As an alumnus of the University of Colorado, I do my best to keep track of the interesting work being done by faculty and students in Boulder and other satellite campuses. In the past few days an article in Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine caught my attention. Titled, “Ditching the doomsaying for better climate discourse,” […]
We’re halfway through January and I already feel like I’ve dropped the ball on one of my 2020 resolutions: to bring this blog back to life. Well here it is, the first post in nearly four years! The blog didn’t go dormant due to any particular reason. Work was surely busy. I probably felt ambivalent […]
Response to Attacks on LGBT Community Rally Community Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has announced a new campaign called, “Houston Stands With Orlando.” It follows the Orlando terrorist attack that targeted members of the LGBT community, leaving more than 100 dead or wounded. But I think it can be considered a response to the threats, bullying […]
Impact Gives Way to Conflict and Shock Value When Determining What’s Newsworthy News is constantly changing and the factors that determine newsworthiness constantly evolve as well. The changes in what is defined as news and how that information is presented are primarily driven by shifts in the habits and interests of the community, and by […]
For more than a year prior to launching the Year in Space mission, I had the honor and pleasure of working with NASA’s scientific team. Our collective goal was to transform the highly technical and complex information underlying the mission into compelling and actionable communication that engages and mobilizes the public. It has been one […]
How a word association game can save you from the quicksand of getting defensive I enjoyed reading the article, “One of the Biggest Mistakes You Can Make in a Media Interview,” by Tim O’Brien, APR. Tim was a close associate when we both worked at Ketchum Public Relations, and we continue to work together when […]
Words You Use Everyday Are Quietly Eroding Your Positivity I do a fair amount of spokesperson training and one bit of guidance that often comes as a surprise is my warning about sneaky negative words. The choice of the right words to express what we truly mean — Semantics — can be powerful. There are […]
A year ago, DPK Public Relations was called into service to help West Fertilizer communicate in the aftermath of the West, Texas industrial accident. I served as the company’s primary spokesperson and provided crisis PR response and counsel in the days, weeks and months following the accident. When we do this type of work, it […]
Founder and president of DPK Public Relations, an independent public relations practice based in Texas. Specialties include managing issues, crisis communications planning and response, media relations and strategic guidance.
