Provokeglobal: Speakers & Substance Show How Far We Have Come

WASHINGTON, DC — If you want a measure of how far the public relations industry has come over the past few years, the PRovokeGlobal Summit taking place in Washington, DC, this month is a pretty good yardstick. In terms of both speakers and subject matter, the Summit demonstrates that public relations is being taken seriously by business leaders and academics, and senior PR professionals are being asked to address some of the most complex issues facing corporations — and the world — today.

Consider some of the big-name speakers who will be sharing their experiences, knowledge and wisdom with the PRovokeGlobal audience:

• Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale University, who has been at the forefront of the corporate response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine;
• Jen Psaki, former White House press secretary and current MSNBC commentator;
• Veteran New York Times reporter and best-selling author Frank Bruni;
• Johnny Taylor, the CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management and an expert in workplace issues;
• Writer, activist and comedian Baratunde Thurston, discussing issues of media equity;
• Authors Marian Salzman (The New Megatrends: Seeing Clearly in the Age of Disruption) and Katharine Manning (The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job);
• And senior professionals ranging from UK government communications chief Alex Aiken to Patagonia's Corley McKenna.

This kind of speaker lineup could command the attention of any C-suite audience or any major gathering of business leaders, media luminaries, or political experts. But they understand that public relations professionals are now opinion leaders in their own right, counselors who are part of the decision-making process in their organizations whenever CEOs, CMOs and others are asked to respond to challenges both internal and external.

And again, the agenda makes it clear that the issues that keep senior corporate leaders awake at nights these days require our expertise in shaping the way companies and brands are perceived. The topics under discussion at PRovokeGlobal have been in headlines and on the minds of CEOs over the past couple of years:

• Disinformation and Political Polarization are among the topics Jen Psaki will be discussing with another former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs;
• Taking a Stand on Social Issues will be at the heart of Frank Bruni's session;
• The Russian Invasion of Ukraine is an issue about which Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is a leading expert;
• The Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting will be addressed by Johnny Taylor, CEO of SHRM;
• The Future of Purpose has been redefined by Patagonia and Corley McKenna will take us behind the scenes of that decision;
• Trauma in the Workplace will be addressed by attorney and consultant Katharine Manning and Susan Gurley of the Anxiety & Depression Association of America;
• Media Equity, and how lack of diversity in the media distorts the way news is covered;
• The Royal Funeral will be the topic of a timely behind-the-scenes account by Alex Aiken.

As part of a packed agenda, we will also be hosting discussions on the pandemic and its impact on healthcare communications, the importance of living your values, the growing importance of AI in communications, authentic storytelling around the Black experience; PR in the metaverse;“deep fakes” and tech ethics; and maximizing the impact of communications.

When I started writing about public relations, a PR conference of this quality — both in terms of speakers and subject-matter — would have been unthinkable. Next month, thanks to the hard work and support from our sponsors, it will be reality.

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