy may help avert this loss if you can get senior corporate executives—not division managers but when possible their chief assistants—to take Ragan and PR Daily seminars that are marvelous for teaching (a) what NOT to do to avert PR crisis damage, and (b) what CAN be done to reduce the peril of accusations and to improve your chances of a win if accused.
“Lose ten pounds at least” say doctors. Add minority execs in the “top tiers,” lawyers counsel clients but for-show execs in the C-suite and entry-level employees in minority opportunity jobs are not in “tiers of joy.” Over lunch that starts with a drink, the job-placement chief of a top university may tell you about gifted candidates: “Look, there aren’t enough to go around.”
PR wisdom taught by great PR firms and by PR Daily’s educators is—increasingly but quietly—what wins freedom from accusations and victory when accused is LOVE. I’m serious. The public’s presumption when a rich
company is accused is that they are probably guilty as hell or else why would the accusation be made? Also is it not appealing to most people that an
accused company should “give us more” via “tax the rich” legislation and even grossly excessive regulation?
In PR, even attempts at amatory speeches and corporate love letters that are almost poetic may not get much love for a rich company from a public that feels
almost poor. Judge the public response when a well-meaning company does full page ads that say in effect “Look at all we’re doing for you that you should feel grateful for.” Doing more for the poor may make most people not grateful but thinking “why don’t those rich bastards do more for US?”
Fortunately, one opportunity to get public love, and by earning it, is by sponsoring research so 100 million or more Americans think “thank God for that company.” Look at typical opportunities.
HEART-HEALTH RESEARCH. Each of us has a one-in-four chance of being killed eventually by heart disease but doctors are finding exciting advances. Like heart parts wear out but can new heart cells be made from a patient’s blood cells and skin cells? Maybe. One of the world’s top cardiologists, Dr. Richard M. Steingart, heads a team of heart doctors who are trying to do exactly that. One of his most gifted researchers, Dr. Angel T. Chan, is barely five feet tall yet is a giant among the world’s heart doctors.
ANTI-CANCER RESEARCH. Will we ever see a cancer vaccine as successful as the Covid vaccines? It could be coming. Dr. Andrew Zelenetz works with anti-cancer research doctors who’ve already created a limited-use cancer vaccine that has FDA approval. Goal of the superstar research team is to find a broad-spectrum cancer vaccine to save the one in every five of us who as of now is likely to die of cancer. We won’t see anti-vax protests.
CIVIL RIGHTS ADVANCES. The huge law firms worldwide have departments that used to be called “Bankruptcy Law” departments and are increasingly called “Creditors Rights” departments. They help multibillion dollar companies to—even without going bankrupt—THREATEN creditors to “give us more time and less money to pay so we don’t ‘have to’ go bankrupt.” But how about individuals? Google (may they be spared in Washington) shows that many millions of Americans are choking from not just student loans but medical
indebtedness and other catastrophes. Could a company gain millions of fans, fiercely devoted, by saying our laws should consider not only CREDITOR RIGHTS but also CREDITOR WRONGS?
Even the big banks, stores and other lenders may welcome a push for new laws that give the indebted more time to pay but without markedly hurting lenders who may benefit by getting paid more and suffering “bad debt” losses less.
Corporate love is expressed not only by companies that announce climate-protection programs and such. Corporate love can also be won by companies, often guided by a great PR firm, announcing a PR program that gets 100 million Americans to think: “I love it! God bless them!”