Get Out and Go Places!

  You might just learn something you already know. By William Soquet As I listened to a talk delivered by Matt Ragas and Ron Culp, both professors of public relations at DePaul, their themes sounded familiar. Not vaguely familiar as in ‘I think I’ve heard of this before’, but familiar as in ‘these themes are…… Continue reading Get Out and Go Places!

Business Acumen is the New X-Factor for Communication Leaders

“Employment prospects in public relations look downright bullish, but job seekers should know that most employers have raised their expectations for PR talent.” By Ron Culp, Fellow PRSA Demand for business-savvy communicators is expected to continue rising in the post-pandemic era, recruiters and corporate executives say. Unlike in past economic downturns, during the COVID-19 crisis…… Continue reading Business Acumen is the New X-Factor for Communication Leaders

Business Acumen Is Imperative for Our Profession

By Ron Culp During a recent Economic Club of Chicago member group discussion that I led, civic leaders vividly described the dire need to improve business literacy among high school students. Despite their personal business accomplishments, more than a couple of the leaders mentioned how they wished their own children better understood business basics. I…… Continue reading Business Acumen Is Imperative for Our Profession

Why You Should Master Business as a Second Language

This article first appeared in Strategies & Tactics, a monthly publication of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). By Matt Ragas, Ph.D., and Ron Culp, Fellow PRSA Chief communication officers are bilingual. They fluently speak the language of public relations and the idioms of business and the C-suite. In many ways, CCOs and other…… Continue reading Why You Should Master Business as a Second Language

Not Keeping Up On The News? Do So at Your Own Career Peril

During my long corporate career, I only can recall three times when a boss yelled at me. Perhaps the most vivid and preventable reprimand came when my boss asked about a newspaper article that appeared in The Wall Street Journal that morning—and he mostly got a blank stare from his Chief Communications Officer. It was…… Continue reading Not Keeping Up On The News? Do So at Your Own Career Peril

DePaul Grad Students Win Top Honors With Starbucks Case Study

Congratulations to DePaul University PR grad students who won the prestigious Jack Koten Page Principles Case Study Grand Prize Award during last Thursday’s Arthur W. Page Society Spring Seminar in New York. Students Lizmarie Orengo, Chelsea Michael and Megan Cauley and faculty advisor Matt Ragas wowed PR leaders with their recap of the winning analysis…… Continue reading DePaul Grad Students Win Top Honors With Starbucks Case Study

5 Ways to Build Greater Business Acumen

By Matt Ragas and Ron Culp As PR professionals strive to become more trusted business advisers to the C-Suite, business acumen has become a critical competency for all levels of the profession. We conducted national research with our colleague, Dr. Nur Uysal of Marquette University, and found that 84.5 percent of senior communication executives believe…… Continue reading 5 Ways to Build Greater Business Acumen

Six Actionable Insights for Succeeding in a Corporate Public Relations Internship

Through the fellowship for educators program with The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at The University of Alabama, I recently had the privilege of spending two weeks embedded within the corporate communication department at Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS). Discover, a FORTUNE 300 company, is best known for its Discover card. Part of…… Continue reading Six Actionable Insights for Succeeding in a Corporate Public Relations Internship