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  • Politics Is Like Hiring A Hitman
    by Scott Woods inPolitical on2020-08-13

    For me, politics is like hiring a hitman. I have values and things I care about. I care enough about them to at least bother voting for 5 minutes every year for one issue or another. And because I care at least that much, I vote for people who align with the ability to realize the things I care about.

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  • Punching Above Our Weight
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-07-24

    I believe our vote is the punctuation of our voice. Without that resounding exclamation mark, I believe our voices are just incoherent noise.

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  • BLACK PROGRESS AMIDST SOCIAL CHAOS
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-06-16

    Recent events have raised the profile of historical injustice and inequities here in the USA. The entire world has taken note of the fact that BLACK LIVES MATTER.   We invite all of our friends to engage in actions that result in the greatest movement for change in our history. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity to affect a positive change by ACTING IN OUR SELF-INTERESTS.

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  • Living in a Black No-Man's Land
    by Roger Madison Jr. inOur Community on2019-10-28

    There are many narratives that define the Black experience in America in this 2nd decade of the 21st century. Our striving over the centuries of our sojourn in this nation is a tapestry of every human experience -- oppression, enslavement, forced assimilation, dehumanization, exclusion, segregation, isolation, struggle, perseverance, achievement, excellence, celebration, mourning, despair, progress, setbacks, lynching, assassination, genocide, terror, self-hatred, low esteem, pride,...

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  • Fighting Racism
    by Scott Woods inOur Community on2018-10-25

    I had a boss who was racist. Not an outright bigot, of course; her toolbox was more subtle than most. We bumped heads a lot over inconsequential things. She frequently couldn’t keep my name out her mouth. Lot of gaslighting. You know…2018 style. I tried a lot of ways to combat or navigate her issues. None of them worked, and that’s saying a lot because I’m really good at fighting racism. But at the end of the day – every day – she was my boss, I had to deal with her, and that was that. Finally I...

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The Three P's for Publicty: Do You Have Them?

There's an old saying, "The early bird catches the worm."  In life, being first has its advantages but in the world of publicity, you have to have the "Three Ps" in order to catch some media attention.

First and foremost you need to have......

Passion:  I absolutely LOVE what I do as a media trainer and I would do it even if I never got a dime for it.  It's that kind of passion that will ignite and fuel your drive to continue in your business even on those days when nothing seems to be going right-and trust me I've had those days.  Founder of the Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, says you need passion and energy to create (and run) a truly successful business.

Passion will also keep you going because of your genuine interest in helping others succeed with whatever it is you are offering.  You cannot be successful without a sincere desire to help others.  Just read The Go-Giver by Bob Burg.

When you display your passion it is something the media will sense and pick up on.

Perseverance:  For every successful day you have, you'll probably have five or more where it feels like you're spinning your wheels and accomplishing nothing.  We've all been there but let me tell you, those are the days you have to keep going-planting seeds as I like to think of it.  There is a season of harvest for everyone so even in a dry spell, if you keep doing what you're doing, without giving up and throwing in the towel, your due season will come back around.

Perseverance also means not giving up when you send that press release or make a phone call to the media when you don't get an immediate response.  More times than not, it will take more than one attempt to get the media's attention but don't give up-and more importantly, make sure what you are sending offers news value.

Personality:  One thing media producers do before deciding if you would be a good interview is something called "vetting."  It's a pre-interview to determine if you have the kind of personality that would make for a good TV or radio interview.  A monotone voice might give someone the impression that you're you're not very interesting.  And believe it or not, in some cases, if you sound too excitable, that could also work against you.  You may not be taken seriously.  And you certainly don't want to come across as a know-it-all, cocky or arrogant because that's simply a turn off.

By consistently demonstrating your passion, perseverance, and personality, you will find yourself generating publicity from unexpected places.