Advertise on podcast: FIR Podcast Network

Employees have long found ways to use software tools to get the job done, even when those tools are not approved. It's called Shadow IT, but ever since generative Artificial Intelligence hit the scene in 2022, employees have adopted a new version: Shadow AI. The company approves Microsoft Co-Pilot, but employees opt to use their smartphones or personal laptops, along with their personal accounts with ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Midjourney, or whatever best suits their needs. For most companies, this is a problem that needs to be addressed through repeated policy announcements and vigorous crackdowns. One company, though, took a different approach. In this short, midweek FIR episode, Neville and Shel outline what the company did and how communicators might advocate for a version of this approach to aiding in AI adoption and speeding up productivity gains. Continue Reading → The post FIR #510: Should Companies Embrace Shadow AI? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

When bad actors use AI tools to clone a musician's voice and upload synthetic versions of their songs, they can then file copyright claims against the original artist's content — and win, at least initially. That's because the systems platforms use to validate copyright claims are automated and configured to treat whoever files first as the rightful holder. The result: musicians like Murphy Campbell, a folk artist from North Carolina, lose both revenue and control of their own creative identity. The same mechanism works just as well against any organization that publishes audio or video content online. In this midweek episode, Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson break down how the scam works, why it matters to communicators, and what you should be doing right now — before an incident forces your hand. Continue Reading → The post FIR #509: Does Corporate Content Need Copyright Protection? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this episode, Chip and Gini dig into five words that should matter to agency owners: leadership, management, accountability, responsibility, and authority. Continue Reading → The post ALP 301: Five words every agency owner needs to understand appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

When workers lose their jobs, many turn to gig work to earn income while waiting for new opportunities. Increasingly, companies that hire gig workers are shifting from delivering food or sharing rides to creating content to train AI systems. This raises various communication and ethical issues. Neville and Shel explain what's happening and discuss the implications in this short midweek episode. Continue Reading → The post FIR #508: Inside AI’s Human Raw Material Supply Chain appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this episode, Chip and Gini review the themes that have defined the show and reflect on how their thinking has shifted. Continue Reading → The post ALP 300: 300 episodes in: what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what we got wrong appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this episode, Chip and Gini break down why problem-solving ability should be the primary hiring criterion, especially as AI makes technical skills easier to acquire and offload. Continue Reading → The post ALP 299: Hire people who understand how to solve problems appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Take a stroll through LinkedIn. You'll find no shortage of posts stridently deriding the notion that anyone should ever use AI to write for them. While that case isn't hard to make for professional writers, there are countless professionals in other fields who struggle with writing, never trained to be writers, yet now have to write everything from emails to reports as part of their jobs. Should they really sweat for hours over wording, time they could be devoting to the core areas of subject expertise, when AI can produce content that is cogent, clear, and direct? In this short mid-week episode, Neville and Shel look at the trends in using AI for writing, despite the plethora of opinions from the pundits. Continue Reading → The post FIR #507: Should Nobody Really Ever Write with AI? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The days when a crisis communicator could simply reach for a dusty binder and follow a pre-scripted, linear checklist are gone — and they aren’t coming back. In the “good old days,” a crisis was often a contained event with a predictable lifecycle; crisis teams could address them by checking off items on a checklist. Today, we face the era of the polycrisis, where economic instability, geopolitical friction, and a 24/7 social media cycle collide, creating a torrent of simultaneous challenges. This new reality has effectively obliterated the traditional news cycle, replacing it with an always-on environment where a single viral post can tarnish a brand before leadership even knows there is a problem. Thriving in this volatile landscape requires a move away from rigid manuals toward a more fluid, strategic approach. Rather than a step-by-step rulebook, modern practitioners need logical scaffolding — a flexible framework of principles and values that provides a foundation for action while allowing for real-time adaptability. It is about preparation, not just prescription. As the boundaries between internal and external perception continue to erode, the ability to maintain transparency and connection through these multifaceted disruptions is no longer a luxury; it is table stakes for organizational survival. Four Fellows of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) shared their perspectives in this episode of IABC's Circle of Fellows. Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #126: Communicating in the Era of the Polycrisis appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this episode, Chip and Gini discuss Chip’s “Build to Own” philosophy as a counterpoint to the built-to-sell mindset. Continue Reading → The post ALP 298: Build the business you want to own, not the one you hope to sell appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.