Resources

Building Relationships with Community Opinion Leaders: Why, Who and How

I wrote this in-depth whitepaper for the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania in 2001 ... and the basic principles haven't changed, though the technology certainly has! It includes excerpts of interviews with hospital CEOs, an in-depth review of research on the subject and an in-depth annotated bibliography of professional and scientific literature by Prof. Mark P. McElreath, PhD., APR, ABR of Towson University. Frankly, it's a "must read" for anyone charged with community relations.

​

Effective Employee Communication

I wrote this whitepaper for the executive committee of a large regional banking company, during the reengineering of one of the bank’s major subsidiaries. It was written to assist the executive committee with planning for employee communication issues that were likely to arise following the completion of the reengineering. It contains a number of excellent summaries of research and best practices in the area of employee communication. Although the Bank has since been acquired, its name and other identifiers have been masked.

​

Managing Change: How to Plan and Implement an Effective Employee Communication Program​

I wrote this color, illustrated 17-page bound booklet as a companion piece to my Communication Skills for Managers Workshop. It is designed to be customized for each company. This copy shows the booklet as produced for a fictitious company, Cashflex.

 

 

The Lifecycle of an Issue

This series of charts show the evolution of an issue through early warning, organizing to legislation and litigation and shows who is involved, how the issue is being expressed in each phase, actions being taken and the impact of those actions. 

​

Media Relations Tips

A three-page, succinct compilation of guidance for interacting with news media. It includes sections on what reporters want to know, media relations principles, The Seven Commandments, how to aggravate a reporter, about the reporter's work product, preparing for an interview and questions to ask yourself.

​

The Communication Planning Process

A one-page summary of the basic structure for developing a communication program, which mirrors the structure of my all-day Communication Planning Workshop.

 

​

How to Plan and Manage a Relationship Check-Up

I wrote this guide for a group of hospital executives to help them plan and execute my proprietary Relationship Check-Up process. A Relationship Check-Up is the most basic element in a relationship-building program. terms: you have to know the actual condition of your relationships before you can do anything to improve them. Effective communication is the bedrock upon which effective relationships are built. All effective communication programs, in turn, must begin with listening, not speaking. A Relationship Check-Up is a listening tool, just like many others used by healthcare professionals.​

​

Advantages of a Retainer Relationship

I wrote this single page of bullets for a client executive who wanted to convince his management to put me on retainer. It shows the advantages both the the client and to the consultant of this traditional consulting compensation arrangement. By the way: it worked.

​

Selecting a Spokesperson

I wrote this whitepaper to answer three questions: What are the characteristics of an effective spokesperson? Can too many spokespeople dilute delivery of a consistent institutional message? How can spokespersons' credibility be built with news media?

​

Hospital Price Transparency

I wrote this whitepaper for a healthcare system that was far ahead of its time in 2007. It was used to brief senior executives and the board on the need to be planning to address this then-just-emerging issue.