Paul Oestreicher is a veteran of both agency and corporate public relations and public affairs groups. He now runs Oestreicher Communications, LLC (www.ocomms.com) and is an Adjunct Professor at NYU’s M.S. Program in Public Relations & Corporate Communication. Oestreicher is the author of Camelot, Inc.: Leadership and Management Insights from King Arthur and the Round Table (www.camelotinc.com). You can follow him on Twitter @pauloestreicher.
Stories by Paul Oestreicher
| • | The Power of Not Knowing(Leadership) Thu., Jul. 11, 2024
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The importance of asking questions and being curious cannot be overstated.| • | The Abnormality of the New Normal(PR Commentary) Wed., Jun. 19, 2024
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Our society's “new normal” carries a lot of negative baggage with it, including the normalization of intolerance and cruelty, political violence being deemed "patriotic," exploitative workplace environments, plummeting civility, and justifications for the use of deadly force.| • | 1980: The Lesser-Known Inflection Point(Politics) Wed., Jun. 5, 2024
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There have been many inflection points in US history—events that significantly changed our future and behaviors—in the last hundred years, but there's a case to be made that 1980 was really the year that changed everything.| • | Incremental is Fundamental(Leadership) Mon., Dec. 4, 2023
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| • | Stopping Ourselves from Mattering Less(Leadership) Wed., Aug. 23, 2023
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We need to know enough about both the humanities and science to be capable citizens. With the politicization of so many topics—vaccines, evolution, climate change, stem cells—a more roundly educated public is essential.| • | Aaron Sorkin and I Have an Understanding(Leadership) Mon., Apr. 3, 2023
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Aaron Sorkin's new version of "Camelot," which will soon open on Broadway, will eliminate much of the magical elements of the story and get to the heart of what the centuries old tale of King Arthur and Camelot is really about.| • | Searching for Optimism in 2023(PR Commentary) Thu., Dec. 29, 2022
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In a world full of reasons to complain, sometimes it takes a conscious, sustained effort to remain on a positive trajectory. Putting a little effort into staying optimistic could pay big benefits in the coming year.| • | The Four R's of Strategic Thinking(PR Commentary) Thu., Mar. 24, 2022
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| • | What Bad Apologies Might Say About PR People(PR Commentary) Tue., Jan. 11, 2022
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Botched apologies can make situations worse and keep them in the news longer. Here a few ways in which even a well-intentioned apology—overseen by a well-intentioned PR pro—can go off the rails.| • | Nice or Kind: What's the Best Choice?(PR Commentary) Fri., Aug. 20, 2021
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Sugarcoating a message can make it incomprehensible. And feeding staff a steady diet of feedback sandwiches—criticism surrounded by praise—can obliterate the message, not just kill the taste of bad news.| • | No Easy Fix: Opinion and Belief vs. Facts and Truth(PR Commentary) Fri., Feb. 5, 2021
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Information and insight by themselves don’t produce change. It’s the desire to change and seeing the value in change that drives us forward.| • | When Predicting Change, There’s a T.H.E.M.E.(PR Commentary) Fri., Jan. 8, 2021
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| • | Three Steps to Save the Presidential Debates(Government) Tue., Aug. 11, 2020
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Pundits who believe the presidential debates should be scrapped display the classic “throw the baby out with the bathwater” reaction. Let’s fix them instead. (4 reader comments)| • | My Time with Larry(Corporate Communications) Thu., May 28, 2020
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Larry Kramer, the playwright and AIDS activist, died yesterday at age 84. He left his mark in two different worlds—the arts and healthcare. He changed me, too.| • | 3 Things Employees at Amazon, Edelman, Microsoft (And Many Others) Are Telling Us(Crisis Communications) Thu., Aug. 1, 2019
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It’s almost impossible to escape politics these days. And by politics, I mean the kind that’s become less civil and more polarizing. It surrounds us through 24/7 news coverage, social media channels, and… our co-workers.
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