FIFA World Cup — A Relationship Building Blitz

The 2026 FIFA World Cup not only brought the world's best "football" to American soil — it also brought the world's people together. And what happened next was something no marketing campaign could have planned.

In this episode, we listen to the mass of social media commentary that poured in from fans around the globe — their shock, their delight, their gratitude, and yes, their apologies. From the size of a Costco to the generosity of strangers buying rounds for people they'd never met, from Texas Roadhouse revelations to a TSA ranch-dressing crisis, the world got to see America as Americans know it to be — warm, generous, big-hearted, and a little extra.

From the Tartan Army, to the Norwegians who introduced us to Erling Haaland, to the John Denver sing-alongs that filled stadiums and united nations, and the farewells from people genuinely sad to see it all end -- it was a time most will never forget.

But underneath all the fun, there's something much bigger here — a real-world demonstration of what happens when people tune out the media and spend time together. This year's World Cup games in the United States can be described as relationship capital at it best, built one interaction at a time, on the grandest possible stage.

This one may leave you smiling.

Relationship Skills: The Biggest Differentiator in the AI Age

This is PR's time. And the rest of the business world is starting to catch up to what we already know.

A recent Associated Press article pulled together workforce experts from Harvard, Gartner, McKinsey, and Jobs for the Future — and they all landed in the same place: as AI becomes more prevalent in the workplace, the skills that will matter most are the ones that build and sustain human relationships. The things AI simply cannot replicate authentically or effectively.

Sound familiar? It should. We said it first in Episode 54.

In this episode, we walk through the five differentiators these experts identified — reading people, critical thinking, conflict resolution, ethical judgment, and relationship building — and connect each one directly back to what PR professionals do every single day.

This is your moment to shift your mindset, step into your value, and claim the seat at the table that has always belonged to you. The AI age isn't a threat to what we do. It's the one of the greatest validation our profession has ever had.

Article mentioned in the episode

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

Struggle no more to tell your leadership what your value is to the organization. Join the movement to help change the conversation inside our organizations about public relations (a.k.a - communications, corporate comm, marcom, public-information office, etc.). We've heard you, seen your frustration on LinkedIn -- being disregarded, left out, treated like an afterthought. But we sometimes are creating our own headaches by how we talk about our profession. So we've designed some items we think you'll like -- and these "tools" will start the conversation for you. Check them out here!

NEW RESOURCE PAGE (a.k.a FREE STUFF) Visit our new resource landing page to check out free downloads and tools to help you lead, manage and implement top-notch PR in your organization. Click here

GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!

Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!

HOST BIO (a.k.a. Who is this woman who can't stop talking about PR?) https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E

Better HOA Boards, Higher Home Values It all comes down to communication and culture

When the acronym HOA gets attached to a home listing, it's a red flag for a lot of buyers — and it's not the fees that scare them. It's the relationship.

In this episode, we're giving some free PR counsel to HOA boards — because the gap between a dysfunctional board and a high-functioning one usually isn't money or legal expertise. It's communication and culture.

We'll walk through five practical tips that help HOA boards build better relationships with their homeowners, what each one means for the board itself, and the real property-value impact for everyone in the community.

And for our Indiana listeners — we'll show you how these five tips align with the new HOA laws taking effect July 1 under House Enrolled Act 1115.

Whether you sit on a board or write a check to one — this one's for you.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

Struggle no more to tell your leadership what your value is to the organization. Join the movement to help change the conversation inside our organizations about public relations (a.k.a - communications, corporate comm, marcom, public-information office, etc.). We've heard you, seen your frustration on LinkedIn -- being disregarded, left out, treated like an afterthought. But we sometimes are creating our own headaches by how we talk about our profession. So we've designed some items we think you'll like -- and these "tools" will start the conversation for you. Check them out here!

NEW RESOURCE PAGE (a.k.a FREE STUFF) Visit our new resource landing page to check out free downloads and tools to help you lead, manage and implement top-notch PR in your organization. Click here

GOT TOPIC IDEAS? WE WANT TO HEAR THEM!

Send topic ideas and mailbag questions for a future episode to podcast@prthing.com We would love to hear from you!

HOST BIO (a.k.a. Who is this woman who can't stop talking about PR?) https://www.audible.com/author/Stephanie-McFarland/B00YNFH16E