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

Virgil Scudder is used to coaching busy executives fast. Here's what he shared in a comparatively leisurely hour. Those who attended Virgil Scudder's Jan. 29 McMurry webinar "How to Become a Much Better Public Speaker in 60 Minutes" were drinking ideas out of a fire hose. The legendary speaking coach learned to teach fast, from busy clients who would demand he make them great in 30 minutes. "I bet you don't tell your golf pro that," he tells them—and then he gets to ... Read more

January 22, 2013 "Failure to communicate is often the single most important factor in business failure," Virgil Scudder told the San Francisco Public Relations Round Table at a luncheon meeting on January 22, 2013. The Roundtable, founded in 1939, is one of the oldest pubic relations organizations in the United States. With some of the Bay area's leading public relations professionals in attendance, Scudder declared, "Too many business initiatives aren't properly communicated to employees or customers. And, more often than not, the problem can ... Read more

April 10, 2013 Virgil Scudder was presented the prestigious 2013 National Public Relations Achievement Award in a ceremony at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, on April 10. The award is given for lifetime contributions to the public relations profession and leadership in the education of the next generation of PR professionals. Previous winners include some of the most honored names in the public relations field such as Burson-Marsteller co-founder Harold Burson, Edward Bernays, considered the father of modern public relations, publisher Denny ... Read more

Apr 15, 2013 I'm humbled and flattered by this award. And, most of all, I'm honored to be listed among previous award winners…some of the giants of the PR profession. People like: Denny Griswold Ed Bernays, the father of modern PR Harold Burson, the legend Chet Burger John Graham Dan and Richard Edelman Larry Foster John Reed John Paluszek And, Bob Grupp   Those are real giants of public relations.   There is another giant in this room: Professor Mel Sharpe.   Mel has turned Ball State's PR program to one of the largest and most respected in ... Read more