FIR Podcast Network

FIR Podcast Network
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For Immediate Release: Podcasts for Communicators

Episodes

  1. 1D AGO

    FIR #508: Inside AI's Human Raw Material Supply Chain

    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.

    21 min

  2. 3D AGO

    ALP 300: 300 episodes in: what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what we got wrong

    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.

    24 min

  3. MAR 30

    ALP 299: Hire people who understand how to solve problems

    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.

    21 min

  4. MAR 30

    FIR #507: Should Nobody Really Ever Write with AI?

    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.

    26 min

  5. MAR 29

    Circle of Fellows #126: Communicating in the Era of the Polycrisis

    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.

    1h 3m

  6. MAR 23

    ALP 298: Build the business you want to own, not the one you hope to sell

    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.

    20 min

  7. MAR 23

    FIR #506: Battle of the Bots!

    In this monthly long-form episode for March, Neville and Shel tackle a trio of interconnected themes reshaping the communications profession in the age of AI. The conversation opens with Anthropic’s top lawyer declaring that AI will destroy the billable hour. That thread leads naturally into JP Morgan’s controversial use of digital monitoring to verify junior bankers’ working hours, where Shel and Neville question whether surveillance technology can substitute for genuine managerial trust and engagement. The episode also examines Gartner’s widely circulated prediction that PR budgets will double by 2027 as AI search engines favor earned media. Shel delivers a detailed report on the escalating misinformation crisis, citing a 900% surge in global deepfake incidents and new research from the C2PA on content provenance standards. The episode closes with a discussion of Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince’s prediction that bot traffic will exceed human traffic by 2027, and a sobering peer-reviewed study on how social bots hijack organizational messaging — research reported by Bob Pickard, who has experienced bot-driven attacks firsthand. Dan York also contributes a tech report on the state of the Fediverse and Mastodon, as well as on AI developments for WordPress. Continue Reading → The post FIR #506: Battle of the Bots! appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

    1h 43m

  8. MAR 17

    FIR #505: Social Media's Big Shift

    In FIR #505, Neville and Shel dig into Hootsuite's Social Media Trends 2026 report, which argues that social media is no longer just a communication channel — it's morphing into a search engine, cultural radar, and real-time research tool. They explore what it means for communicators when younger audiences treat TikTok and Instagram as their primary discovery platforms, and when Google itself starts indexing social content. The conversation also tackles "fastvertising" — the growing pressure on brands to react to cultural moments within hours — and whether that speed actually translates to bottom-line results or just burnout. The discussion takes a provocative turn when Shel raises Ethan Mollick's warning that public forums are being systematically overrun by machine-generated content, with research suggesting one in five accounts in public conversations may be automated. They weigh the AI paradox facing communicators: generative AI has become table stakes for social media production, yet 30% of consumers say they're less likely to choose a brand whose ads they know were AI-created. Neville and Shel agree that social media can serve as both a publishing channel and a listening tool — but only if human-to-human communication can survive the rising tide of bot-generated noise. Continue Reading → The post FIR #505: Social Media’s Big Shift appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

    21 min

  9. MAR 16

    ALP 297: Holding companies discover retainers, call them “subscriptions”

    In this episode, Chip and Gini dissect the holding company's "brilliant innovation" with the appropriate level of sarcasm, then pivot to the actually interesting question buried in the announcement: how should agencies price around AI? Continue Reading → The post ALP 297: Holding companies discover retainers, call them “subscriptions” appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

    15 min

  10. MAR 10

    FIR #504: When Companies Blame Layoffs on AI -- and Leave Communicators Holding the Bag

    Shel and Neville examine a troubling trend gaining momentum across corporate America: AI washing — the practice of attributing layoffs to artificial intelligence when the real reasons are more complex. The discussion centers on two high-profile cases. Block CEO Jack Dorsey announced a 40 percent workforce reduction, crediting AI tools, despite three prior rounds of cuts that had nothing to do with AI and pushback from former employees who say the moves look like standard cost management. Meanwhile, Oracle is cutting thousands of jobs, not because AI replaced those workers, but to fund a massive data center expansion that Wall Street projects won't generate positive cash flow until 2030. Meanwhile, a new Anthropic labor market study adds context, finding limited evidence that AI has meaningfully displaced workers to date—though hiring of younger workers in exposed occupations may be slowing. Neville and Shel dig into what this means for communicators who may be asked to craft layoff messaging that overstates AI's role. Continue Reading → The post FIR #504: When Companies Blame Layoffs on AI — and Leave Communicators Holding the Bag appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

    23 min
  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

About

For Immediate Release: Podcasts for Communicators

Information

  • Creator
    FIR Podcast Network
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    FIR Podcast Network