286: PR Parenting: Lessons for Entrepreneurs and Event Leaders with Marjie Hadad

Today, we are delighted to welcome Marjie Hadad as our guest.

Marjie is a PR expert who has spent the last 4 decades working in media and public relations in various countries. She currently assists private individuals and individual business owners.

Marjie joins us today to share her insights and experience. Tune in to find out how to become more successful in your business and at home.

Marjie’s Journey 

Marjie has spent 40 years in media and public relations, working as a reporter, anchor, and producer, and she even won an Emmy Award. She later became an agent in the modeling industry before launching her PR career. For the past 25 years, she has run her own firm, working with clients globally and specializing in medical and venture capital.

Speaking and Training

Today, Marjie focuses on professional speaking and leadership training. Her work focuses on teaching individuals and companies to use communication and PR skills strategically to achieve their goals. 

Internal and External PR

Marjie explains that PR applies internally and externally, and that success comes from clear, strategic communication on both levels. Internally, leaders must communicate a vision to inspire their teams. Externally, they should craft and share important messages with their target audience to build partnerships, launch products, or raise funds. 

Winning Clients Through Communication

For small businesses, everything starts with the unmet needs of the client. Good communication begins with listening, then positioning your expertise as the solution. Your key messages should reflect how you want people to remember you after the conversation. Marjie recommends going beyond talk and showing your potential clients what you can deliver.

Handling Social Media and Cancel Culture

For adverse online reactions, Marjie advises people to remain positive and professional. She explains that every comment does not require a reply, and sometimes, the best move is to stay silent. If you do engage, keep it respectful and professional, addressing disrespect calmly, deleting toxic remarks, or inviting the person to continue the conversation privately. The key is to remain composed and protect your reputation while deciding which approach best fits the situation.

Building Company Culture

Constructive guidance, support, and recognition foster loyalty and performance. Leaders within organizations should rally their teams around a shared vision and show how their contributions matter. They should also view mistakes as learning opportunities rather than reasons to humiliate people. 

Utilizing her PR Skills

Marjie has even applied PR strategies in her family life, which she detailed in her book, The Power of PR Parenting. She applied communication tools, such as crisis management, presentations, and constructive contracts, to raise her children into confident, resilient adults. Her mistakes became lessons, and she reinforced her expectations with agreements.

Communication Across Generations

When it comes to younger generations and technology, Marjie does not see texting as a threat but rather as another mode of communication with its own language. She stresses the importance of giving children real-life opportunities to practice social and communication skills so technology becomes an addition rather than a replacement for human interaction.

Bio: Marjie Hadad 

Marjie Hadad has been in media and public relations for 40 years. She is a globally recognized public relations expert, a former television news journalist, an award-winning television producer, and an award-winning author. Specializing in medical and venture capital PR, she designs strategic programs to support the business, clinical, and personal objectives of her clients. A dynamic professional speaker and executive coach, Marjie empowers teams to use THEIR public relations skills to solve various problems and achieve organizational, professional, and personal goals. Her diverse career includes roles as an agent at Ford Model Management in Boston and a media liaison for the Consulate General of Israel to New England. She is the founder of Must Have Communications and Consulting.

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