Articles

The Terri Ammerman Group pairs decades of communications and media experience with relevant, current perspective. We understand the ever-changing needs and scenarios faced by companies, executives, and media professionals. Part of our training involves examining communications scenarios in real-time, so participants can clearly see what to avoid when speaking and what to say when delivering a clear, convincing message. Our team regularly offers perspective and insights on current situations through the articles posted here.

Reluctant to Read at a News Briefing?

Reluctant to Read at a News Briefing?

We often find during our media training workshops that participants are reluctant to read entire statements during mock media news briefings. Our participants worry that reading a statement, rather than ad-libbing one, makes them appear wooden and insincere. Our response sometimes surprises them. We believe a spokesperson can project sincerity,...

Add Analogies to Your Communications Tool Kit

Add Analogies to Your Communications Tool Kit

So, you’re already a good communicator but you want to take your messaging skills to the next level. One of our favorite ways to accomplish this is an analogy, a powerful tool to help explain key messages in a way everyone can understand. We saw an outstanding example of this during a CBS interview with Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador...

Clarity Breeds Effective Messaging

Clarity Breeds Effective Messaging

Does it drive you nuts when people answer questions with such jumbled vagueness that you’re left wondering what on earth they meant? On the other hand, do you find it refreshing when people, especially politicians, answer questions with such clarity that their message is impossible to misinterpret? Armed with clear messages, San Francisco Mayor...

Don’t Let Passion Cloud Your Messages

Don’t Let Passion Cloud Your Messages

When we feel passionately about an issue, it’s easy to fall into the trap of making unwise comparisons or analogies that muddle your messages. It can happen to even the most experienced communicators when they are not careful. Jonathan Turley is a prominent law professor at George Washington University and a television legal analyst who speaks...

Don’t Let Poor Lighting Cloud Your Message

Don’t Let Poor Lighting Cloud Your Message

We have been coaching clients for decades on the importance of your visual appearance during an interview. A visual distraction during an in-person or virtual interview can ruin your attempt to deliver key messages. Poor lighting is often the culprit. In a virtual interview, you don’t want the lighting too hot or too dark. Both will interfere...

The President Proves a Hot Mic and a Quick Temper Don’t Mix

The President Proves a Hot Mic and a Quick Temper Don’t Mix

We have been teaching for more than four decades to control your tongue and emotions when cameras and microphones are nearby. This week President Joe Biden demonstrated that we can never deliver our message too often. Frustrated by a question from Peter Doocy at the end of a news briefing, the president uttered his unflattering opinion of the Fox...

Not All Actors Need a Script to Deliver a Powerful Message

Not All Actors Need a Script to Deliver a Powerful Message

Academy Award winner Sean Penn is admired in some circles and loathed in others. We’re not here to pass judgment on his politics. However, we were very impressed with his ability to deliver a crucial message after being asked a question he wasn’t prepared to answer. Penn used a bridging technique that we teach in our seminars during an interview...

Don’t Step into the Guarantee Trap

Don’t Step into the Guarantee Trap

We can guarantee that using the word “guarantee” during an interview, news briefing, or any media encounter is often a very bad idea. Wait… what? That’s right. And here’s why: when a reporter uses the word “guarantee” in a question, he/she is hoping to coax you into delivering a sound bite or quote that could come back to bite you. It’s one of...

Our Ammerman Colleague Pens the Written Word on Verbal Communication and More

Our Ammerman Colleague Pens the Written Word on Verbal Communication and More

Are you interested in learning just about everything there is to learn about improving your communications skills? We, of course, would love for you to schedule a workshop with the Terri Ammerman Group. In the meantime, we wholeheartedly recommend a book written by Ken Haseley, a longtime educator and former trainer with The Terri Ammerman Group....

Not All Actors Need a Script to Deliver a Powerful Message

Not All Actors Need a Script to Deliver a Powerful Message

Academy Award winner Sean Penn is admired in some circles and loathed in others. We’re not here to pass judgment on his politics. However, we were very impressed with his ability to deliver a crucial message after being asked a question he wasn’t prepared to answer. Penn used a bridging technique that we teach in our seminars during an interview...