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
36 episodes
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
"I am not a typo"
Spellcheck and autocorrect can be useful if you are typing on a small screen or in a hurry. However, they tend to ‘correct’ people’s names that are not common, white British names. It’s time to correct autocorrect and improve professio...
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Episode 21
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4:11
Why we need to improve the UK law on lobbying
We look at why the Lobbying Act 2014 needs to be improved to improve trust in politics and the government. We discuss the example of how the tobacco industry killed off the Tobacco and Vapes Bill through legal threats, lobbying and a charm offe...
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Episode 20
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5:35
"Sorry seems to be the hardest word"
We take a look at crisis communications and see that relationship rebuilding is more important than maintaining reputation. We consider that the victims in a crisis need empathy. Words and actions. We also look at how to handle a mis- or disinf...
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Episode 19
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6:14
"Buy our stuff, not theirs, as ours is a bit greener"
We look at sustainability communications, with three opportunities for PR/communications people.
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Episode 18
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5:11
“The greatest problem with communication is the illusion it has been accomplished”
In this episode we look at finding out the best day of the week and time to send social media posts, and the frequency of these posts per week.
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Episode 17
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5:08
"It can only get better"
An analysis of the dire state of political communications before the General Election in the UK.
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Episode 16
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5:37
"A squirrel is just a rat with good PR"
Three perspectives on this intriguing phrase. Firstly, what is the origin of the phrase, secondly some examples in the UK news recently, and thirdly, the link to trust and how this has been eroded.
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Episode 15
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5:32
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle
Are we back to front in our sustainability communications? One sees lots of campaigns about recycling and practically nothing about reduction or reusing. We look at how the mantra 'Reduce - Reuse - Recycle' works. We also look at a new sustaina...
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Episode 14
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5:32
