Monthly Archives: September 2014
Questions and Answers About Media Training
One of the questions I sometimes hear as a communications training consultant is, “What does a media training workshop look like?” A sensible question since most people — including a surprising number of senior executives — have never committed the time it takes to sharpen their skills at dealing with the press. So, let’s take […]
A Reporter’s Take on “Off the Record”
The fur often flies when communications experts enter into discussions about “off the record” and other such forms of dealing with reporters. A number of years back, New York Times political reporter Adam Nagourney was quoted in the Washington Post as saying: “If someone wants to go off the record, call me up, and I’ll […]
Don’t Let the Wheels Fall Off
Your precious daughter’s birthday has arrived and you need to assemble her shiny, new bicycle. If you forget one step in those instructions and neglect to tighten one nut, her wheels will fall off and your adorable little princess winds up with skinned knees. She looks up at you with those big, doleful eyes wondering […]
Who Needs Another Technician?
Here’s another installment in our occasional series dedicated to those in need of communications training services for their organization’s executives. Take particular heed of this piece of advice: Your training consultant does not need to be an expert in your field. I don’t care if your domain encompasses medicine, law, international trade, or any other […]
Tips from the Newsroom
The other day I ran across my notes from a meeting of the San Diego Press Club I attended some time ago. One of the panelists, then-Program Director Cliff Albert of news/talk radio station KOGO, put forth the opinion that news must do three things–engage, entertain, and enlighten. Albert emphasized that news is about people, […]
Shaping Better Spokespeople
I’ve long been a firm believer in the need for lifelong learning when it comes to communications training. Sure, a lone media training or public speaking workshop will likely lead to improvement in most cases. But those who expect to become stellar communicators after one learning experience are fooling themselves. In the end, it is […]
No, I Won’t Excuse Your Typos
You’ve gotten them, too. Those e-mail missives and text messages with typos and autocorrects that create unintended consequences — sometimes hilarious, sometimes ribald, sometimes highly inappropriate in a business context. In an effort to excuse themselves, some writers include a bit of text along the lines of, “Please pardon misspellings. Sent from my mobile device.” […]
C-suite Blueprint 
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