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.

Some Communication Advice for Recent Grads

The ability to communicate effectively is frequently ranked the number one key to success by business leaders. In one survey, executives earning more than $250,000 a year were asked to cite the primary factors in achieving success. First on their list? Communication skills.   Solid communication skills are important not just in business, but...

Some Tips for Communicating Change to Your Employees

It’s been said that the one constant in life is change.

As a firm based in Houston, the energy capital of the United States, we’ve seen a lot of change in our city lately. According to Graves & Company, a Houston consulting firm, ever since crude oil prices began dropping last year, energy companies have announced plans to lay off more than 122,000 workers around the world.

When Bad Things Happen to Good Companies

It’s easy to be a spectator. From an armchair perspective, we can clearly see what’s happening and second-guess the calls being made. At ground level, it’s not so easy though, which is why many companies can make mistakes when they fail to see what’s happening in front of them during bad times. In a time of crisis, it is critical for businesses to be aware of how circumstances will affect the company as an organization, as well as those individuals directly involved.

How to Break Bad News

Unfortunately, for every company there comes a time when you have to break bad news. Breaking bad news to stakeholders is never pleasant. But communicating in the wrong way can make things even worse. Therefore, it’s important to know the best practices for successfully breaking bad news.

Conference Call Critique: A Look at One Company’s Hits and Misses

Quarterly earnings conference calls are an important communications tool to reach analysts, investors, reporters and others who follow your company. Although publicly traded companies are not required to conduct these calls, most do. For good reasons. Among them – the calls help analysts develop more accurate earnings expectations.

3 Things Investors Want To Hear From You In a Challenging Economy

When the economy starts to experience a downturn, investors start to feel uneasy. It is your job to reassure your investors that you and your team will be able to withstand this economic environment and set a course for success in the future. Here are three things they need to hear from you.

A Quick Conference Call Checklist

The investor conference call might not be the best part of your week, but a poor delivery may make it your worst. Conference calls are tough venues, with a recent study sharing that 65% of conference call participants are doing other work while on the call. So if you are leading the conference call, what can you do to make it memorable and keep everyone engaged? We’ve got three simple items that can put sparkle in your conference call and keep your listeners’ attention.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One. You’re On!

If you’ve flown United Airlines lately, you may have watched a video of Jeff Smisek, chairman, president and CEO of the company. It’s the video that runs before the safety briefing, and in it Smisek welcomes you aboard and shares some facts about United. He may be talking to you while walking through the terminal or standing in the aisle of a plane. He’s informal, relaxed, conversational.

When Is No Response the Right Response?

In a recent interview in Sports Illustrated, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman expressed regret for not having responded publicly to an allegation made about him years ago by sports columnist, author and TV personality Skip Bayless. The allegation, which appeared in a 1996 book authored by Bayless, dealt with Aikman’s sexual preference.

Memo to Self: Talk to Self

Most of us think talking to ourselves is a practice that should be avoided – especially if others are around to observe it. But researchers say “self-talk” is more common than most people think. And it can make a big difference in mood, behavior and performance.