Articles

Reporters love to put negative words in the mouths of people they interview. Why? Generally, this practice gives control of the interview to the reporter. More specifically, those negative words often lead to a great soundbite or quote for the reporter but one that doesn’t play well for the person being interviewed. It’s one of the media traps...

In our media training workshops, we stress the importance of taking control of an interview from the beginning. This is done by thanking the interviewer for the invitation to speak, expressing empathy when appropriate and immediately launching into clear, concise messages that you have planned to deliver. We found an excellent example of this...

The partial collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is a human and economic disaster. The ramming of the bridge by a container ship has led to multiple fatalities and the temporary closing of the Port of Baltimore. As families mourn the loss of loved ones and the shipping industry copes with catastrophic disruptions to transportation, someone...

Here’s the scenario: a public figure learns a major newspaper is preparing an unflattering story about her, so she publicly threatens to sue the paper for defamation if it publishes the article. The threat made by LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey went viral on social media. Mulkey claimed that a Washington Post reporter was not just...

So, you have agreed to a media interview and are preparing for it by coming up with answers to anticipated questions. You realize that at least one of your answers won’t satisfy a persistent reporter, but you have decided it’s in your best interest to give it anyway. And you are determined to stick with that answer no matter how much it might...

It’s one thing to answer questions that might be embarrassing. It’s quite another to volunteer eyebrow-raising stuff about your life that no one has asked about, especially when it’s not relevant to matters you have agreed to discuss. Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. stepped into that trap when asked about his relationship...

It’s virtually impossible to overemphasize the value of the bridging concept, a technique that empowers you to deal with any question while communicating a key message. Here’s how it works: you get a question that you can’t answer; you briefly address or acknowledge the question with a response such as “I can’t speak to that,” or “I don’t know;”...

Is it a good idea to lose your composure during a speech or media encounter? In most cases, absolutely not because getting angry or crying distracts the audience and muddles key messages. But from time to time, we see men and women fight their emotions in front of cameras. And how they deal with it can make or break their speech or interview....

In what appears to be the never-ending saga of Taylor Swift and her cultural influence, some reporters try to fan the flames of controversy. That’s what happened during a cable news interview when two anchor/reporters questioned Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn about Swift. The pop star had called Blackburn “Donald Trump in a wig.”...

The biggest pop star in the world is seen week after week attending her boyfriend’s NFL football games. Her presence helps drive up game ratings and creates a social media storm, with fans and detractors going after each other. Yes, we’re talking Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Their romance puts smiles on the faces of their fans and frowns on the...