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The FIR Podcast Network Everything Feed

The FIR Podcast Network Everything Feed

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  • AI risk, trust, and preparedness in a polycrisis era

    AI risk, trust, and preparedness in a polycrisis era
    Jan 29 2026
    In this FIR Interview, Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz speak with crisis and risk communication specialist Philippe Borremans about his new Crisis Communication 2026 Trend Report, based on a survey of senior crisis and communication leaders. The conversation explores how crisis communication is evolving in an era defined by polycrisis, declining trust, and accelerating AI-driven risk – and why many organisations remain dangerously underprepared despite growing awareness of these threats. Drawing on real-world examples, including recent AI-amplified reputation crises, Philippe outlines where organisations are falling short and what communicators can do now to close the gap between awareness and action. Highlights AI is changing crisis dynamics: Organisations recognise risks like AI-driven misinformation and deepfakes, yet few have tested response plans or governance frameworks.Most crises are issues gone wrong: Crises often emerge from internal behaviours and poor issue management rather than sudden external shocks.Trust isn’t a luxury; it’s measurable: “Building trust” sounds good, but most organisations lack meaningful metrics or strategies to manage it.Silos break under stress: Crisis readiness still lives in functional silos — legal, HR, comms, operations — making compound crises harder to handle.Testing beats plans alone: Having a crisis plan helps, but regular, realistic testing and muscle memory are what make teams resilient.Agility matters more than perfect data: Waiting for complete information can stall responses; communicators must be comfortable acting in the face of uncertainty. About our Conversation Partner Philippe Borremans is a leading authority on AI-driven crisis, risk, and emergency communication with over 25 years of experience spanning 30+ countries. As the author of Mastering Crisis Communication with ChatGPT: A Practical Guide, he bridges the critical gap between emerging technologies and high-stakes communication management. A trusted advisor to global organisations including the World Health Organisation, the European Council, and multinational corporations, Philippe brings deep expertise in public health emergencies, corporate crisis communication, and AI-enhanced communication strategies. He is the creator of the Universal Adaptive Crisis Communication framework (UACC), designed to manage complex, overlapping crises. He publishes Wag The Dog, a weekly newsletter tracking industry innovations and trends. Follow Philippe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippeborremans/ Relevant links https://www.riskcomms.com/ https://www.wagthedog.io/ https://www.riskcomms.com/f/the-2026-crisis-emergency-and-risk-communication-trends-report Transcript Shel Holtz Hi everybody and welcome to a For Immediate Release interview. I’m Shel Holtz. Neville Hobson I’m Neville Hobson. Shel Holtz And we are here today with Philippe Borremans. We have known Philippe for at least 20 years, going back to the days where he was managing blogging at IBM out of Brussels, located today in Portugal. And an independent consultant addressing crisis, risk, and emergency communications. Welcome, Philippe. Delighted to have you with us. Philippe Borremans No, thanks for having me and it’s good to see you both. Shel Holtz And before we jump into our questions, could you tell listeners a little bit about yourself, a little more background than I just offered up? Philippe Borremans Sure. Yeah, as you said, I mean, I started out in PR with Porter Novelli in Brussels, that’s ages ago, and then moved in-house at IBM for 10 years. So that was from 99 to, I think 2009, must be, working on, as you said, the first blogging guidelines, which then became the social media guidelines. It was a great project, I was responsible for all external comms there. And then… In fact, moved away from Belgium, lived four years in Morocco, working in public relations on a more, a bit more strategic level. And since then I’ve been specializing in risk, crisis and emergency comms. So that’s actually the only thing I do. It’s mainly around all the things that could happen to either a private sector organization, a government or a public organization. Shel Holtz And you also produce and distribute a terrific newsletter on all of this. So we’ll ask you later to let people know how to subscribe to that. We thought we would start with a case study, although we are going to get into a survey that you recently wrapped up and released. there was an incident in which an executive at Campbell’s, the company that makes Campbell’s soup, claimed that the company’s products were highly processed food for poor people and that the company used bioengineered meat. He also made some derogatory remarks about employees and this surfaced and spread around. An analysis found that negative sentiment around the company surged to 70 % and page one search results were flooded with these negative narratives. And that ...
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    47 mins
  • ALP 293: Stop letting your website embarrass you

    ALP 293: Stop letting your website embarrass you
    Jan 26 2026

    You built an agency you’re proud of. So why does your website still feature that glowing tribute to someone you wouldn’t recommend today, or explain services you stopped offering three years ago?

    In this episode, Chip and Gini tackle the unsexy but critical task of auditing your agency’s website content. They share practical approaches for identifying what needs updating, what deserves deletion, and how to prioritize your efforts when you’re staring down hundreds (or thousands) of outdated pages.

    The conversation covers everything from quick wins—like updating your homepage and key pages—to strategic decisions about high-traffic content that no longer serves your business. Gini shares her process for using tools like Screaming Frog to audit content systematically, while Chip emphasizes the importance of focusing on human users rather than chasing every algorithm change.

    They also dive into the balance between refreshing old content and creating new material, with specific guidance on when each approach makes sense. The episode wraps with a reminder that consistency matters more than perfection—especially when AI is increasingly using your bio and content to determine whether to recommend you.

    If your website is starting to feel like a liability rather than an asset, this episode offers a manageable roadmap to get it back on track without turning it into a year-long project. [read the transcript]

    The post ALP 293: Stop letting your website embarrass you appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
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    21 mins
  • FIR #498: Can Business Be a Trust Broker in Today’s Insulated Society?

    FIR #498: Can Business Be a Trust Broker in Today’s Insulated Society?
    Jan 26 2026
    The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer focuses squarely on “a crisis of insularity.” The world’s largest independent PR agency suggests only business is in a position to be a trust broker in this environment. While the Trust Barometer’s data offers valuable insights, Neville and Shel suggest it be viewed through the lens of critical thinking. After all, who is better positioned to counsel businesses on how to be a trust broker than a PR agency? Also in this episode: Research shows employee adoption of AI is low, especially in non-tech organizations like retail and manufacturing, and among lower-level employees.CEOs insist that AI is making work more efficient. Do employees agree?Organizations believe deeply in the importance of alignment. So why aren’t employees aligned any more today than they were eight years ago?Mark Zuckerberg changed the name of his company to reflect its commitment to the metaverse. These days, the metaverse doesn’t figure much in Zuckerberg’s thinkingIn his Tech Report, Dan York reflects on Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary. Links from this episode: 2026 Edelman Trust BarometerSociety Is Becoming More InsularExclusive: Global trust data finds our shared reality is collapsingInsularity is next trust crisis, according to the 2026 Edelman Trust BarometerEmployers are the most trusted institution. That should worry you – StrategicThe 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer has landed, and everyone in comms is about to spend the next six months quoting the same statisticHIS THEORY IS LITERALLY: The human beings of the earth don’t like each other, don’t trust each other, won’t talk to each other, won’t listen to each other.Richard Edelman Has No Clothes. (Nobody Does.)Trust amid insularity: the leadership challenge hiding in plain sightEmployees say they’re fuzzy on their employers’ AI strategyJP Morgan’s AI adoption hit 50% of employees. The secret? A connectivity-first architectureHow Americans View AI and Its Impact on People and SocietyOnly 14% of workers use GenAI daily despite rising AI optimism: SurveyOffering more AI tools can’t guarantee better adoption — so what can?Only 10 Percent of Workers Use AI Daily. Getting Higher Adoption Depends on LeadersLeaders Assume Employees Are Excited About AI. They’re Wrong.Meta is about to start grading workers on their AI skillsCEOs are delusional about AI adoptionCEOs Say AI Is Making Work More Efficient. Employees Tell a Different Story.The Productivity Gap Nobody Measured.FIR #497: CEOs Wrest Control of AIThe Alignment ParadoxWhat Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse U-turn means for the future of virtual realityMeta Lays Off Thousands of VR Workers as Zuckerberg’s Vision FailsMeta Lays Off 1,500 People in Metaverse DivisionFIR episodes that featured metaverse discussions Links from Dan York’s Tech Report Celebrating Wikipedia’s 25th Birthday and Reflecting on Being a wikipedia for 21 YearsAt 25, Wikipedia faces its biggest threat yet: AIWikipedia at 25: A Wake-Up Call The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, February 23. We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. To obtain the credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request them in our Facebook group, or email fircomments@gmail.com. Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music. You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are Shel’s and Neville’s and do not reflect the views of their employers and/or clients. Raw Transcript: Shel Holtz: Hi everybody and welcome to episode number 498 of For Immediate Release. This is our long-form episode for January 2026. I’m Shel Holtz in Concord, California. Neville Hobson: And I’m Neville Hobson, Somerset in the UK. Shel Holtz: And we have a great episode for you today, lots to talk about. I’m sure you’ll be shocked, completely shocked that much of it has a focus on artificial intelligence and its place in communication, but some other juicy topics as well. We’re going to start with the Edelman Trust Barometer, but we do have some housekeeping to take care of first and we will start with a rundown of the short midweek episodes that we have shared with you since our December 2025 long form monthly episode. Neville? Neville Hobson: Indeed. And starting with that episode that we published on the 29th of December, we led with exploring the future of news, including the Washington Post’s ill-advised launch of a personalized AI-generated podcast that failed to meet the newsroom standard for accuracy and the shift from journalist to information stewards as news sources. Other stories included Martin Sorrell’s belief that PR is dead and Sarah Waddington’s rebuttal in the BBC radio debate. Should communicators do anything about AI slop? And no, you can’t tell...
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    1 hr and 51 mins
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