Articles

A negative news story about you or your company obviously is something to avoid. So, creating one about yourself is practically unheard of and head-scratching to most of us. Yet that’s exactly what one of Houston’s top government officials did after being denied access to a concert’s premier seats. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was  blocked...

Great communicators come to an interview determined to deliver a message regardless of the questions they are asked. They do so in a way that lets the interviewer and the audience believe that they are not trying to completely avoid the questions. Retired Admiral James Stavridis is an expert at this approach to interviews. In his frequent...

So, you look great and have some exciting messages while you’re making a speech or presentation. But about half-way through your talk, you realize the audience seems bored and disinterested. Why? Well, you may be talking too fast, or sounding monotonous, or not emphasizing key phrases. In short, you have no vocal variety. What is vocal variety?...

When a crisis develops, the public looks for a strong and empathetic leader to help explain and manage developments as they occur. Sometimes that leader never emerges and, as a result, crisis communications can be chaotic and misleading. That’s why we appreciate Chris Nanos, the sheriff of Pima County, Arizona. Nanos has guided the public through...

What is your goal when doing an interview? Is it to please a reporter, or to see your face on television, or to read your name in print? Nope. Your goal, regardless of the media forum, is to take control of the interview by delivering key messages that benefit you or your organization. And you must do this regardless of the questions that are...

Did you know that you can have a good voice and deliver great messages, but still fail in a presentation or interview? Yep, you can because your visual elements, including eye contact, are so distracting that your audience doesn’t receive your messages This can be especially true in close-up remote interviews where gestures and other body...

When is it appropriate to lose your cool during an interview, to act condescendingly toward a reporter, to threaten to prematurely end a media encounter? Never! Yet, this is exactly what California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter did when she didn’t like the questions during a recent interview. In doing so, the former democratic...

Can you read a statement conversationally and credibly at a news briefing? Yes, absolutely. But don’t mistake casual for conversational. If you do, your credibility will suffer and your key messages will likely get lost. Put simply, casual is not cool. Case in point is a news briefing given by Bill Mateja, an attorney for convicted sex offender...

A successful news briefing begins with introducing yourself to the media, setting ground rules for the briefing, and outlining expectations about the information you are going to provide. This may sound easy, but it can be a challenge when the briefing involves deep emotions and grief brought on by a sudden tragedy. Shortly after three...

On a bright sunny day in Washington, D.C. Jeffrey Epstein survivors revealed their dark inhumane stories of sexual abuse. In doing so during a Capitol Hill news conference, these courageous women pleaded with the House of Representatives to release all unclassified material related to the Epstein case. The survivors effectively read statements...