Bite Size Comms
Bite Size Comms is a weekly podcast that will give you a perspective on an aspect of public relations and communications practice. Bite size as they are short opinion pieces on topical issues. The episodes are sometimes contentious, sometimes funny, and they all aim to provoke thought.
Thanks for listening.
Episodes
46 episodes
George Orwell’s Elementary Rules of Writing
Despite the trend toward more visual communication, writing is still a necessary skill in public relations. Clarity, simplicity, and precision in writing make for inclusive and accessible communications. In a 1946 essay on Politics and the Engl...
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Episode 46
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6:12
A picture is worth a thousand words
This phrase from 1911 describes a single image that could impart complex ideas, emotions or messages more effectively than a lengthy written description. It also conveys the work of Oliviero Toscani, the Italian photographer renowned for his pr...
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Episode 45
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6:09
2025
My predictions for 2025 that touch on Public Relations, communications and media. Happy New Year!
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Episode 44
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7:18
Corporate Identity
I help my PR apprentices map their employers' corporate identities using the Birkigt, Stadler, and Funck model. It is a neat way to understand strategy, reputation, and history. I explain how it works, with examples, in this episode.
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Episode 43
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6:35
Think Feel Do
Think, Feel, Do is a well-known marketing model for designing advertising content. Is it relevant to Public Relations? Yes! We will look at what this model means and use examples of its application in PR campaigns.
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Episode 42
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5:17
Separating fact from fiction
As professional communicators, how can we counter misinformation and disinformation? It is our ethical duty to society to counter mis- and disinformation. We look at recent case studies.
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Episode 41
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5:54
What do Asda and Jaguar have in common?
The simple answer is that they are both sensemakers, innovative and not frightened to try a new approach. We explore the marketing and communications approach of both Asda supermarket and Jaguar car manufacturer.
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Episode 40
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6:19
The sky is blue
The mass exodus from X (Twitter) to Bluesky has been the talk of the week among UK PR and comms people. Never one to be left behind, I joined them.
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Episode 39
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5:23
"Talkin' 'bout my Generation"
We often use a ‘one size fits all’ approach in public relations work. Yet research shows there are distinct differences between the age groups. We look at the differences between Gen X, Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers in terms of the ...
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Episode 38
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5:23
News Values
What is a journalist looking for in a news story? Understanding this can help public relations practitioners craft media pitches and press releases. In 2001, Tony Harcup and Deirdre O’Neill published their seminal research on UK news values. Th...
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Episode 37
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6:02
Blogging vs. Thought Leadership
We look at the history of blogging and thought leadership and discuss how these two different but similar forms of communication content can be used in Public Relations.
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Episode 36
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6:54
Excellence Theory x Boaty McBoatface
In the 1980s, public relations academics researched that dialogue - two-way balanced communication - was the ideal. We examine this Excellence Theory through two case studies: Boaty McBoatface from 2014 and the NHS improvement consultation in 2...
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Episode 35
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6:11
"Talkin 'Bout a Revolution"
Trust in politics and politicians is low. The media story of the first 100 days of the new UK government has been dominated by freebies, gifts and money from companies and wealthy individuals. We look at the different rules on gifts that apply ...
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Episode 34
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7:03
An A to Z of public relations
We give each letter of the alphabet a public relations angle. With a little humour too!
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Episode 33
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5:03
Playing the LinkedIn algorithm game
Many of us have moved to using LinkedIn as our prime social media platform for work. How can you gain a good reach and engagement with your LinkedIn posts? How can you play the algorithm game? That's what we explore in this episode.
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Episode 32
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5:45
Are you a sense maker?
The concept of sensemaking involves collecting data and scrutinising it for trends and patterns that point to better solutions, “the hidden leadership and communication superpower”. We discuss this leadership and public relations skill.
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Episode 31
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5:59
Does PR have a diversity and inclusion problem?
We examine data and anecdotal evidence from the last few years to determine whether Public Relations in the UK still has a diversity and inclusion problem.
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Episode 30
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5:09
Purpose - Audience - Channel
We need to communicate strategically by thinking about the purpose of the communication, then the audience, and finally the appropriate channels to use.
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Episode 29
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4:25
"The Times They Are A-Changin'"
For the first time, OFCOM’s annual research shows that online platforms have overtaken TV channels as the most popular sources of news in the UK. We look at what changes are happening in news consumption in the UK.
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Episode 28
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4:44
Love phones, hate phone calls
I quite like my phone. But I hate using it for phone calls. It is a good device for taking photos, recording videos, and recording parts of podcasts by sticking my Shure mic in for an interview. I also use it to listen to music and podcasts. Ph...
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Episode 27
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5:13
Spot the difference
Stakeholders, audiences and publics. Three terms we use in PR to describe who we are communicating with. Nowadays, they are used interchangeably. Is there a difference?
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Episode 26
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4:30
"Should I stay or should I go"
A song by the Clash in 1982. Many organisations are also considering this question regarding using the X social media platform, formerly Twitter. The amplification of far-right disinformation on the platform, seemingly endorsed by the owner of ...
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Episode 25
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5:09
Has ESG had its day?
ESG, the shorthand for Environmental, Social and Governance, is 20 years old this year. Names will come and go. ESG, as an acronym and concept, may have lost some of its original sparkle. However, the underlying ideas behind ESG remain st...
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Episode 24
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5:48
"I don't search, I find"
Think about how you search for and find information online. Are you traditional and use a search engine like Google? Or are you an early adopter who goes straight to a large language model, like ChatGPT? Or maybe you will see what YouTube or Ti...
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Episode 23
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5:53
How to make a boring video go viral
To slightly resurrect the media 'silly season, here is my take: how to make a dull but essential video so engaging that it goes viral. Something like the safety announcement that airlines have to play to passengers before the aircraft takes off...
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Episode 22
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4:41
