As an APR and nonprofit crisis communications leader, I’ve spent much of my career navigating moments when the stakes are high and the pressure is immediate.

In the nonprofit sector, a crisis is never just a reputational challenge. It can threaten public trust, destabilize internal teams, disrupt fundraising, and ultimately divert attention from the mission itself. That is why strong crisis leadership matters so much, and why this work requires real expertise. I have learned that crisis communications is not just about what you say. It is about how you lead. And the best crisis leadership is calm, strategic, and rooted in preparedness.

Leadership under pressure

I have spent a lot of my career in moments when things are not going as planned. A story breaks unexpectedly. A situation escalates quickly. A decision needs to be made before you have all the details. People are looking for answers, and you can feel the pressure rising in real time.

That is what crisis communications really is. It is not just writing a statement or managing the press. It is leading when the stakes are high and the room is loud. It protects trust within your organization while building credibility outside it. And if you are the lead communicator, it is often your job to be the steady voice, even when you do not yet have a full picture.

Bring order to chaos

One of the first things I have experienced is that a crisis does not just test the strength of your messaging. It tests the strength of your leadership. The best crisis communicators are not the ones who speak the fastest. They are the ones who can stay calm, listen closely, and move people toward clarity. They bring structure to chaos. They slow the moment down just enough to prevent avoidable mistakes, while still moving with urgency.

In the early hours of a crisis, people will want to fill the silence. They will want to guess. They will want to respond emotionally. They will want to defend the organization, or they will want to disappear. And if you are not careful, you can end up with a response built on pressure rather than strategy.

Listen before you lead

This is why I believe the most important thing a lead communicator can do at the beginning of a crisis is not to talk. It is to listen.

Listening is not passive. It is a skill. It is how you get to the truth faster. It is how you understand what is actually happening and what people are really reacting to. You listen to your internal teams because they often see risks that leadership has not considered yet. You listen to leadership because you need to understand what they are worried about and what they are willing to do. You listen to the public conversation because it tells you what people are assuming, what they are afraid of, and what narrative is forming.

In a crisis, perception becomes reality quickly. If you do not understand what people believe is happening, you will not be able to communicate effectively, even if you have the facts.

Align the organization first

At the same time, you cannot lead crisis communications without protecting the organization internally. This is where many responses break down. The organization rushes to speak publicly while internal teams are still confused, emotional, or working from different information. That is when things leak. That is when staff start to fill gaps with assumptions. That is when leaders get inconsistent advice. And that is when a crisis grows legs.

If you are leading communications, your first responsibility is internal alignment. You need one version of the truth. One process for decisions. One pathway for approvals. One place where updates live. And you need a rhythm. Even if you do not have new information, people need to hear from leadership regularly. Silence creates stress, and stress creates mistakes.

A calm internal environment is not just good culture; it’s a necessity. It is crisis prevention.

Credibility over control

From there, you can begin to shape the external response with discipline. I always come back to this: credibility is the goal. Not perfection. Not control. Credibility.

You can recover from a mistake. You cannot recover easily from losing trust.

Credibility is built by telling the truth early, even when the truth is incomplete. It is built by being clear about what you know and what you do not know. It is built by correcting errors quickly rather than quietly. It is built by staying consistent across spokespeople, platforms, and audiences. It is built by refusing to speculate, even when people demand certainty.

This is also where tone matters. In a crisis, people can sense when a message is defensive or overly polished. They can sense when the organization is trying to protect itself rather than doing what is right. Your message should sound human. It should sound grounded. It should reflect seriousness. It should reflect care. It should reflect action.

A crisis message does not need to be long. It needs to be real.

Plan for what’s next

And behind the scenes, the strongest crisis communication is not reactive. It is scenario-driven. The best communicators do not improvise their way through high-risk moments. They plan for them.

Preparedness means you have already thought through the likely scenarios. You have already asked what could happen next. You have already mapped what escalation looks like. You have already identified your vulnerable areas, the questions you will get from the media, and the stakeholder groups that will need direct communication. You have already written the first draft of what you might say if the situation shifts.

This kind of planning is not about expecting the worst. It is about being ready for it.

When you have done scenario planning, you do not waste the first hours of a crisis debating from scratch. You activate a plan, adapt it to the facts, and move forward with confidence.

That confidence matters because in a crisis, your team will take cues from you. They are not just listening to your words. They are watching how you carry yourself. They are watching whether you are frantic or focused. Whether you are defensive or thoughtful. Whether you are overwhelmed or grounded.

This is why calm leadership is not optional in crisis work. It is part of the job.

Calm does not mean you are not worried. It means you are in control of your response. It means you can think clearly. It means you can speak with a steady voice when others cannot. It means you can hold the pressure without spreading it.

And as the crisis continues, you have to remember that a crisis response is not a single moment. It is a process. There is an early phase in which you stabilize facts and prevent misinformation. There is a middle phase in which you manage ongoing updates, press inquiries, leadership visibility, and stakeholder trust. And there is a final phase that matters just as much as the first: recovery.

Recovery is where trust is rebuilt. Recovery is where you show what you learned. Recovery is where you demonstrate what has changed. Recovery is about proving that the organization is not just reacting but improving.

That is why documentation matters. It is not glamorous, but it is essential. Track decisions. Track approvals. Track timelines. Track what was said, when, and why. In the middle of a crisis, people think they will remember everything. They will not. Documentation protects the organization and the team.

Be the steady voice

At the end of the day, crisis communications is leadership. It is not just messaging. It is judgment. It is preparedness. It is listening. It is strategy. It is calm.

When a crisis hits, people do not need the loudest voice. They need clarity. They need someone who can bring focus when things feel scattered. They need someone who can listen first, then lead.

That is what the best communicators do. They become the steady voice. And in the moments that matter most, that steadiness becomes a form of protection for everyone. In a crisis, people don’t need the loudest voice. They need the steadiest one, guided by preparation, discipline, and the confidence that comes from being ready long before the moment arrives.

Ronnika A. McFall, MBA, APR, serves as senior director of communications for Mercy For Animals. With more than 15 years of experience in public relations and communications, she has led teams through media strategy, crisis communications, and organizational storytelling. She is the APR Chair and serves on the board for PRSA Georgia, as well as the PRSA APR Marketing Committee. As an APR, Ronnika is passionate about mentoring candidates and helping communicators grow in their careers.

Illustration credit: phimprapha

The post The Steady Voice: Leading Communications When a Crisis Hits first appeared on PRsay.

Artificial intelligence “in comms and PR is everything right now,” Linda Zebian said. “You can’t do the job without it. It can drive efficiency and give us insights that we’ve never had before. The PR team is positioned to own this within their organizations.”

Zebian, vice president of communications for Muck Rack, was a panelist on April 13 for “AI Pulse,” PRSA’s monthly livestream.

“If we don’t learn how to fully use the technology, we’re putting ourselves at risk,” she said. “You won’t have a choice anymore.”

For those new to AI, using it to measure PR effectiveness is a strong entry point, said host Ray Day, APR, vice chair of Stagwell, executive chair of Allison Worldwide, and PRSA’s 2026 immediate past chair.

Artificial intelligence has “fundamentally changed what we’re able to do in communications, for the better,” including for measuring results, panelist Sofia Portugal said. “We can track narratives in real-time. Trends forecasting has never been more precise. And everything at a speed that we’ve never seen before.”

Portugal, who earned her master’s degree in data science from the University of Florida in 2024 after earning her bachelor’s degree in advertising there, now works for the school’s student-run PR and ad agency. She said her team uses Quid, an AI tool that identifies patterns in news, social media and the market to reveal opportunities and threats.

Artificial intelligence allows communicators to be strategic advisers, said panelist Tony Sardella, managing director of predictive analytics at communications consultancy Allison Worldwide, where Day is executive chair.

“It gives us clarity on where to focus, where not to focus, and how to change and shape external environments,” Sardella said. “AI is making the PR function more accurate. We’re able to measure things that we couldn’t measure before.”

With AI tools, communicators can now collect and organize online conversations and measure the underlying emotions that people feel about brands or companies, positively or negatively, he said.

Artificial intelligence shows PR pros where to look and what’s around the corner, so they can better focus their resources and achieve business objectives, he said.

Gen Z reservations about AI

PR professionals are using AI to spark and research content ideas, write or edit press releases and other texts, and generate images. But just 28% are using AI to measure the impact of their work, according to Muck Rack surveys.

And contrary to what might be assumed, young communicators are not necessarily eager to use AI in their work.

“The narrative around Gen Z-AI tends to be, ‘We’re digital natives, we embrace the tools, and we’re just going to figure it out,” Portugal said. But while 51% of Gen Z communicators are using AI at least once a week, “Enthusiasm has collapsed,” she said. Gen Z has not “fully bought into AI just yet.”

Among Gen Z PR practitioners, “80% of us believe AI will make it harder to learn, and 69% of us trust human-only work more than AI-assisted work,” Portugal said. People in her generation feel “anxiety about what over-relying on AI early in our careers might cost us cognitively: our ability to think critically, to come up with original ideas, and to do the work that requires judgment.”

Portugal attributed the decline in enthusiasm to the novelty wearing off — and to a lack of training.

“We need tools that aid our work, not replace it,” she said.

As AI reshapes the tools of the profession, communicators face a familiar challenge: balancing efficiency with the judgment and creativity that build trust.

Illustration: Kanisorn

The post AI Lets Communicators Measure Emotions, but Gen Z Interest Is Cooling first appeared on PRsay.

At a recent panel hosted by George Mason University’s PRSSA Chapter, I joined fellow communicators — Oriella Mejia, district director, Virginia State Senate, and Samantha Villegas, APR, Fellow PRSA, principal consultant, Raftelis — to talk with students about what ethical decision-making actually looks like in the field — beyond theory, beyond the PRSA Code of Ethics and inside the real moments where choices carry consequences.

The conversation quickly moved past definitions and into the harder questions:

• What do you do when transparency conflicts with organizational priorities?
• How do you navigate misinformation without amplifying it?
• What happens when speaking up comes with real professional risk?

Here are five lessons that grounded our discussion and continue to shape how I think about ethical communication in practice.

1. Ethics becomes real when you’re the one making the call.

Early in your career, you’re often executing — learning the craft, supporting the strategy, moving work forward. But as you grow into leadership, the nature of your role shifts. You’re no longer just implementing decisions — you are the one shaping them.

That’s when ethics moves from abstract to immediate. You are the one weighing competing priorities. Advising leaders. Anticipating impact. And ultimately, deciding what moves forward and what doesn’t.

At that level, ethical communication is not theoretical. It’s tied directly to responsibility. Not just: Is this effective? But: Is this the right call, given who this affects and what’s at stake?

2. Ethical communication is about responsibility, not just accuracy.

Accuracy matters. Transparency matters. Honesty matters. But ethical communication goes beyond getting the facts right. It requires asking a deeper question: What do we owe the people we are communicating with?

That responsibility shows up in different ways:

• Being clear about what people need to know — not just what we want to say or do
• Protecting confidentiality when trust is placed in us
• Avoiding the temptation to omit information that could materially change how something is understood
• Recognizing that different audiences carry different risks, stakes and lived experiences

And often, those responsibilities don’t align neatly.

Communicators are constantly navigating tension — between organizational goals and public impact, between urgency and accuracy, between short-term outcomes and long-term trust. Ethics helps guide decisions when the path isn’t obvious.

3. Trust is built — or broken — in the gray areas.

The most defining ethical moments in communications are rarely black-and-white. They live in the gray areas:

• When disclosure may make support harder to secure
• When transparency could increase short-term backlash
• When organizational direction conflicts with your professional instincts

These are the moments where trust is on the line. Because trust isn’t built when things are easy. It’s built when communicators choose candor, accountability and respect for their audiences — even when it’s uncomfortable.

And the reverse is also true. When people later realize they were not given the full picture, they do not just feel uninformed — they feel managed. That distinction matters. Because once trust is lost, it’s far more difficult to rebuild than it would have been to protect in the first place.

4. In a misinformation environment, speed is tempting — but discipline is critical.

Today’s communications landscape is shaped by speed—and increasingly by misinformation. False narratives can spread quickly. Pressure to respond is immediate. And organizations often feel they need to act just as fast to keep up.

But speed alone is not a strategy. In many cases, the most important ethical decision is not how fast you respond, but whether and how you respond at all. Because communicators are often weighing:

• Will responding amplify the issue?
• Do we have enough clarity to speak credibly?
• Are we reacting emotionally or responding strategically?

In crisis situations, especially, urgency can push organizations into reactive decisions that may create bigger challenges down the line. Ethical communication requires discipline in those moments: to slow down just enough to make a thoughtful, informed decision — even when everything else is moving fast.

5. Ethical responsibility starts with everyone.

One of the most important reminders for students — and for professionals at every level — is this: Ethics is not reserved for leadership. Every communicator has ethical responsibilities. They show up in:

• How we write and communicate internally
• How we handle information
• How we respond to concerns
• Whether we raise questions or stay silent
• How we represent others in our work

Even the smallest decisions contribute to an organization’s ethical culture. At the same time, organizations have a responsibility to create environments that support ethical decision-making, not discourage it.

Because when people fear retaliation or when speaking up carries risk, ethics becomes harder to practice consistently. Culture does not cut ethical tension, but it decides whether people have the space and support to navigate it.

The role of perspective: Building your kitchen cabinet

One of the most practical takeaways from the conversation was the importance of having a trusted group of peers, mentors and advisers you can turn to when you need a gut check.

No communicator should be navigating complex ethical decisions in isolation. A strong network:

• Provides perspective when you are too close to a situation
• Helps challenge assumptions and avoid blind spots
• Offers support in moments where internal dynamics make it difficult to speak freely

Just as important, it helps you avoid the trap of echo chambers. Because ethical decision-making benefits from diverse perspectives, not just reinforcing ones.

Ethics is the work

Ethics in communications is not a separate discipline. It’s not a checklist or a one-time decision. It’s embedded in how we practice. In the questions we ask. In the tradeoffs we make. In the moments where the right answer is not immediately clear. That’s the work. And in a profession built on trust, it’s what ultimately defines us.

Crystal Borde is a vice president and community-driven communications practice lead at Vanguard Communications in Washington, DC, and immediate past president of PRSA National Capital Chapter.

Illustration credit: Bijac

The post What Ethical Communication Looks Like in Practice first appeared on PRsay.

Friends, there is such a tool, and it’s called a subhead.

Well-written subheads can draw readers in, help people find what they’re looking for, keep readers reading, communicate to nonreaders and make your message more memorable.

“By far,” write the authors of “How People Read on the Web,” “the single most important thing you can do to help users consume content is to use meaningful [subheads], and make [them] visually pop as compared to body text.”

So, how can you write subheads right?

How to write great subheads

To get the word out via subheads:

1. Show the architecture of your piece. Think of your subheads as the Roman numeral outline of your piece. What are your topics I, II and III? Those are your subheads.

You’ll have a subhead for each topic in the body of your story, plus one subhead to separate the body from the conclusion. So if you have three topics, you’ll have four subheads.

2. Say something! The best subheads make your message skimmable. So don’t just label a section of text with the topic — “Mortgage services,” for instance. Tell the reader something. What about mortgage services?

Subheads that say “Problem,” “Solution” and “Result,” for instance, mean “Read this section to learn about the problem.” That’s not scanning, that’s reading! Instead, write a robust subhead that tells what the problem is.

Write subheads that reveal, rather than conceal, your contents.

3. Answer, don’t just ask, questions. If you raise a question in the subhead, answer it in display copy — a bold-faced lead-in, highlighted key words or a bulleted list, maybe.

If your subhead asks, “Why subheads?” for instance, you might answer the question in a list with bold-faced lead-ins:

1. Draw readers in. …
2. Help people find what they want quickly. …
3. Break copy up. …

Otherwise, your question tells skimmers, “read below to find out.” If they wanted to read, that’s what they’d be doing!

4. Use enough subheads — but not too many. If you have a subhead for every paragraph, you have too many subheads. Include a subhead every four to six paragraphs, suggest the folks at the BBC News Academy.
5. Keep them short. Limit subheads to a single line — on your phone. (Tip: Email your message to yourself and check it on your mobile to make sure.) That probably means up to five words.

Longer, and they’ll start looking like text, not display copy. And then you’ll lose the attention-grabbing power of subheads.

Don’t drop the subheads.

Writing subheads “may be the most important thing you do,” according to Jakob Nielsen, co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group usability consultancy.

So whatever you do, don’t drop the subheads.

Ann Wylie (WylieComm.com) helps PR professionals Catch Your Readers through writing training. Her workshops take her from Hollywood to Helsinki, helping communicators in organizations like Coca-Cola, Toyota, Eli Lilly and Salesforce draw readers in and move them to act. Never miss a tip: FreeWritingTips.wyliecomm.com.

Copyright © 2026 Ann Wylie. All rights reserved.

Photo credit: VZ_art

The post How to Write a Good Subhead: 5 Ways to Make the Most of This Essential Page Element first appeared on PRsay.

In those moments of tension, leaders reach a quiet crossroads — hold the line or rationalize a detour. Veer just slightly, and you may not notice the drift until you find yourself running aground. The small course corrections we choose when pressure rises ultimately determine our destination.

This is how ethical erosion begins — quietly, under pressure, when convenience overtakes conviction. Our ethics are not tested in obvious storms. They are tested in the subtle headwinds — when the right decision costs time, money, approval, or momentum.

Pressure is where leadership habits are forged. When reputation, revenue, or relationships are at stake, leaders reveal whether ethics is a true guide or merely a stated value. The most dangerous moments aren’t storms. More often than not, they happen in calm waters, ordinary days when minor compromises feel harmless. One slight deviation becomes another. The tide shifts gradually. And eventually, the organization wakes up far from the course it thought it was sailing.

A repeated pattern

In my professional work and in my role as ethics officer for the Arkansas Chapter of PRSA, I’ve seen this pattern repeat. Ethical leadership is rarely about dramatic heroics. It’s about steady navigation when no one is watching. It’s the discipline of checking your bearing long before consequences appear on the horizon.

Research confirms this reality. According to the Ethics & Compliance Initiative’s Global Business Ethics Survey, roughly 30% of employees report feeling pressure to compromise ethical standards at work.¹ That pressure doesn’t arrive like a squall with warning sirens. It comes quietly — disguised as urgency, pragmatism, or colored “just this once.” Left unchecked, it becomes the prevailing wind of normalized behavior.

The counterargument is understandable. Leaders rarely operate in perfect conditions. Decisions must be made quickly. Tradeoffs are inevitable. But ethical leadership does not require flawless navigation—it requires consistent orientation. Convenience is not neutral. Every time a leader trims the sails toward ease instead of principle, they signal to the crew how the organization truly charts its course.

Strong leaders understand pressure is not permission to abandon standards. It’s when standards matter most. A compass proves its worth when visibility drops. Ethical discipline keeps leaders oriented when the shoreline disappears and shortcuts start to appear deceptively safe.

So, pause when a decision feels rushed, uncomfortable, or inconvenient. Ask yourself: Is this a necessary course correction —or the beginning of drift? Reset your bearing before the current carries you farther than intended. Remember, leadership is not proven by speed alone. It is proven by direction — and by the courage to stay the course.

Access the PRSA Code of Ethics here.

Carson Horn, APR, is vice president, public relations at the Little Rock-based marketing agency The Communications Group, Accredited and certified in Crisis Communications through PRSA. He also serves as the ethics officer for the Arkansas PRSA Chapter.

Illustration credit: org

The post When the Right Decision Is the Inconvenient One first appeared on PRsay.

Among respondents, 50% of CMOs and 33% of CCOs said their budgets leave them well-equipped to make a difference for the business over the next six months, up from 40% and 23% respectively since the previous survey in June 2025.

“Alongside the sharp improvement in budgets, the latest CMO+CCO Meter found that workload is a growing challenge for marketing and communications,” said Denise Dahlhoff, head of the Research, Marketing & Communications Center for The Conference Board, a nonprofit business-membership and research organization.

“Compared to last June, satisfaction regarding workload fell 6 points among CMOs to 51% and a whopping 20 points among CCOs to just 34% — with AI, expectations, and market conditions all playing a role,” she said.

Other findings from the survey:

• 74% of CMO respondents said their team’s impact on the business grew over the past six months, down slightly from 77% in the previous survey.
• 67% of CMOs surveyed said their CEO’s assessment of the marketing team’s impact grew, up sharply from 55%.
• 50% of CMOs felt their budgets left them well-equipped to face business challenges, up from 40% in June 2025.
• 50% of CMOs surveyed felt well-equipped with their tools, down slightly from 52%.
• Just 42% of CMOs felt well-equipped by their teams, down sharply from 52%.
• 79% of CMOs rated their general satisfaction as “happy” or “very happy,” down slightly from 80% last June.

Credit: InfiniteFlow

The post Report: CCOs Feel Well-Equipped with Budgets, Less So With Teams first appeared on PRsay.

Biesenbach, a communications coach in Chicago and columnist for Strategies & Tactics, was among the panelists on March 23 for Member Mondays, PRSA’s monthly webinar for members and nonmembers.

When someone starts to tell a story, “The lights go on and we get engaged,” Biesenbach said. This human tendency to be captivated by stories “is universal, and with the rise of AI, it’s a key differentiator. AI may be able to shape our stories, but there’s no substitute for our own personal stories, the ones that come from our experience.”

Heide Harrell, PRSA’s 2026 Chair and host of Member Mondays, said stories are an opportunity to express emotion. Texts written by AI are just words, but when telling real stories, “we can make it be felt,” she said.

“Stories help us connect,” said panelist Lisa Arledge Powell, APR, CEO and founder of MediaSource in Columbus, Ohio. “We all start paying attention when a story is compelling and not just a fact or a figure.”

Panelist Heather Morgan, APR, is vice president of communications and business development at MHP Salud, a nonprofit that trains public health professionals who work with trauma patients in southern Texas.

As people, “We’re designed to connect with others,” she said. “That’s what storytelling allows us to do, to make that human connection. And it brings the emotional element.”

Make the audience the hero

Every good story will “pull the audience in,” Morgan said. “You need a hero, the person you’re trying to move into action. There’s a problem, there’s a solution, and a resolution. That’s what we do every day with storytelling.”

Arledge Powell agreed. “Set up the problem, and then segue into the solution without blatantly promoting the brand,” she said. “It should feel like an authentic story of how your organization is solving a problem.”

As PR pros, as communicators, “Our goal is to connect our audience with our brand, or our purpose, on a level that moves them to act,” Morgan said. “Storytelling lets our audience see themselves in the story, either as a character or ideally, as the hero.”

In the nonprofit, community-health realm, the heroes of her stories are donors and clients, Morgan said. “The organization is merely the conduit that supports these main characters. We never tell stories about us. We tell stories about you, and how you’ve changed communities,” to create “a more powerful experience for the audience.”

Biesenbach calls stories “the perfect emotion-delivery vehicle. Because emotion is what sells. You’ve got to win their heart to change their mind. Stories are an experience, not just passive.”

Building a bank of stories starts with understanding your audience’s biggest challenges — and how your organization helps solve them, he said.

Member Mondays is an initiative designed to foster direct engagement and provide valuable information sharing within the PR community. Member Mondays take place on the fourth Monday of each month from 1–1:45 p.m. ET. All programs are free for PRSA members. Sign up for future sessions here.

Photo credit: Gejsi

The post Member Mondays Recap: Why Emotional Storytelling Drives Action first appeared on PRsay.

Growing up in the Washington, D.C., area, Ross spent time at live sporting events not just watching the game, but observing everything around it — the messaging, the fan experience and the energy of the environment. That instinct carried into her academic path, where an early interest in reading and writing, paired with a passion for sports, led her to communications.

“I realized I didn’t just want to work in sports,” Ross said during the March 18 Strategies & Tactics Live session on LinkedIn hosted by Editor-in-Chief John Elsasser. “I wanted to shape how people experience them.”

That perspective — seeing beyond the scoreboard — continues to define her approach today.

Ross credits her ability to “read the room” in part to growing up with hearing loss, which required her to be highly attentive to tone, body language and context.

“I had to be very locked in on who I was communicating with and what was happening around me,” said Ross, membership chair of PRSA’s Entertainment & Sports Professional Interest Section. “That helped me become a more intentional observer and a more empathetic communicator.”

That awareness translates directly into her role with the Pirates, where understanding how messages will land across diverse audiences is critical.

The internal engine behind the brand

While many associate sports communications with media relations and public-facing messaging, Ross emphasized that much of her work happens behind the scenes.

Her role spans internal messaging, executive communications, change management, and cross-department alignment — all aimed at ensuring employees are informed, aligned, and equipped to represent the organization.

“A lot of people are surprised by how internal this work is,” she said. “It’s not just about the media — it’s about making sure our staff understands what we’re saying, what we’re not saying and why.”

That internal clarity, she noted, directly impacts how the organization shows up externally.

“When it’s done well, our people become strong ambassadors for our brand.”

Clarity over speed

In a fast-paced environment like Major League Baseball, the pressure to respond quickly is constant. Early in her career, Ross prided herself on speed — keeping her inbox at zero and responding immediately.

Over time, her perspective shifted.

“Speed is important, but clarity and accuracy are what build trust,” she said. “Sometimes you have to pause, confirm details and align internally before communicating.”

That discipline becomes especially important in moments of uncertainty or potential crisis, where established processes allow communicators to respond with intention rather than react impulsively.

Tailoring messages across audiences

From players and staff to corporate partners and fans, the Pirates’ communications ecosystem is complex. Ross emphasized that while audiences differ, the foundation remains the same: accuracy, clarity and empathy.

“It’s about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes,” she said. “Understanding what they need, what context they have, and how they might interpret a message.”

That mindset also reinforces a key principle: internal and external communications should never feel disconnected.

“Employees should be hearing the same themes and priorities that we’re sharing externally,” Ross said. “You don’t want your internal audience learning things last.”

Consistency, early information-sharing and cross-functional collaboration help ensure alignment across the organization.

Breaking into sports communications

For students and early-career professionals interested in sports, Ross offered a candid reality check: passion is important — but it must be balanced with professionalism.

“You are a fan second,” she said. “You can’t let that excitement override your responsibility to the organization.”

Building trust with players, colleagues and leadership requires a clear understanding that the job is about supporting people and the brand — not personal fandom.

Her own career path underscores the value of networking and patience. After attending a sports career event and building a strong connection, she received a message years later that led her to apply for her role with the Pirates.

“Put yourself out there and trust that it will happen,” she said.

What sets great communicators apart

Ross drew a clear distinction between good and great communicators.

“A good communicator delivers a message clearly,” she said. “A great communicator anticipates questions, understands their audience deeply and builds trust over time.”

That ability to anticipate — rather than simply react — is especially critical in high-visibility, fast-moving environments like professional sports.

Ultimately, Ross sees her role as contributing to something larger than baseball.

“It’s about creating moments and sharing stories that people carry with them long after the game,” she said.

Here, Ross takes part in the S&T Live lightning round!

Photo credit: Douglas — stock.adobe.com

The post S&T Live Recap: Inside the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Internal Comms Game Plan first appeared on PRsay.

In a survey, business leaders in North America and Europe said different groups push them to take stands on divisive issues. Voices within the company are sources of that pressure, including employees, corporate social responsibility and diversity, equity, and inclusion teams, and the leader’s peers.

External stakeholders also expect CEOs and other business leaders to take stands. They include consumers, investors, government regulators and consultants. External influencers also exert that pressure, including the media, celebrities, experts, social media influencers, activists, friends and family, and company analysts.

Personal beliefs sometimes motivate CEOs to make public comments on divisive social and political issues. The researchers said it’s a blind spot when company leaders believe their personal beliefs should determine business decisions. A CEO’s personal views may conflict with the beliefs of company shareholders, to whom those leaders have a fiduciary responsibility.

Another blind spot, the researchers said, is when business leaders are overly influenced by groups of their own employees.

“We remind senior leaders that employees’ views rarely represent the breadth of a company’s stakeholders and can diverge sharply with the views of consumers and investors,” the researchers wrote.

Business leaders often don’t understand the range of their consumers’ views. Companies sometimes acquiesce to a vocal minority that doesn’t represent their entire consumer base, alienating the majority in the process.

For further reading on PRsay: The Return to the Statement Era: Knowing When to Speak Out

Illustration credit: Taslima

The post Pressure, Blind Spots Push CEOs to Take Divisive Stances, Research Finds first appeared on PRsay.

“We’re in the first inning of AI,” Peter McDermott said. “We’re going to figure this out, but we’re just at the beginning of it.”

McDermott, head of the corporate-affairs practice for consulting firm Korn Ferry in New York, was among the panelists on March 9 on “AI Pulse,” PRSA’s monthly briefing hosted by Ray Day, APR, vice chair of Stagwell, executive chair of Allison Worldwide, and PRSA’s 2026 immediate past chair.

Communicators are starting to look at AI less as a tool and more as an audience in itself, he said. “Writing your communications so that it can’t be misunderstood by AI” is becoming important. “Knowing how to write content for AI will get folded into career development.”

Panelist Jessamyn Katz is CEO of New York-based Heyman Associates, an executive-search firm specializing in communications.

“I’m thinking about AI as the latest tool in the communications toolbox that everyone needs to get smart on,” she said. “Those who are leaning into that opportunity are the ones who are going to excel. AI isn’t going to take your job, but the person who is better at using AI might.”

AI skills become essential for communicators

Panelist Anthony D’Angelo, APR, Fellow PRSA, is a professor of practice in public relations at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Since ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022, “The speed of AI adoption is just astonishing,” he said. “There will be a lot of disruption, but I’m cautiously optimistic about where it will take us.”

During the Industrial Revolution, ditch diggers had to learn how to operate steam shovels, he said. “It’s the same for communicators with generative AI, with one key difference: Steam shovels don’t get better the more you use them. Generative AI does. We have to keep up with that.”

Day asked how well the PR profession is adapting to AI technology.

D’Angelo cited a report from Meltwater, a media intelligence company, which found that more than 90% of PR teams are already using generative AI to draft press releases, optimize content and brainstorm ideas. But only about half have policies in place governing how they use the technology.

“We are building this airplane as we fly it, and there’s risk involved in that,” D’Angelo said.

He added that graduating students must be able to answer this question in a job interview: “How would you add value to the use of today’s technology tools?”

If anyone can generate content by pushing a button, “It’s fair for an employer or a client to ask, ‘What do I need you for, PR person?’” D’Angelo said. “We have to educate our students and working professionals on how to add value to the use of those tools.”

Panelist Paula Davis is a member of the communications and corporate affairs practices at executive recruiter Heidrick & Struggles in New York.

“Over-relying on AI is a huge risk,” she said, as are “not having alignment in how your organization is using AI and not understanding how the large language models work.” When communications professionals look for jobs today, “having examples of how you’re using AI is very important.”

In her own work, “I will brainstorm with Claude AI, as I would a human,” she said. Davis also cautioned about the mental-health implications of over-humanizing artificial intelligence.

For communicators, the message from the panel was clear: AI will continue reshaping the profession, and those who learn to use it thoughtfully — rather than resist it — will be best positioned to lead.

Illustration credit: Umnat

The post How Communicators Are Navigating AI’s Rapid Rise first appeared on PRsay.