Greetings! Check out Wednesday's Daily PR Brief - January 7, 2026
A Honeywell leader on what crisis communicators should have ready; Soft skills that set exceptional leaders apart; How to respond when Christmas is 'ruined'; more!
Survey Opportunity: USC Annenberg’s 11th annual Global Communication Survey
USC Annenberg’s 11th annual Global Communication Survey is open through the weekend, and PR and communication professionals are invited to share their perspectives. The survey takes about 15 minutes, and participants can enter to win one of five $100 Amazon gift cards.
Add your voice to the future of our profession: https://bit.ly/USC_PRSurvey26
Read some of today's best PR and Comms industry news clips:
A Honeywell leader on what crisis communicators should have ready (Ragan Communications - January 7, 2026)
The New Rules Of Reputation And Brand Equity In An AI-Driven Future (Forbes - January 7, 2026)
5 soft skills that set exceptional leaders apart (Fast Company - January 2, 2026)
Crisis As Strategy: Why Reputation Is the Path to Resolution (O'Dwyer's - January 6, 2026)
What are Communicators Preparing for in 2026? (Institute for Public Relations - January 6, 2026)
David Benigson reflects on Signal AI's decade of evolution, growth and funding on the PRmoment podcast (PRmoment (UK) - January 5, 2026) [PODCAST]
Lessons from a volunteer comms coalition supporting small businesses after the LA fires (PR Daily - January 7, 2026)
2026 PR forecast: Zero-party data, hybrid talent & customer-obsessed AI (Agility PR Solutions - January 7, 2026)
Comms expert Gab Ferree on how AI will evolve in 2026 (Muck Rack - January 7, 2026)
Manky meat and rancid smells – how to respond when Christmas is 'ruined' (Media First (UK) - January 7, 2026)
Microsoft and the Reconstruction of Trust Through Strategic Public Affairs PR (Everything PR News - January 7, 2026)
Summary Section:
A Honeywell leader on what crisis communicators should have ready
By Isis Simpson-Mersha
Ragan Communications - January 7, 2026
Caitlin Leopold, senior director of external communications at Honeywell, leads the company's external communications, overseeing global crisis, financial and corporate communications at moments when clarity, calm and credibility matter most.
The New Rules Of Reputation And Brand Equity In An AI-Driven Future
By Shannon Reedy, Chief Brand Officer at Terakeet
Forbes - January 7, 2026
With the increasing importance of brand trust and visibility, marketing and brand leaders must manage reputation data as closely as they manage performance metrics.
5 soft skills that set exceptional leaders apart
By Illia Smoliienko, Chief Software Officer for Waites
Fast Company - January 2, 2026
As AI algorithms increasingly take over routine tasks, the qualities that can't be automated—communication clarity, the ability to work effectively with people, and conflict-resolution skills—are becoming essential for career growth.
Crisis As Strategy: Why Reputation Is the Path to Resolution
By Gil Bashe, Chair, Global Health and Purpose, FINN Partners
O'Dwyer's - January 6, 2026
Crisis management is too often misunderstood as a test of tactical agility. What to say, when and how to say it. That framing isn't only incomplete, but it's also dangerous.
What are Communicators Preparing for in 2026?
Institute for Public Relations - January 6, 2026
Onclusive explored key challenges, priorities, and expectations for communication practitioners in 2026. A survey of 300 communications professionals and 50 in-depth interviews were conducted across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. from June – July 2025.
David Benigson reflects on Signal AI's decade of evolution, growth and funding on the PRmoment podcast [PODCAST]
By Ben Smith, Founder, PRmoment.com
PRmoment (UK) - January 5, 2026
From media monitoring start-up, to $165m investment via 6 funding rounds: Signal AI founder David Benigson talks to PRmoment founder Ben Smith through its journey.
Lessons from a volunteer comms coalition supporting small businesses after the LA fires
By Cara Mia DiMassa
PR Daily - January 7, 2026
Nearly one year after the January 2025 fires in Southern California destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, a group of comms professionals is celebrating success in helping nearly two dozen small businesses with their recovery.
2026 PR forecast: Zero-party data, hybrid talent & customer-obsessed AI
By Tessa Burg
Agility PR Solutions - January 7, 2026
These predictions outline how agencies must evolve their data strategy, talent model, and value proposition to remain indispensable partners in a customer-obsessed, AI-augmented era.
Comms expert Gab Ferree on how AI will evolve in 2026
By Kristen Dunleavy
Muck Rack - January 7, 2026
Gab Ferree from comms community Off the Record helped us unpack how AI impacted communicators in 2025, and the big changes ahead she anticipates in 2026.
Manky meat and rancid smells – how to respond when Christmas is 'ruined'
By Adam Fisher
Media First (UK) - January 7, 2026
Big name supermarkets found themselves in the firing line as furious shoppers accused them of 'ruining' Christmas. How did they handle the story?
Microsoft and the Reconstruction of Trust Through Strategic Public Affairs PR
Everything PR News - January 7, 2026
Microsoft's post-antitrust evolution stands as one of the most instructive examples of successful public affairs PR at scale. Once positioned as the archetype of corporate overreach, Microsoft spent two decades systematically rebuilding trust with regulators, policymakers, and the public.
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