Articles

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....

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...

It’s that time of year when parents and children are preparing for the return to the classroom, many for the first time in more than a year. In the process, school districts all over America are deciding whether to require the wearing of masks. It can be an emotional issue, leading to verbal clashes at school board meetings. Recently, the...

When we first started working with clients decades ago, it was common for a company to ignore the media in the initial stages of a crisis. And when the company finally responded to the media, the results were often unsatisfactory and did more damage to the firm’s reputation. Let’s examine a classic case of a disastrous media interview From the...

For decades we have preached the need to project sincere compassion first and foremost in the initial stages of a crisis. We use videos to illustrate our belief that a spokesperson who displays empathy serves a company well as a disaster unfolds. We have many examples that have held up to the passage of time, including a 2005 video From the...

We have been gathering video clips and using them in our media training and crisis spokesperson seminars for decades. Our clients continue to learn from them. So, for the next few weeks, let’s dig into our training history with some videos From the Archives. The Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in 2010 was a heartbreaking tragedy for...

Is it ever okay to lie to the media? Nope. It’s never a good look, especially when the truth inevitably comes out. Case in point is New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor’s explanation of why many of his teammates suddenly ran into the tunnel between the dugout and the locker room during a game. After the game, Lindor claimed to a skeptical...

A shooting in Austin, Texas last weekend left 14 people wounded. It also left the community shaken and looking for leadership. Residents found it in Interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon. Soon after the shooting, Chacon held a news briefing and continued to speak often to the community through the media. In the following clip, he was especially...

When holding a news conference, the rule of thumb is to avoid distractions and stay focused on your message. Most rules, of course, have exceptions. We found one when Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo talked with the media about his decision to resign and become the top cop in Miami. He was emotional at times as he praised his department’s...