Helen's PR Blog

Brain freeze or simple misunderstanding?

2011-11-16T17:38:35Z

Maybe Herman Cain's brain freeze came from misunderstanding the question. Maybe he thought the reporter wanted to know what he thought of President Obama's handling of Lydia, Here's what he may have been thinking: "Dang it, Obama harassed a woman named Lydia? How did he handle it? Trot out Michelle? Better look that up; he seems to have gotten out of it."

What is remarkable about this news event is that Cain has actually written a book on public speaking and media interviews. Must read.

Link to brain freeze moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW_nDFKAmCo

Client doing a smart thing

2011-09-27T15:04:53Z

I've recently begun working with Medata, which pioneered automatic bill review in workers' compensation. Now they are the first to integrate medical and disability guidelines into the bill review system. Why is this important? Instead of having to get out of the bill review program, open a guidelines database and find the guidelines, the demographic/diagnostic-based guideline pops up on the screen just when the reviewer needs it. This encourages reviewers to check guidelines - should the patient take six weeks to recover? What is appropriate treatment for this injury for a guy this age? What if he has co-morbidities - like diabetes? How does that affect recovery time? Having this info at their fingertips can help claims managers identify the tough, potentially expensive claims faster - before they spiral out of control - and give them more attention. Guidelines can also be shared with physicians, many of whom are overworked and located in rural areas and unable to keep up with the nuances of every single injury and best- practice. For more info, see the release.

Concise Writing

2011-07-07T17:49:44Z

Good tips on concise writing in Mark Nichol's piece. I learned new word: "nominalization" (smothering a verb).

Fighting Internet Rumors

2011-06-20T14:20:43Z

Forbes' Christopher Barger has good advice on squelching an Internet rumor.

What's interesting is how short the public memory is. This rumor has been around, yet new or forgetful folks still believed it.

More filler

2011-06-14T13:34:01Z

I can really talk.

In fact, my parents used to pay the 5-year-old me to be silent for 15 minute segments.

So much of what we say is useless filler. I'm working on self-edits & appreciate the tips in Robert Geline's post on content-free speeches.

Risking Reputations

2011-06-14T00:41:31Z

Some research shows that people with more to lose may be more likely to engage in "risky, socially unacceptable and self-destructive behavior," according to a New York Times article by Catherine Rampbell. That would explain the rash of politicians caught up in sex scandals. I remember thinking how stupid Gary Hart was to challenge the media to catch him, which of course they did, in the late 1980s. What are they thinking?

Extra words do not make it better

2011-06-10T19:17:09Z

This piece from Ragan.com addresses the overuse and common misuse of words that weaken copy. An excerpt:

Justina Chen warns of these bloodsucking terms.

"The most deadening of terms in any writing--corporate or creative--have got to be techno-jargon and business-speak," she writes. "Spare me the 'leverage' and 'optimize' and superhighway of meaningless acronyms..."

Having worked for technology clients, I love the "superhighway of meaningless acronyms" line.

Good news, though. One major (you'd know the company) has banned the use of the word "leverage" from its marketing materials. Lord, please let this be a trend.

Weiner's Wiener Lesson

2011-06-09T18:31:17Z

It's just getting worse. First he sends crotch shots via Twitter then he takes a press tour to lie about it, suggesting his computer was hacked.

Only after evidence is produced, he admits to sending the photos.

Now, it turns out he has sent X-rated photos (presumably the wiener sans boxers).

But the good news is he and his wife are receiving PR counsel from the Clintons.

So what have we learned?

1) Don't send explicit photos over the Internet to anyone - ever.Especially if you're an elected official holding a national office.

2) Pay attention to the news. Your fellow congressman resigned over emailing a picture of his bare chest!

3) Don't lie to the media. It irritates them and inspires them to dig harder. If you do lie, go all the way. Don't insist you didn't send the photo and refuse to answer the question: "Was that your crotch?" Prevarication raises more questions. "So, Mr. Weiner, how long have you been photographing your boxers. And why exactly?

5) Confess your sins and take the hit.

6) Consider another line of work. Underwear model, perhaps.

One definition of public relations is "good behavior, well communicated." Yeah, that good behavior thing can be a problem.

Smoking Kills Equipment, Too

2011-06-06T14:04:38Z

Total Medical Solution's Zack Craft describes the damage cigarette smoke causes to durable medical equipment in this piece published by WCEC and PropertyCasualty 360.

The WorkComp Advisory Group's "Capabilities Agents Need"

2011-06-06T13:44:20Z

Susan Toussaint, co-founder of The WorkComp Advisory Group has built an ongoing relationship with produceresource.com, a web-based publication for agents. Her columns run at least once a month. This one addresses capabilities agents need to win and retain larger accounts.

Joe Paduda - Comp Drug Czar?

2011-06-03T20:39:00Z

Joe Paduda has a knack for seeing trends long before others. He started surveying payers about the costs of pharmacy back in 2004 when many payers didn't even know it was a problem. His research & consulting in workers' compensation pharmacy has made him an expert. Here he is quoted in a recent Risk & Insurance story.

Gulf Coast Business Review Profile - BayStar Hotel Group

2011-06-03T20:30:12Z

Nice profile on BayStar Hotel Group by a good writer/editor. Carl Cronan has the experience to do an interview in 30 minutes and pull out the salient parts - and he didn't even get anything wrong! Having a handsome and dashing client never hurts.

BayStar Hotel Group Opens Hotel Indigo, Downtown St. Petersburg.

2011-06-03T20:22:00Z

BAYSTAR HOTEL GROUP OFFICIALLY OPENS

FIRST HOTEL INDIGO IN TAMPA BAY AREA

TAMPA (March 3, 2009) --BayStar Hotel Group officially opened its 76-room Hotel Indigo - St. Petersburg Historic Downtown District after converting the 1920s era Heritage Hotel. With room rates starting at $199, this Hotel Indigo offers a different experience to business and leisure travelers.

The lime green hotel with chocolate brown trim is located at 234 Third Avenue North in downtown St. Petersburg close to the thriving area's restaurants, bars, shops, art galleries, Vinoy Park, the Pier, and Tampa Bay. "This is an optimal area for a Hotel Indigo," said BayStar Hotel Group Chairman George Glover. "We are within walking distance of so many entertainment venues and businesses that it is easy for travelers to stay here without renting a car. We even have bicycles for guests." Read more

Sandy Stern & Eric Gilkey on Workers' Comp Claims Systems

2011-06-03T20:14:56Z

You can hear the podcast of Eric Gilkey's interview with Health Strategy Associates' Sandy Stern on the results of the survey the firm conducted to find out what payers really want in their claims systems. Podcast is courtesy of PropertyCasualty 360.

Comp Claims Systems Lack Integration

2011-06-03T19:51:07Z

HEALTH STRATEGY ASSOCIATES' SURVEY SHOWS TRUE INTEGRATION MISSING IN WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIMS SYSTEMS

MADISON, CONN. (March 3, 2011) -- Workers' compensation payers spend tens of thousands - even millions of dollars -- upgrading and replacing their claims systems, so Health Strategy Associates (HSA) set out to capture payers' opinions, perceptions and attitudes about them in its "First Annual Survey of Workers' Compensation Claims Systems." read more. Claims Survey Final.doc