{"podcast":{"title":"Communication Breakdown","slug":"communication-breakdown-7019931","podcast_index_feed_id":7019931,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6301456/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://ocrnetwork.com/podcasts/communication-breakdown","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/bb1654c4c2ff3f77a3c1f292f51b3d52.jpg","author":"Observatory on Corporate Reputation LLC","episode_count":86,"summary":"Communication Breakdown is a postgame show for PR pros. In each episode, hosts Craig Carroll (Founder of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation, Editor of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Corporate Reputation, Lecturer at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business) and Steve Dowling (former head of communications at OpenAI and Apple) discuss the strategies and tactics companies are using in high-visibility crises and PR initiatives, giving listeners unique insight into how key decisions are made. The podcast offers two unique perspectives on communications theory and practice, drawing on Craig’s research and teaching on reputation at USC Annenberg, UNC Chapel Hill, and universities worldwide, and Steve’s two decades of experience as a comms leader at some of the world’s most influential companies. Whether you’re a PR professional, marketing executive, or just curious about how companies make key communications decisions, you’ll find these discussions insightful and valuable.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-05T04:21:27.467075+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931"},"episode":{"title":"Thanks for (saying) nothing","slug":"thanks-for-saying-nothing","published_at":"2025-11-25T14:00:07+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/thanks-for-saying-nothing","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/thanks-for-saying-nothing--68730791","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/68730791/ep_60_thanks_for_saying_nothing.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll serve up their second annual Thanksgiving roundup of the year’s biggest corporate comms stories. They revisit three defining moments: the tariff turmoil that forced CEOs into strategic silence, Mark Benioff’s abrupt and confusing political pivot, and the astronomer CEO’s viral kiss-cam crisis. Across each case, they examine why timing, intent, and internal preparedness shape whether silence protects or exposes a company. For PR and corporate reputation professionals, this episode highlights how leaders can manage vacuum moments, avoid improvisation disasters, and maintain credibility when stakes are high. Takeaways Silence only works when it is managed, signaled, and backed by a clear internal stance. Trade groups can offer insulation, but individual CEO voices still carry more narrative impact. CEO improvisation creates reputational risk when personal commentary blurs with corporate messaging. Topics Mentioned strategic silence, tariff communications, political alignment, CEO freelancing, corporate values, crisis governance, resignation sequencing, reputational recovery, timing strategy, stakeholder expectations, brand signaling Companies Mentioned S&P, American Eagle, Salesforce, Tesla, ICE, Astronomer Episode Hashtags #SP500 #AmericanEagle #Salesforce #Tesla #ICE #Astronomer #CorporateCommunications #CrisisManagement #ReputationStrategy #LeadershipCommunication #StakeholderEngagement #PublicAffairs #CrisisPlaybook #StrategicSilence #NarrativeControl #PRStrategy #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork Communication Breakdown is a production of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation . Hosted by Craig Carroll and Steve Dowling. Produced by Shawn P Neal and the team at AdvoCast . For questions, f…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll serve up their second annual Thanksgiving roundup of the year’s biggest corpor…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2065,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/thanks-for-saying-nothing/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/thanks-for-saying-nothing.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}