Monthly Archives: January 2016

Sunday Morning Talkers

January 26, 2016 · by · in Media training, Messaging

Watching the Sunday morning talk shows (“Meet the Press” et al) can be an exercise in frustration. There are occasional bursts of honesty, yet the main style seems to favor spin. I’m not suggesting you need to blindly follow a reporter’s off-point or hostile line of questioning. But there is an art to guiding the […]

Hey, Look How Great I Am

January 19, 2016 · by · in Consultants

I’ve always argued against communications training consultants who blow their own horn by announcing new clients and telling the world who they work for. Since opening my consultancy in 1997, I’ve never released a client list. Has it hurt my business development efforts? Probably. But that is not priority number one. At the risk of […]

The Basics of Communications: A Review

January 12, 2016 · by · in Capitol Hill Fly-ins, Communications strategy, Congressional testimony, Media training, Public speaking

The start of 2016 is as good a time as any to review some basics when it comes to communicating with reporters, policymakers, and audiences of any sort. Let’s begin with a few thoughts to improve your media relations capabilities: Anticipate your key issues and construct solid messages for them; Role play with those individuals […]

Communications Training Trends: The Long View

January 5, 2016 · by · in Communications research, Thought leadership

Confession: I don’t find those year end lists of “10 Best” or predictions for the new year particularly useful or interesting. I’m the type that takes a longer view, and fully realize that your mileage may vary (just please don’t ever contact me with your rundown of “2015’s Cutest Cat Videos”). With that longer term […]