By Virgil Scudder   It's always hard to tell the boss that he or she isn't doing something right, especially if the boss is a powerful CEO and the IRO is only at the VP tier. But, in my view, IROs at a lot of companies need to be more assertive. It's a mistake to sit quietly by, loyally nodding, as the CEO is making some common mistakes that erode the credibility of both the leader and the company. Earnings calls are a perfect example. ... Read more

by Ann Andrews Morris   Corporate crises seem to happen daily around the world. Some are preventable. Some are avoidable. Some cannot be predicted with even the most careful planning and preparation. Brands can be made or destroyed when an organization faces a crisis. How a crisis is handled and the steps taken to recover are critical in regaining and growing the trust of key stakeholders. I asked leading experts in strategic and crisis communication to give their advice on best practices to follow ... Read more

By Virgil Scudder   We live in the Age of Communication-instant, global, immediately impactful. Indeed, UPS-the world's largest and most successful transportation company-has as one of its cornerstones "the effective movement of information." Delivery of the message is critical to success. But, shaping the message is no less so. And, failures in the message development process often lead in the failure to communicate. The end product of such failure can range from simple misunderstandings or lost business opportunities to wars and international strife. What, then, ... Read more

By Virgil Scudder, President, Virgil Scudder & Associates, Inc.    Companies often spend millions of dollars to establish and promote their brands only to ignore one of the most profitable brands in their arsenal-the CEO. Surveys have shown that companies that have a CEO who is well known and well regarded perform better in the stock market. Yet, many companies waste this asset. Why? Very often it's fear and aversion of the media. A recent Canadian survey showed that CEOs regarded the news media as ... Read more

By Virgil Scudder You've been invited to give a presentation at a prestigious professional gathering. So, you spend countless hours preparing -- shaping what you plan to say and developing visuals to illustrate your points. You're on your way to success -- or are you?  Some speakers find that their efforts have less impact than they should because they neglect the details. It all comes back to one important premise: Communication is not what you know or what you say.  It's what the audience ... Read more