Renee Malone, founding accomplice and president of KQ Communications, is named the group’s guru of strategic communications planning and disaster media.
The company co-founder has spent greater than 15 years main award-winning initiatives for nonprofit, enterprise and authorities shoppers. She’s obtained a number of awards from the Related Press, PR Information, PRSA – Memphis and Georgia chapters, and extra. Malone was not too long ago added as a member of the Chairman’s Circle, a strategic, visionary group of civic-minded leaders working collectively to maneuver Memphis ahead with the Larger Memphis Chamber.
We caught up with Malone to get her ideas on the way forward for the communications business.
What guide, podcast or different media do you suggest to different comms professionals?
Malone: To stay educated of adjusting neighborhood wants and pursuits, numerous opinions on varied subjects, and the most recent information occasions, I like to recommend studying quite a lot of content material every day slightly than limiting your self to 1 supply. Along with difficult myself to learn one guide a month, I observe world leaders on LinkedIn and scroll their pages for half-hour every day for uplifting content material, information updates, information sources, and enterprise and communication suggestions.
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What’s your favourite software you employ frequently for work?
I’ll admit it, Grammarly is my go-to. As a journalist and now as a long-time PR skilled, writing copy and infinite emails is a serious a part of my every day routine. I sort in a short time, which might result in careless errors. A fast verify on Grammarly – which admittedly makes just a few errors by itself – has turn out to be a go-to for this busy PR professional.
What excites you most about the way forward for communications?
I’m most excited in regards to the evolution of communications! We’re utilizing new voices, bolder messages, and main revolutionary change by way of our work. Additionally, with the event of latest digital and social platforms, we’re discovering new methods to succeed in our audiences and new instruments to create content material and freshen our engagement methods. We even have AI – a sport changer that PR professionals ought to use with infinite creativity but considerate warning.
What communications problem retains you up at evening?
The identical problem that excites me additionally retains me up at evening. Elevated entry to data and content-creation instruments intensifies the chance for misinformation and misrepresentation.
What’s the largest problem you’ve overcome in your profession?
Because the proprietor of one of many largest Black-owned communications companies within the Southeast, I discovered to concentrate on who we’re and who we deliver the best worth. We used to hunt contracts with anybody and everybody, continually making an attempt to show our value. Now, we’ve an in depth profile of our very best shopper. In order potential shoppers are interviewing us, now, we’re additionally interviewing them. We’re dedicated to efficient PR work that additionally helps messages and missions that uplift our neighborhood.
What’s the finest recommendation you’ve ever gotten?
When your crew feels revered, empowered, seen, and heard, you turn out to be much less like colleagues and extra of a neighborhood.
Isis Simpson-Mersha is a convention producer/ reporter for Ragan. Observe her on LinkedIn.
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