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.
Clarity Breeds Effective Messaging
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...
Don’t Let Passion Cloud Your Messages
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...
Don’t Let Poor Lighting Cloud Your Message
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...
The President Proves a Hot Mic and a Quick Temper Don’t Mix
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...
Not All Actors Need a Script to Deliver a Powerful Message
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...
Don’t Step into the Guarantee Trap
We can guarantee that using the word “guarantee” during an interview, news briefing, or any media encounter is often a very bad idea. Wait… what? That’s right. And here’s why: when a reporter uses the word “guarantee” in a question, he/she is hoping to coax you into delivering a sound bite or quote that could come back to bite you. It’s one of...
Our Ammerman Colleague Pens the Written Word on Verbal Communication and More
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....
Not All Actors Need a Script to Deliver a Powerful Message
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...
Lower the Heat When Emotions Run High
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...
A Communications Disaster Can Make Any Crisis Even Worse
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...