Stories and Strategies with Curzon Public Relations – Details, episodes & analysis

Narratives matter. 

In a world where information spreads faster than ever, understanding and managing the stories that shape public perception is crucial. Constellation is an advanced narrative intelligence platform by Blackbird.AI designed to identify and mitigate reputational risks before they spiral out of control.

For marketing and public relations professionals, the stakes have never been higher. With a single post capable of damaging a brand's reputation, knowing how to detect and respond to harmful narratives is essential. 

Listen For:
3:23 The Importance of Narrative Intelligence in Managing Public Perception
4:41 AI Powered Risk Assessment for Organizations
10:30 Real World Applications and Case Studies
13:31 Mitigating Narrative-Driven Risks in Financial and Political Sectors 

Guest: Dan Lowden
Website| LinkedIn  

Articles

• Indian Disinformation Aims to Sow Division in Bangladesh Following Ousting of Prime Minister 
• Go Inside the UK Riot’s Harmful Narratives and Disinformation Campaigns

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Helping a brand within a heavily regulated industry develop a positive reputation can be a challenge.  

Tobacco, alcohol, adult entertainment, pharmaceuticals, firearms, cryptocurrency, or cannabis. These sectors face stringent regulations and significant public scrutiny.  

They also present incredible opportunities for marketers willing to navigate these hurdles. In this episode we explore the strategies needed to effectively promote products and services in tough industries, where traditional marketing approaches often fall short, and innovative, compliant strategies are keys to success. 

Listen For
9:05 Overcoming Industry Challenges Through Earned Media
11:45 The Importance of “Receipts”
14:32 Engaging the Canna-Curious Segment
19:11 Leveraging Testimonials and Case Studies for Older Demographics 

Guest: Michael Mejer, Green Lane Communication
Website | Email | Michael’s LinkedIn | Green Lane Communication’s LinkedIn |  Instagram 

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This is a Replay from Episode 73 which first published in October 2022.

You know how this feels. You’re called into a meeting on something important where a decision or action must be determined. But in the meeting, everyone takes turns making different points (presumably so they feel they’ve contributed to the meeting in front of their superior), the conversation goes wayward and when it comes time to making the decision, everyone’s confused or (worse) misled. This is typically the point where the most senior person in the room then makes decisions, essentially based on what they thought before they entered the room, and the meeting has been a waste of time.

It just doesn’t have to be this way. 

The ORID method (Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, Decisional) traces its origins to a person named Joseph Matthews, a US army Chaplin who had just come home from World War Two. When he returned to his university professorship, he was consumed with the need to help people process the events of their lives – to help people build meaning from their own trials. 

Matthews met an art professor who showed him that any encounter with art involves a trialogue – or three-way conversation – between the art, the artist, and the observer. The Professor explained:   

"First you have to take the work of art seriously by observing carefully what's there, and what's not. Then you must look seriously at what is going on inside of you as you observe the art to see how you are reacting, what repels you? What delights you? You have to peel back layers of awareness so that you can begin to ask what it means to you. Art, the professor explained, is like listening. You must work to create your own meaning from an artwork, or a conversation.” 

Matthews recalled his exposure to phenomenology - the study of phenomena and brought to mind readings of Soren Kierkegaard. Matthews used this structure to create, what was called the art form conversation, and what facilitators affectionately call the focused conversation method. The idea is a structured conversation that helps participants develop their thinking in a logical manner but following a natural human process for focused communication. Logic and facts are introduced first, then emotion is welcomed, followed by interpretation, and then a decision or resolution to the thinking process. 

In this episode we talk with Robin Parsons, a seasoned professional facilitator who uses the ORID method all the time. 

Listen For
5:09 Definition and Role of a Facilitator
7:38 The ORID Method Explained
10:03 The Importance of Reflective Thinking
17:42 The Challenges with Surveys in Capturing Full Thinking Processes

Guest: Robin Parsons, MBA, CPF, CTF
Parsons Dialogue Ltd.
Website https://www.parsonsdialogue.com/
Email info@parsonsdialogue.com 

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LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS SERIES - Episode 2
Communications professionals have long stated they “want a seat at the table,” meaning communications needs to be part of the executive decision-making function. And that seat should be filled by someone well-versed in strategy, best-practices, and able to represent the rest of the team so everyone is sharing that seat. In this episode we get some insights from Wendy Beauchesne, someone who has climbed from comms pro to CEO.

Guest: Wendy Beauchesne, CEO Alberta Cancer Foundation
acfonline@albertacancer.ca 

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LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS SERIES - Episode 1
There is substantial evidence that cultures of high trust outperform those where trust is low. There’s less employee turnover, higher employee engagement, better aligned organizations and more collaboration if we trust one another. That all begins with strong leadership. In this episode we speak with the author of “The Trust Trifecta,” Jordan Berman.

Guest Jordan Berman

jordanberman8@gmail.com

To purchase a copy of the Trust Trifecta link here The Trust Trifecta | Iguana Books

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Adopting a growth mindset, as opposed to a fixed mindset, is one of the best strategies for accepting and giving constructive feedback. A growth mindset thrives on challenge and sees failure, not as evidence of unintelligence but as a springboard for growth and stretching existing abilities. From these two mindsets springs a great deal of our behaviour, our relationship with success and failure both personally and professionally, and ultimately, our ability to be happy.

Guest: Dr Steve Joordens, Psychologist, University of Toronto Scarborough

steve.joordens@utoronto.ca

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Professional communications is about making an impact to help the organization. It must get things done, change attitudes, or at least understand them. At the same time, we need to be evidence-based, use “best practices”, provide ROI and meet KPI. Is our battle on the street or in the boardroom? Is it better to be street-smart or book-smart working in PR and Marketing? 

Guest: Eva Shortt, Zahav PR

https://zahavpr.com/ 

info@zahavpr.com 

Connect with Eva on Instagram: instagram.com/zahavpr

Take the Quiz “Are you more book smart or street smart?” https://play.howstuffworks.com/quiz/are-you-more-book-smart-or-street-smart

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Those who respond to help people in high-tension, or even life-threatening situations, need strong communication skills and the right training. Police Officers, Security Guards, front-line health care workers, even bus drivers all find themselves, with alarming frequency, in interactions where safety is at risk.  In this episode we speak with an expert in de-escalation and mental health training who has dedicated her professional life to helping those, who must help others.

Guest: Dr Yasmeen Krameddine, Ph.D.

Protraining.com  

yasmeenk@protraining.com

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You may have recently heard on social media a song from the early 1970’s, Prisencolinensinainciusol, by Adriano Celentano. The song’s lyrics are in no language – total and utter nonsense. It was a smash hit in 1973 in Italy, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. 

The song resurfaced on social media in 2010 and once again in 2020. Seems every generation finds it and marvels in the creativity and originality. 

The idea itself has a long and storied history going to back to creative arts. It uses Grammelot, a system of language, based on gibberish, popularized by Commedia dell’Arte, a theatrical form that emerged in 16th Century in Italy.

In this episode we speak with a leading professor in business ethics and stakeholder theory who says the creative arts can have powerful impacts to human dignity in organizations, and help managers to develop their moral imagination.

Guest Simone de Colle, Ph.D. in Management and Business Ethics, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia)

Associate Professor of Business Ethics & Strategy, IESEG School of Management in Paris

s.decolle@ieseg.fr 

Dario Fo example of Grammelot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A4n9Ez9O8g&list=RD8A4n9Ez9O8g&index=5 

Professor de Colle’s presentation mentioning grammar of improvisation: https://responsiblecapitalism.it/presentations

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The Global Capability Framework is the Global Alliance’s benchmark for how professionals in public relations and communications management perform at their best. It applies to individuals as well as those who assemble teams of communications professionals, including entire departments. The framework took two years to build with contributions from all around the World. In this episode we explore the 11 capabilities, speaking with one of the authors of the Framework, Dr Amy Thurlow.

Guest Professor Amy Thurlow Ph.D., APR, FCPRS

Amy.thurlow@msvu.ca 

Link to the Global Capabilities Framework https://www.globalalliancepr.org/capabilitiesframeworks 

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