I’ve hired many early-career talent over the years. But this time, as applications came rolling in, I noticed a pattern: every resume was polished, and every cover letter closely aligned with the job description. On paper, the candidates looked nearly indistinguishable.

We last hired for this role in early 2024, when AI technology was available but not as widely accepted. This time, the difference was unmistakable.

While these tools enable applicants to present more refined and structured materials, they also make it harder for hiring managers to distinguish between surface-level sheen and true capability. As a result, hiring teams must look beyond presentation and focus more intentionally on how these prospects think, evaluate information, and communicate in real time.

 Why traditional signals no longer work

For years, we have relied on familiar indicators as evaluation tools, like strong writing, attention to detail, and relevant internship experience. Today, those signals are less reliable. AI is helping candidates refine grammar, structure their experience, and elevate their tone, resulting in a deep pool of applicants who appear equally strong on paper. This makes it more difficult to distinguish who truly has the skills needed to succeed in the role.

This isn’t to suggest that applicants are misrepresenting themselves; rather, they are using the same tools they will likely rely on in the workplace. The responsibility, then, falls to PR leaders to evolve how we evaluate talent, particularly in the early stages of the hiring process.

To address this, we evaluated applications for deeper signals of substance, such as specificity in how work was described, clarity around individual contributions, and evidence of real experience behind well-structured language.

Prioritizing real thinking

As application materials become less reliable as differentiators, interviews have emerged as the most important evaluation tool, with a focus on how candidates think in real time. Because of this, we placed greater emphasis on phone screenings, using them more intentionally as an early filter to determine who would advance to in-person interviews.

We also revised our interview questions, shifting toward prompts that require real-time reasoning and critical thinking:

• How would you begin building a media list for a new client?
• What makes a story newsworthy today?
• What recent headline caught your attention—and why?

Questions like these don’t have perfect answers, and that’s intentional. We’ve found that the strongest applicants demonstrate curiosity, awareness of the media landscape, and the ability to connect ideas under pressure, skills that are often obscured in overly polished, AI-assisted application materials.

 Ask directly about AI use

As the tools shaping communications work have evolved (think fax machines and press kits in the 1990s, to email and Google in the 2000s, to Cision, Meltwater, and Grammarly in the 2010s), hiring practices must now evaluate experience with AI platforms.

Avoiding the topic of AI means missing an opportunity. Instead, bring it into the conversation. Be direct and ask candidates how they used AI in their application process or how they might use it in their day-to-day work. Their responses can reveal far more than the application itself.

Look for individuals who:

• Acknowledge using AI as a starting point (not a final product)
• Describe how they edit, fact-check, and refine AI outputs
• Understand where AI can fall short (especially in tone and accuracy)

In PR, judgment matters as much as execution. Candidates who can articulate how they use AI thoughtfully will be better equipped to apply it responsibly on the job. 

Emphasize growth potential and culture fit

After weeding through stacks of resumes and interviewing our top selections, I found that the final step isn’t as cut-and-dried as I thought. Identifying the right fit, both in terms of growth potential and culture, can be just as important as background and experience, because long-term success in PR depends as much on adaptability and mindset as it does on what a candidate has already accomplished.

But beyond gut instinct and personal rapport, what’s the best way to objectively determine which candidate is the strongest fit for the team?

What worked for me was focusing on qualities that are harder to manufacture:

• Curiosity about industries, trends and media
• Initiative beyond required coursework or internships
• Self-awareness about what they know and what they still need to learn

These traits often signal long-term success more effectively than a perfectly written cover letter or prior project experience.

The bar has been reset

This hiring cycle was one of the toughest I’ve had to navigate. The caliber of applicants was remarkably high, but what made it particularly challenging was how adeptly many leveraged AI to craft a near-flawless first impression.

More notably, this generation of candidates has adapted quickly to these technologies and is already fluent in using them. That level of adaptability raises the bar for hiring managers, making it harder to differentiate between applicants. Still, it also reflects a workforce that is learning and evolving in real time. And while that may make hiring more challenging, it ultimately strengthens the industry as a whole.

Laura DiCaprio, APR, is a PR strategist who loves the challenge of uncovering and shaping stories for leading global brands. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Illustration credit: Nadia

The post Hiring New PR Talent in the Age of AI first appeared on PRsay.

“Our mission is to broaden networks, enhance education and launch careers,” Alicia Caracciolo said, referencing PRSSA’s mission statement. Those elements help PRSSA members “set themselves up for career success beyond graduation.”

Caracciolo, PRSSA’s International president, was among the panelists for the April 27 installment of Member Mondays, PRSA’s livestream event for members and non-members alike, held on the last Monday of each month.

“We see that so many of our members know how to network and know how to promote themselves, from what they’ve learned and published as PRSSA students,” said Caracciolo, who graduated in December from the University of South Carolina with a major in public relations and dual minors in sports management and business administration. She now works as business communications coordinator for the Texas Rangers Baseball Club.

Members of PRSSA gain public relations experience as students, she said. “We have access to learning and real experiences through student-run firms. Or members are executing campaigns, from start to finish, from research to evaluation.”

Panelist Katie Thomas, APR, is PRSSA’s professional adviser. “I owe everything in my career to PRSSA,” she said. “Those connections have continued throughout my whole life.”

When Thomas was in college, PRSSA helped her develop leadership skills, she said. Being part of PRSSA “also gives members an early understanding of ethics and standards” in public relations.

“When I’m hiring, I always look to see if they were a PRSSA member,” Thomas said. “If they were, that puts them above, in my book. There’s so much credibility and career readiness that PRSSA gives to our students as they enter the profession.”

PRSA members helping students

Heide Harrell, PRSA’s 2026 Chair and host of Member Mondays, asked the panel what students and graduates need most from PRSA professionals.

Panelist Milagros Orcoyen, PRSSA’s immediate past president, cited “guidance and support, practical and real-world skills, honest advice and being a connecter” as ways that public relations professionals can benefit the next generation of practitioners.

“Professionals can help students and recent graduates navigate their transition into the workforce and encourage them to build their own board of directors — their own trusted network of mentors and advisers,” said Orcoyen, who in 2022 graduated from the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Argentina, with a degree in social sciences and marketing. She now works for a branding agency in Buenos Aires.

“This board of directors can provide insight into things we don’t necessarily learn in school, such as how to negotiate our salaries,” she said.

Caracciolo said, “So many PRSA professionals are going out of their way to be in [PRSSA] Chapter meetings, to build positive relationships, to help ground people … and give them foresight” about their careers.

Panelist Gemma Puglisi is PRSSA’s international faculty adviser and an assistant professor of marketing and communications at American University in Washington, D.C. Every year, the school hosts a “mocktails” event and invites PRSA National Capital members to speak with the students.

After Covid, “We’re still dealing with that generation of students who have been feeling isolated, and now they’re back,” she said. “Any kind of personal interaction is so important for students.”

The post Member Mondays Recap: PRSSA Helps Nurture Comms Careers, Say Students, Recent Graduates first appeared on PRsay.

In PRSA’s upcoming certificate program, “Crisis Communication Readiness: From Uncertainty to Action,” which begins on May 20, instructor Mike Gross, APR, Fellow PRSA, focuses on how communicators can show up as trusted advisers when it matters most.

Gross, president of AKCG — Public Relations Counselors, shared insights with PRsay on how communicators can better prepare for what’s next.

How should communicators rethink preparedness in this more ongoing, high-pressure environment?

Preparedness has to shift from just planning for a moment to planning for sustained uncertainty.

Most organizations still think in terms of scenarios alone — what might happen and how we’ll respond. The reality is that many situations don’t follow a clean script. They evolve. Information changes. Expectations shift, but the pressure is immediate.

So, we must start to focus less on simply having the right template and more on having the right foundation. Clear principles. Defined roles. Alignment on how decisions get made quickly, with as few barriers as possible.

If you have that in place, you’re better positioned to adapt as the situation unfolds. If you don’t, no plan will hold up for very long.

What are some of the most common missteps you observe when organizations depend too much on “playbooks”?

The biggest issue is false confidence. But let’s be clear that a scenario-based crisis response plan is still important. It just can’t be a communicator’s singular focus.

Playbooks create the impression that if you follow the steps, you’ll get the right outcome. But crisis situations don’t work that way. Context matters. Timing matters. Tone matters.

What we want to avoid is organizations relying on pre-written statements or rigid processes that don’t reflect the reality of what’s happening. The result often is communication that feels disconnected or overly cautious. There is little room for “corporate speak” anymore in these moments; we must be audience-focused.

Playbooks are key to getting you going, but if they replace judgment, they become a liability.

You emphasize trust and credibility as guiding principles. In a rapidly evolving crisis, what does that look like in practice — especially when information is incomplete?

More than ever, we live in a skeptical world. There’s recreational outrage. There are deepfakes. Trust in all types of leaders is eroding.

In practice, there’s often a tendency to wait to communicate during a moment of challenge until everything is confirmed. In most cases, that creates a gap that others will fill for you. Credible leaders start with being clear about what they know, what they don’t know and what they’re doing to get answers.

Credibility is built through consistency and tone. And effective leaders work hard to avoid speculation and acknowledge impact early, even when details are still emerging.

Many participants will advise senior leaders. What does it take to be seen as a trusted counselor in those high-stakes moments?

It comes down to how you show up before the crisis, not just during it.

If you want to be in the room where it happens – when decisions are being made – you have to establish that credibility over time. That means being willing to offer a clear point of view, even when it’s not the easiest answer. Effective PR practitioners aren’t just advising on what to say; they’re advising on what to do.

Smart leaders are looking for clarity and sound input, in good times and bad. The ability to simplify a situation, frame the reputational risk and recommend a path forward is what builds trust.

For communicators who may not be in a crisis right now, what’s one step they can take today to be better prepared when that moment arrives?

A good place to start is by getting alignment internally on how decisions will be made when something does happen.

Who is involved in decision-making? How quickly can you respond? When do you engage legal counsel? What principles will guide your response?

Most delays in a crisis aren’t about writing a statement. They’re about uncertainty inside the organization.

If you can reduce that now, you’ll be in a much better position when it matters.

John Elsasser is PRSA’s publications director and editor-in-chief of its award-winning publication, Strategies & Tactics.

Photo credit: ty

The post Beyond the Playbook: Building True Crisis Readiness first appeared on PRsay.

Most people in public relations still rely on outdated, linear career models, she said. “You work your way to manager, director — it was this hierarchy. That’s all changed significantly. What has not changed, unfortunately, is how few individuals have a real career plan for themselves.”

Procter-Rogers was the guest on April 23 for Strategies & Tactics Live, PRSA’s monthly livestream on LinkedIn. For the April issue of PRSA’s Strategies & Tactics publication, she wrote a piece titled “Measuring What Matters: Choosing Your Career KPIs for What’s Next.”

Your career plan should include not just what you’d like to do more of, but also what you’d like to do less of, said Procter-Rogers, president of A Step Ahead Consulting and Coaching.

“Look at trends in your industry or discipline and see where you might have gaps” in your skills, she said. “What I find most, and I was a victim of this myself, early in my career, is that you meet with your boss, and you come up with goals for the next year — what you’re gonna work on, how you’re gonna be measured.”

Instead, she suggests, create key performance indicators of your career growth and how well you’re progressing toward your career goals.

“Regardless of where you are today, as a senior executive, an entry-level individual, or even the leader or owner of a firm, what are your KPIs?” she said.

John Elsasser, editor-in-chief of Strategies & Tactics and host of S&T Live, asked about her “Four C’s” framework of cabinet, career, capabilities and community.

Procter-Rogers, who served as PRSA’s president and CEO in 2006, said she based those principles on her own career path, and what she has observed in others. During her career, she has “come to understand some of the issues that prevent us from pivoting quickly when we hit a [career] speedbump,” she said. “Often it’s the result of not having a clear career plan in mind.”

Ask yourself, “Where do you want to be in three years, or 10 years?” she said. “What do you want your legacy to be? And how does that align with your capabilities? When you think about your capabilities, what are the certificates, degrees, or experiences that are going to be impactful for your career? What are the capabilities that underpin your career plan?”

‘Personal cabinet’

Elsasser asked her to expand on her idea of a “personal cabinet,” which she had written about in August 2025.

A personal cabinet “is a group of advisers in your life,” she said, “from your personal life, your professional life, who are helping you to craft and design your career. Those individuals should know that they’re part of your cabinet. Because they’re not only your thought partners, but they’re also your accountability partners.”

When you think about where you are today in your career, and where you want to go, who do you need in your personal cabinet that will help you get there? “You want individuals you trust,” she said, “who are able to give you feedback and bring expertise to the conversation that you don’t have.”

Here, Procter-Rogers takes part in the S&T Live lightning round!

The post S&T Live Recap: What’s Your Career Plan, and How Do You Measure Its Progress? first appeared on PRsay.

You can no longer garner a media placement, post it on LinkedIn, and drive people to your website so you can track what they do when they arrive. And forget about tossing it into a coverage report and expecting someone in the C-suite to gasp in admiration at your brilliance. (Though I will still gasp at your brilliance, because I know exactly how hard you worked to place it!)

Today, we have to do so much more than pitch media and place stories. We have to build credibility, support business goals, protect the organization’s reputation, and prove that our work is as effective as the things the organization has paid for.

It’s not totally fair because it’s incredibly challenging to measure reputation, trust, and credibility to cold, hard cash, but that’s the world we live in.

That’s why the PESO Model® exists.

When paid, earned, shared, and owned media work together, they stop acting like four separate silos running either in tandem but not together or in opposite directions. They start functioning like an actual communications system. That is when you get more traction, more consistency, and better results from the work you’re already doing.

The good news is you do not need a giant budget, a 27-person team, or a color-coded command center worthy of NASA.

You do need to be more intentional about how the pieces fit together.

Here are five ways to make the PESO Model work harder for you.

1. Start with owned media as your home base

In a PESO Model program, owned media is your foundation. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but if I had to order the PESO acronym in order of importance, I would make it OESP (but that’s super hard to remember, let alone pronounce).

Owned media is your home base. It is where your organization explains what it knows, what it believes, and why anyone should care. That might be a blog post, an executive point of view, a case study, a research summary, a landing page, or a newsroom. or even an FAQ. The format matters less than the function.

Before you pitch a reporter, post a hot take, or throw money behind a campaign, ask yourself: if someone hears about us today, where do we want them to go next?

If the answer is “the homepage,” I will encourage you to dream bigger.

A strong owned asset gives people somewhere to land after they discover you through other channels. It gives context to your message. It gives credibility to your claims. And it keeps the attention you worked so hard to earn from evaporating five minutes later.

If you want the PESO Model to work harder, start by building one strong piece of owned content that anchors the rest of the effort.

2. Use earned media to validate, not just amplify

In a world full of AI slop, made-up expertise, and confidence masquerading as competence, credible third-party validation matters more than ever.

But too many teams still treat earned media like a scavenger hunt for impressions.

Coverage is not the goal. Credibility is the goal.

The best earned media placements reinforce a message you already want your audience to believe. They validate your expertise. They transfer trust. They support reputation, not just awareness.

A smart byline, an insightful quote, or a well-placed interview tied to a strategic message will do far more for you than a pile of disconnected mentions that look nice in a monthly report and accomplish approximately nothing.

So before you pitch, get clear on the message behind the media opportunity. What do you want this placement to prove? What belief should it reinforce? What business priority does it support?

And once the coverage lands, for the love of all things measurable, do not let it die in a PDF recap.

Put it on your website. Share it in your newsletter. Use it in sales conversations. Reference it in executive communications.

Let earned media feed the rest of your system instead of becoming a one-day dopamine hit.

3. Treat shared media as a listening tool, not just a distribution channel

Somewhere along the way (probably when the marketers ruined it), “shared” became shorthand for “post more on social,” which is a lovely way to burn out a team while learning very little.

Shared media is not just for pushing content out. It is for paying attention.

This is where you see what your audience cares about, what they misunderstand, what makes them nod along, and what makes them roll their eyes and keep scrolling.

Comments, DMs, community discussions, and even the questions people ask over and over again are pure gold if you’re smart enough to use them.

That feedback should shape what you do next.

If your audience keeps asking the same question, turn it into content. If one framing gets traction and another falls flat, use that information. If people engage more deeply with one topic than another, that is not random. That is strategy handing you a clue.

Shared media is where you test ideas before you overinvest in them. It is where you learn what language resonates. It is where you get closer to what your audience actually needs, rather than what your internal team thought sounded impressive in a planning meeting.

Use shared media to distribute and build community, yes. But use it even more to listen. Really listen. And then turn those findings into owned and earned media.

4. Use paid media to extend what is already working

Paid media tends to create one of two reactions in PR teams: panic or avoidance.

Either it feels too salesy, or it gets handed off to another team and disappears into a strange parallel universe where everyone talks about CPMs and no one can explain what any of it is doing for reputation.

But paid media plays a very important role in the PESO Model: amplification.

Paid should not be the first move. It should be the accelerant.

Once you know a piece of content, a message, or a thought leadership angle is already resonating, paid can help you get it in front of more of the right people. Maybe an executive post is getting strong engagement. Maybe a resource page is keeping people on-site. Maybe a blog post is driving the kinds of actions you actually care about.

Use paid media to boost what is already working. Retarget visitors to a key page. Extend the life of strong thought leadership. Promote an owned asset that helps move someone from casual interest to actual action.

That way, paid is not some disconnected tactic floating off in the corner. It is supporting the program you are already building.

5. Measure the system, not the silos

If you measure paid, earned, shared, and owned media separately, you will almost always undervalue your work. Not because the work is weak, but because the measurement is.

The PESO Model works because the channels support one another.

An earned placement might drive people to your site. Your owned content might keep them there and teach them something useful. Shared media might extend the conversation and help you identify any remaining questions. Paid might re-engage the people who showed interest but were not ready to act the first time around.

That is a system. So measure it like one.

Start with the outcome you actually want. Better leads? Stronger executive visibility? More trust in a specific area? Faster movement from awareness to consideration? Pick the thing that matters, then map how each media type contributes to it.

This is how to stop defending activity and start proving value.

And frankly, it is also how we stop pretending that 42 impressions and a nice-looking pie chart are enough to justify a budget.

The point is making your efforts work harder

The PESO Model is not about doing everything. It is about making your communications program work better by connecting the pieces.

Start with owned media that gives people somewhere to go. Use earned to build credibility. Use shared to listen and learn. Use paid to amplify what has already earned the right to be seen by more people. Then measure how it all works together.

That is when PR stops looking like a collection of tactics and starts functioning like a real business driver.

And if you are a PRSA member who wants to go deeper, we offer a discount on PESO Model Certification to help you turn the framework into something you can actually run — not just admire from afar and swear you’ll “get to someday.” Log in to your PRSA account to learn more.

Gini Dietrich is the founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks, host of the Spin Sucks podcast, and author of Spin Sucks (the book). She is the creator of the PESO Model® and has crafted a certification for it in collaboration with the S.I. Newhouse School for Public Communication at Syracuse University. She is co-author of Marketing in the Round and co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast. She also holds “legend” status on Peloton.

Illustration: Ahmed

The post 5 Ways to Make the PESO Model® Work Harder for Your PR Program first appeared on PRsay.

After peaking at 23% in 2022 and 2023, employee engagement has declined to 20% in 2025, according to Gallup research. Each percentage-point drop represents roughly 21 million fewer engaged employees, potentially undermining business revenue and economic growth.

For context, employee engagement was just 12% in 2009, climbed to 22% by 2019, then fell to 20% in 2020.

Declining engagement among managers is driving much of the downturn since 2023, Gallup finds. Managers are typically more engaged in their work than individual contributors. Increasingly, however, managers’ engagement levels are converging with those of the people they lead.

Companies need engaged managers to adopt artificial intelligence successfully. A separate Gallup survey found that, aside from workplace integration, the strongest predictor of whether employees will use AI is whether a direct manager champions the technology.

In a first-quarter workforce survey, 18% of U.S. employees said it is “somewhat” or “very” likely their job will be eliminated within five years due to technological innovations such as automation or artificial intelligence. That share is up from 15% who said the same in the past two years.

In countries around the world, employee perceptions of the job market improved in 2025. The increase came entirely from fully on-site workers, whose perception of the job market rose two points. However, counter to the global trend, the U.S. and Canada saw 10-point drops in job-market optimism in 2025 — down 23 points since 2019.

Illustration: Andrii Yalanskyi

The post Employee Engagement Continues to Slide first appeared on PRsay.

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.