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.

Cleaning Up a Muddled Message

Cleaning Up a Muddled Message

You are a university president dealing with one of the most difficult issues of our time, the apparent rise of antisemitism on American college campuses. Your tepid response to antisemitic rhetoric on your campus leads you and two other university presidents to testify before a congressional committee investigating the issue. Instead of arming...

Getting Angry Gets You Nowhere

Getting Angry Gets You Nowhere

So, you’ve been speaking at a news briefing or public gathering and as the event ends, a reporter approaches to ask questions about a topic you don’t want to discuss. What do you do? First, here’s what you don’t do. You don’t get angry, call the reporter rude, and threatened to call the general manager of her TV station. That’s what Houston Mayor...

What Do You Mean It’s Live?

What Do You Mean It’s Live?

Live television! Sometimes you just don’t know what you’re going to see and hear when a person on your tv screen doesn’t realize the camera is on and the microphone is hot. Over the years, we’ve seen many examples, some funny, some sad, many in between. However, for the person who makes the mistake, it’s usually embarrassing or downright...

Your Experience Adds to Credibility

Your Experience Adds to Credibility

During our media training workshops, clients sometimes ask if it’s appropriate to share personal experiences and anecdotes in answers to a reporter’s questions. Our advice depends on the topic and the circumstances of the interview. But as a rule of thumb, if your personal experiences are relevant to the topic, sharing them may help humanize you...

Clear Messaging from Deion Sanders Puts a Game in Perspective

Clear Messaging from Deion Sanders Puts a Game in Perspective

A college football player makes a late and very hard sideline hit on an opposing player. The incident is perceived by many as a dirty play that sends the University of Colorado’s Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver. The player who made the hit, Colorado State’s Henry Blackburn, is condemned by many fans, some of whom actually...

Key Message First, Nuts & Bolts Second

Key Message First, Nuts & Bolts Second

When holding a crisis news briefing, the temptation is to start by describing a series of events in sequence from beginning to end. This may seem to make sense, until you realize you might be burying the most important message in your statement. The Minneapolis police chief may well have had this in mind when he addressed the media shortly after...

When Mom Calls…

When Mom Calls…

We love it when people show a special admiration and respect for their mothers. So, when NBA star Bam Adebayo got a phone call from his mom during a news briefing, we enjoyed the moment as he stopped taking media questions to talk with her. Adebayo displayed the kind of warmth we don’t often see in public figures and probably impressed the...

I have a YouTube Channel!

I have a YouTube Channel!

I’ve been coaching and training executives and managers my entire career. And, although much of our private coaching is for presentations, I’ve recently worked with people who have high potential, and are early in their careers who need help to develop solid communications skills. And, as I’ve been introduced to the on-line community of...

Don’t be a Crisis News Briefing No-Show

Don’t be a Crisis News Briefing No-Show

So, there’s a fire at a chemical plant and the flames and smoke can be seen for miles around. The company releases brief social media statements indicating there is no threat to the public. The news media descends on the site, expecting a company spokesperson to participate in a crisis news briefing. Instead, a county sheriff conducts the...

Empathy in the Face of Tragedy Builds Trust and Credibility

Empathy in the Face of Tragedy Builds Trust and Credibility

What is empathy and why is it so important to display it during a news briefing? Basically, empathy is showing your audience that you care about what they care about. If you succeed at this, your audience is more likely to trust and believe in you. Case in point involves the shooting deaths of five people, including a young boy, in San Jacinto...