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.
A Doctor Skips the Jargon and Delivers an Encouraging Message to America
As Covid 19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths rise, some voices in the medical and political worlds are calling for a national lockdown. But the man considered America’s top expert in infectious diseases is not one of them. In an interview on ABC, Dr. Anthony Fauci clearly communicates a different message. While fervidly prescribing social...
A Critter Creates a Crisis for a White House Correspondent
When you prepare for a presentation, media interview, or crisis news briefing, you should try to anticipate things that could go wrong. But there’s no way to anticipate that a frisky critter might make an unwanted guest appearance. What can we say? Stuff happens, as CNN Washington correspondent Joe Johns recently discovered when a raccoon...
To Read or Not to Read: That is the Question
During our Terri Ammerman Group crisis spokesperson seminars, we are often asked if it’s okay to read a statement during a news briefing. Our answer is “yes.” But our response includes conditions that must be met or reading a statement will look and sound amateurish. You should become intimately familiar with the statement by rehearsing it in...
Repeat After Me: The Mic is Always Hot. Always.
It’s not often that a public figure reinforces what The Terri Ammerman Group teaches in our communication training seminars. In this case, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer demonstrated her awareness that a microphone should always be considered hot before, during and after a speech or interview. Whitmer was clowning around a bit, preparing to...
How to Get Virtual Training that Speaks to Your Needs
Several months ago, virtual meetings appeared to be an effective, temporary solution to move company agendas forward when face-to-face meetings were not possible. We now know two key things about virtual meetings as the pandemic carries on: they are anything but temporary and often, anything but effective. The Terri Ammerman Group is here to...
A Top Communicator Down Under
When preparing for a news briefing or presentation, great communicators choose their words with care. It is a crucial step toward effective messaging. But the visual and vocal ways they deliver those words is even more important as they seek to reach and influence their audience. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison provides a great example...
Keep Your Personal Opinions to Yourself, Unless….
When you are speaking with the media or delivering a presentation, your job is to represent your company or organization, not yourself. Your personal opinions usually are not relevant and can get in the way of your key messages. But there are exceptions. In an interview with ABC News, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson declines to give his personal...
Managing Meeting Melee
A contentious issue, angry people, and impassioned opinions are the recipe for a public meeting that can spiral out of control. That is what happened when a debate over defunding police led to an emotional disruption of the Norman, Oklahoma City Council meeting. Here is a short clip of the unfortunate scene: How can a public meeting melee be...
Who’s on First?
Remember the classic Abbott & Costello “Who’s on First” routine? Referring to a baseball team, Lou Costello keeps asking Bud Abbott who’s playing first base. Abbott responds “Who” because “Who” is the actual name of the first baseman. The answer leaves Costello totally bamboozled. If you are not familiar with this routine, we recommend you...
Was the Long Trudeau Pause Worth the Wait?
When asked an unexpected difficult question, The Terri Ammerman Group believes a short pause of five to seven seconds can make you appear thoughtful before you give an answer. This week Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took that concept to a new level when he waited 21 seconds before answering a question about President Trump’s handling of...