An Insider’s Look at What PR/Communication Students are Being Taught

ETSU Media and Communication dept. website page.

09.04.2026 – Studying public relations (PR) in college has changed drastically over the years. For me, it’s been nearly 40 years since I earned my undergrad in communications, with an emphasis in public relations. Today, if you want to get a degree in public relations, you’ll be expected to learn a lot more than creating a strategic communications plan

What They Don’t Teach You in the Corner Office

Executive in a business office.

08.28.2026 – Fay Vincent ran Columbia Pictures. He was an EVP at Coca-Cola and the eighth commissioner of Major League Baseball. The man has been in more corner offices than most of us will ever see from the parking lot. When he sat down years ago to write and publish 10 things he wished someone had told him at 40, before he started plowing those executive fields, it got my attention.

Delta Dealt My Granddaughter and Me a “Soar(less)” Deal 

07.22.2026 – When I saw a newspaper headline about Taco Bell customers purportedly getting “explosive diarrhea” from eating at this chain, I thought it would make for an excellent blog post about how it’s really bad PR for your restaurant to be mentioned in the same sentence with those words (regardless of whether or not it’s true). It would have also included my commentary on how Taco Bell’s official company statement from its PR crisis communications team did little to defuse this crisis (it was very self-serving and hit 0% on the “we’re sorry” meter). But Leticia strongly encouraged me to find something else to write about this week. So, scratch any mention of that topic this week.

10 Mind-Boggling Demands On Your Attention

07.15.2026 – “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” Nobel laureate Herbert Simon uttered that prophetic line in 1971. That should be tattooed on every communicator’s forearm.

Does Your Business Elevator Pitch Have You Going Up… or Down?

07.08.2026 – Usually we think of elevator speeches as having to do with a job interview. I previously wrote about job interview elevator speeches way back in this April 2021 blog post. But you also need an elevator speech, or pitch, for your business.

What Kind Of PR Do Your Neighbors Have?

07.01.2026 – Do you love your neighbor? We’re supposed to. After all, it’s one of the two great commandments. But what if your neighbor has bad PR (whether it’s intentional or not)?

Share Your Expertise as an Adjunct Professor, Make Extra Money

06.03.2026 – What expertise do you possess? Share it! Last week I shared my recent experience as an adjunct PR professor at Milligan University in Elizabethton, Tenn. This week I’ll walk you through, step-by- step, on how you can land an adjunct position.