CIPR Engage Podcast

In this episode of Engage, host Ben Verinder, managing director of Chalkstream, explores a critical question for every PR professional: how can we help organisations make better decisions? Joined by Dr Jon White, consultant in public relations and organisational development, and Shayoni Lynn, CEO and founder of behavioural science communications consultancy, Lynn Group, the conversation examines the biases that undermine even experienced leaders and the unique role communications professionals can play in challenging flawed thinking.   From Apple's decade-long Project Titan initiative to groupthink in the 2008 financial crisis, the panel discuss how cognitive shortcuts often lead to costly mistakes. The conversation also tackles contemporary challenges facing the profession, including bias in AI systems, the ethics of applying behavioural science in communications, and issues of ageism within PR itself.   Resources mentioned in this episode: CIPR's Behavioural Science training collection Government Communication Service - Guidance Lynn Global's library of articles, updates, and case studies on using behavioural science to improve lives   CIPR members can earn 5 CPD points for listening to an episode of Engage. Share your thoughts about this episode and your experiences on LinkedIn using #CIPREngage and tagging @CIPR_Global

This conversation examines the pathways to director and non-executive director roles for PR professionals, the unique perspective communications experts bringing to board-level decision making, and practical advice for practitioners considering this career progression. Hosted by Ann-Marie Blake FCIPR, Co-Founder of True Comms, this episode investigates key aspects of board participation including the differences between trustee and non-executive director positions, how effective boards operate, managing time commitments, and overcoming imposter syndrome when transitioning to leadership roles. Joining Ann-Marie for this discussion are: ·         Noha Al Afifi MCIPR, CIPR Board member, Deputy Chief Executive of Arthritis Action ·         Stephen Waddington Found. Chart. PR, Hon FCIPR, Founder of Wadds Inc   Share your thoughts on the topics discussed in this episode on LinkedIn, using #CIPREngage and tagging @CIPR_Global. If you're a member of the CIPR, you can log 5 CPD points for listening to this episode.      

In this episode of Engage, Melissa Fleming (UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications) leads a thought-provoking exploration into the complex debate around misinformation with guests Dr. Leon Hawthorne (former CNN, CNBC and BBC broadcaster) and Tom Southern (Director of Special Projects at the Center for Information Resilience) offering contrasting views on its impact and scale.   From social media monetisation to the challenges facing traditional media in adapting to digital spaces, our guests examine how technological change has transformed our information landscape. Their discussion spans critical issues including platform responsibility, institutional trust in polarised environments, and what role communications and PR professionals might play in fostering healthier information ecosystems.   Further resources:  Training: Disinformation, Misinformation & Malinformation  CIPR Influencing the Future conference: Deepfakes and the age of synthetic media  Webinar: Misinformation

From missing flights to Novichok poisonings, in this episode of Engage crisis comms specialists Rod Cartwright and Sarah Thomas share their real-world experiences of navigating risk and preparing for crises with host, Charlotte West.   Exploring the most common threats and opportunities facing organisational reputation today, Sarah and Rod also discuss the role of leadership and culture in a crisis, as well as the skills needed by comms and PR teams to future-proof the industry. Resources mentioned in this episode: Join the CIPR’s crisis comms network Guidance on drafting a Crisis communications plan Crisis communication on demand training Download or read a summary of the 2024 Reputation, Risk and Resilience report CIPR members can earn 5 CPD points for listening to an episode of Engage. Share your thoughts about this episode and your experiences on LinkedIn using #CIPREngage and tagging @CIPR_Global 

The following episode summary was originally created by AI and edited by the CIPR’s podcast editorial board: A year on from the launch of ChatGPT, host and chair of the AI in PR panel, Andrew Bruce Smith, marks the natural language processing tool’s first birthday by reflecting on the technological advancements we’ve seen in AI over the past year and its impact on the future of PR and comms teams. Featuring Swati Virmani (senior lecturer at De Montfort University) and Antony Cousins (executive director for strategy at Cision), in this episode, panellists discuss the ethical considerations and challenges while weighing up the benefits of adopting AI by practitioners and teams. Timestamps and resources mentioned: 03:03 - Reflections on technological milestones over the past year Humans Needed More Than Ever research The impact of AI on UK jobs and training report from the UK government’s department for education 09:00 - What’s the use case for AI in PR and comms? Ethan Mollick’s blog ‘everyone is above average’ 15:12 - What skills if any, should PR and comms practitioners develop in line with the evolution of AI? 23:00 - What AI tools should teams and practitioners be adopting now? Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and the impact on public relations (PR) practice  ai for meeting minutes and summaries DALL-E 3 integrated into ChatGPT to generate images Claude for AI assistance Perplexity for assisted research Cision for media monitoring and social listening Fiver and Upwork for freelance support 27:59 - What are the ethical and legal implications of using AI? 36:50 - Tips for adopting AI and thoughts on what’s next for AI. Share your thoughts about the topics discussed in this episode on LinkedIn or X, formerly Twitter, using #CIPREngage and tagging @CIPR_Global. If you're a member of the CIPR, you can log 5 CPD points for listening to this episode.