FIR Interviews

Interviews with newsmakers and influencers from the online technology and organizational communication worlds.

Spin Sucks Podcast #58: All About Referrals

July 10, 2019 by Gini Dietrich Leave a Comment

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This week on the Spin Sucks Podcast, Gini Dietrich talks about referrals. They come directly to you, pre-vetted and already ready to buy. The best way to get referrals is to ask for them – but that might seem scary to some people. This episode explores how to make asking for referrals a little bit easier and even a little bit fun.
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Spin Sucks Podcast #57: Customer Service Magic Is All In the Details

July 3, 2019 by Gini Dietrich Leave a Comment

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In this episode of the Spin Sucks Podcast, Gini Dietrich talks about how to provide consistently good customer service over the long haul. She covers the importance of setting boundaries, consistently clear communication, ensuring your whole team is on board and being proactive in how and when you reach out to your clients. If you’re a communications pro who works with clients – you’ll want to check out this episode.
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Spin Sucks #56: 5 Tips to Stay Ahead of Industry News and Trends

June 26, 2019 by Gini Dietrich Leave a Comment

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http://traffic.megaphone.fm/OSC7784056644.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:08 — 5.7MB) | EmbedSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | RSS | Subscription OptionsBeing in marketing and communications, you’re often considered to be “the expert” in your field. Whether it’s colleagues, clients, family, and friends, people rely on you to be on… Continue Reading →

#142: Montressa Washington, Natalie Forest & Mitchell Levy on Comfortability and Vulnerability

March 14, 2018 by Mitchell Levy Leave a Comment

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In this episode, Mitchell Levy (@HappyAbout), TEDx speaker and the AHA Guy at AHAthat (http://AHAthat.com), and co-host Natalie Forest(@NatalieForest), founder of Success Revolutions and Revolutionize Your Potential (http://natalieforest.com), exchange great insights with #ThoughtLeader Mali Phonpadith (@MaliPhonpadith), founder and CEO of SOAR Community Network, LLC (https://soarcommunitynetwork.com).
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FIR Interview: Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Sandhya Pruthi and Jay Maxwell on Creating a Smart Audio First Aid Skill

October 19, 2017 by Shel Holtz Leave a Comment

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In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz talks with Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, the Mayo Clinic’s chief medical editor and associate medical director for Content Management and Delivery, and Jay Maxwell, senior director of Health Information, about the development of the Clinic’s new First Aid skill for the Amazon Alexa platform, how it works, how they measure its effectiveness, and their approach toward preparing for a voice-enabled world. The interview includes a brief demonstration of the Clinic’s Alexa skill.
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FIR Interview: Nicole Scheffler, Host of the Diva Tech Talk Podcast

October 10, 2017 by Shel Holtz Leave a Comment

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According to its website, Diva Tech Talk “is a specialized communication channel highlighting women doing wonderful things in the technology arena by creating podcasts from interviews with successful female individuals in the field and covering various technology events. It was created to inform and inspire women of all ages to succeed in professional and life missions that are technology-driven.” The podcast has also won Clarion Awards from the Association for Women in Communications in 2017 and 2016. In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz spoke with Diva Tech Talk co-founder and host Nicole Scheffler about the show’s origins, its goals, and life as a female engineer in a male-dominated industry (and what communicators can do to help change that).
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FIR Interview: Phil Gomes on Blockchain and the Marketing Value of Digital Permanence

September 14, 2017 by Shel Holtz Leave a Comment

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In this FIR Interview, host Shel Holtz talks with Edelman’s Phil Gomes, senior vice president of U.S. B2B Digital, about his new blockchain white paper, published by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. that makes the case for marketers and communicators to add blockchain technology to the list of technologies they must understand. some of the startups whose work could change communication processes and content, as well as other dimensions of blockchain that will soon be part of communication workflows.
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FIR Interview: Jen McClure on the State of Employee Advocacy

September 13, 2017 by Shel Holtz Leave a Comment

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In this FIR Interview, host Shel Holtz talks with Jen McClure about JEM Consulting’s “State of Employee Advocacy” survey, including the connection between employee advocacy and social selling, whether employees who participate in an employee advocacy should have their involvement reflected in their performance evaluations, the role of advocacy amplification apps (and whether they can constitute an entire advocacy program), and some of the challenges of maintaining enthusiasm among ambassadors once a program is up and running.
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FIR Interview: Judith Platz and John Ragsdale on TSIA’s B2B Social Engagement Rating

September 6, 2017 by Shel Holtz Leave a Comment

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In this FIR Interview, host Shel Holtz spoke with Judith Platz and John Ragsdale, research vice presidents at the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA) about the motivation for developing the”TSIA B2B Social Engagement Rating,” the thinking behind low- and high-engagement activities, and how TSIA members (which includes the likes of Honeywell, Panasonic, NCR, Symantec, and Unisys) have responded to the rating.
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FIR Interviews: Jen McClure on Digital and Social Media Risk

August 1, 2017 by Shel Holtz Leave a Comment

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The risks posed by the common use of digital and social media include several that social media and marketing teams typically don’t consider. In early July, JEM Consulting & Advisory Services released the results of a new study, 2017 State of Digital & Social Media Risk. In addition to not having all the right players at the table when developing processes and policies for digital and social media, too many companies don’t even have policies and even fewer conduct all-employee training. In this FIR Interview, host Shel Holtz spoke with Jen McClure, CEO of JEM, about the study.
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