Articles

It doesn’t happen often but every once in a while we see such a powerful example of compelling communication that we need to add no words or analysis. Actor Matthew McConaughey delivered such a message from the White House briefing room this week on the Uvalde school shooting. Uvalde is McConaughey’s hometown and the massacre of 19 children and...

Expressing empathy for people affected by a tragedy is the first priority when you’re conducting a news briefing. It should come high up in your statement as you release information to the media about the incident. However, it’s not good enough to just say empathetic words. You must act and sound like the words are sincere and heartfelt....

The headlines screamed out with an inexplicable but accurate quote from a major party candidate for governor of Georgia. Democrat Stacey Abrams told a crowd of supporters that Georgia was “The worst state in the country to live.” The remark left headline readers wondering why on earth Abrams would denigrate the state she wants to govern. Well,...

Speculating during an interview is a trap that can land you in hot water. Afterall, no one has a crystal ball and speculating about the future usually distracts from your key messages. However, there are occasional exceptions to this rule and we found one in a CNN interview with Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He is asked to essentially...

We often find during our media training workshops that participants are reluctant to read entire statements during mock media news briefings. Our participants worry that reading a statement, rather than ad-libbing one, makes them appear wooden and insincere. Our response sometimes surprises them. We believe a spokesperson can project sincerity,...

So, you’re already a good communicator but you want to take your messaging skills to the next level. One of our favorite ways to accomplish this is an analogy, a powerful tool to help explain key messages in a way everyone can understand. We saw an outstanding example of this during a CBS interview with Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador...

Does it drive you nuts when people answer questions with such jumbled vagueness that you’re left wondering what on earth they meant? On the other hand, do you find it refreshing when people, especially politicians, answer questions with such clarity that their message is impossible to misinterpret? Armed with clear messages, San Francisco Mayor...

When we feel passionately about an issue, it’s easy to fall into the trap of making unwise comparisons or analogies that muddle your messages. It can happen to even the most experienced communicators when they are not careful. Jonathan Turley is a prominent law professor at George Washington University and a television legal analyst who speaks...

We have been coaching clients for decades on the importance of your visual appearance during an interview. A visual distraction during an in-person or virtual interview can ruin your attempt to deliver key messages. Poor lighting is often the culprit. In a virtual interview, you don’t want the lighting too hot or too dark. Both will interfere...

We have been teaching for more than four decades to control your tongue and emotions when cameras and microphones are nearby. This week President Joe Biden demonstrated that we can never deliver our message too often. Frustrated by a question from Peter Doocy at the end of a news briefing, the president uttered his unflattering opinion of the Fox...