I’ve been a big fan of Shel Holz and Neville Hobson for a few years now as they are two of the finest communicators that the ‘industry’ has – and a role model for anyone starting out (or striving to continue to work) in comms today.

Their excellent, outstanding, brilliant, exceptional, first-rate, admirable, superb, tremendous (doncha just love the SHIFT + F7 thesaurus feature in Word?) podcast For Immediate Release: The Holson and Holz Report has been one of the few online audio shows that I regularly make an appointment to listen to. It’s where technology meets public relations in a twice-weekly, easily digestible format which is totally accessible to anyone who has an interest in social media, marketing and PR.

What I love about these guys is their no nonsense approach to dissecting what’s happening in this fast-paced communications obsessed world and the way in which brands, social enterprises and governments are using new and existing channels to convey their messages to their audience.

The way in which Neville and Shel create a seamlessly sturdy bridge across ‘The Pond’ is an impressive feat in itself (Hobson is based here in the UK in Wokingham, Berkshire, while Holtz is located in Concord, California). But the show also pulls in listeners from around the globe by regularly featuring PR goings-on across Asia, Europe, Australia and Canada via guest presenters who form part of the wider FIR family.

The Hobson & Holtz Report is one of a series of business-focused podcasts under the For Immediate Release brand. The full line-up comprises:

• The Hobson & Holtz Report twice-weekly show at the intersection of online communication and public relations
• Interviews with newsmakers and influencers from the online technology and organisational communication worlds
• Book Reviews aligned with the theme of PR/communications and the online world
• Speakers and Speeches – podcasts of speeches, keynote addresses, breakout sessions, and other recordings from meetings and conferences of interest to PR and communication professionals

Each podcast has its own RSS feed; subscription details here.

Today I listened to the Monday’s instalment which featured guest presenter Steve Crescenzo joining Shel to co-host the podcast in Neville’s absence.

The discussion topic was around the theme of organisations’ inertia to take on the perceived risk of social media comms strategy. Steve and Shel discussed (at length) the payoff of investing in social media and what the implications are on wider communications strategy.

I found myself nodding frantically at every word which came out of Steve’s mouth and into my ears – so much so that I attracted suspicious glances from my fellow commuters.

(The Corporate method of communications is dead)

There is a consensus of unwillingness to change the corporate style of communications which has traditionally always sided in favour of publishing dry content instead of creating content which entertains.

According to Steve, traditional corporate press releases are dead. In fact, as he puts it: corporate communications is dead.

Even those that have the ‘will’ to engage in social media are often using an open platform but for a closed message. The CEO blog for example is spun tightly, whitewashed by the lawyers, stripped of all personality. Content is ignored because it simply refuses to engage. It’s like viewing a YouTube video of your company’s accountant reading the financial report word for word. Who cares? The view hit would never reach past three (the accountant, his mum and a half-hearted view by the CEO). For years communicators have fought the wrong battle – creating corporate safe-copy which gets through lawyer approval. No one reads it and it dies forgotten.

The key is teaching the ‘suits’ how to tell stories, solicit comments, draw people into their world using personal anecdotes.

This is an A.D.D. riddled world in which corporate entities need desperately to win the battle for the attention of their audiences (both internal and external).

I urge you all to listen to the conversation (click on logo below).

It validates my decision to work in communications.

For Immediate release Podcast – Episode 461