In the age of pervasive media and information overload, it’s more important now than perhaps ever before to have ace communicators on your side. When it comes to rising above the noise, creative communications is a distinct advantage. Given all of this, the emergence of corporate storytelling should be unsurprising. And yet relatively few companies […]
Investor relations (IR) is one of the best-kept secrets of the corporate world. Perhaps because of its relative obscurity, there are a lot of myths about IR floating around out there. Let’s dispel a few of the most prominent myths and consider investor relations best practices. Before we dive into the misperceptions, it’s a good […]
In the weeks leading up to the US presidential election last year, there was a lot of speculation about how the stock market would react. Uncertainty does not inspire confidence among investors. That speculation sparked discussion among those of us in corporate communications and investor relations about maintaining situational awareness and crisis management. Now here […]
Having to announce disappointing earnings to investors is a unique challenge. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, but bad quarters happen to all companies. That said, Wall Street doesn’t like surprises (positive or negative, but especially negative). Surprises damage corporate credibility and can have long-lasting effects beyond just a challenging quarter […]
We’re awash in news and information these days. It can be so tempting to just unplug from it all. But when your work requires you to remain “in the know,” it’s not that simple. How do you keep your head above water AND stay informed? My strategy is to focus my professional development reading list […]
Annual reports are a company’s most-requested and most-read communications but they have a bad reputation for being dry and boooring. They can be full of jargon and legal speak. But while the proxy rules require all publicly traded companies file annual reports with the SEC, they do not require the information be delivered in the […]
Investors and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have a love-hate relationship with non-GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) metrics. On the one hand, they love information that could help them better determine where to invest capital. On the other hand, they have a hard time gauging the reliability of non-GAAP metrics. So where does this […]
Maintenance is key if you want to preserve your assets. You take your car in for a tune-up every few months. You pay someone to secure and update your website. You even do yoga to maintain a healthy body. But are you maintaining strong business relationships? In corporate communications, maintaining strong business relationships is a […]
You might be surprised to hear that corporate communications and standup comedy have something in common—timing is key. Whether you are announcing a corporate merger or delivering a killer punchline, if your timing is off, your message will fall flat. When corporations have a big announcement to make, a lot of time and energy goes […]
‘Tis the season for company holiday parties. A party can be a great way to blow off steam during an especially stressful time of year in the financial world. While it’s a good idea to unwind in an informal environment, you don’t want Reg FD (Regulation Fair Disclosure) spoiling your fun. Holiday mixers can bring […]