Today (September 5th) has been declared the International Day of Charity by the United Nations General Assembly. According to their website, the UN calls for a “spirit of global solidarity focused on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable… and acknowledges the role of the diverse public sector.”  In short, we all must do our part!

We are proud to announce we have been named the top Nonprofit PR Agency in Ragan and PR Daily’s 2018 ACE Awards! Read more about our award-winning approach to PR with a purpose.

After getting so many things wrong over the course of the season, the man who “drinks and knows things” returns to true form. Tyrion now recognizes that Varys was right all along and that his faith in Daenerys was tragically misplaced. While a stroll through the burnt shell of King’s Landing - and a few hours back in prison - have brought him to this realization, one thing he knows for certain is that it is Jon Snow he needs to convince.

Lord Varys, aka The Master of Whisperers, is back to doing what he does best this week - quietly assessing the situation and pivoting strategy. With the Battle of Winterfell won and the White Walker apocalypse averted, Varys refocuses on who will be the best leader for the Children of Men.

The long-awaited finale of Game of Thrones is coming. And while in Westeros, your communication style may not ultimately determine your fate, in the real world we know that how an organization’s leader (or prospective leader) speaks to their audience does in fact matter. If we were evaluating them as professional communicators, how do the prospective winners of the Iron Throne stack up?

Every bit of research I’ve undertaken in 20+ years has tested assumptions, uncovered new opportunities, and offered insights for how to be more effective - I’d argue that investing in research saves clients money in the long run. Instead of throwing the proverbial spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks, research lets communicators take careful aim at a target and increase our chance of hitting the mark.

Good communicators know how to craft a message that resonates with a target audience. It sounds simple on the surface, but truly effective communicators need to do many things before they can make an impact.