Except for formats such as newsmagazines, long-form journalism, and some podcasts, most media interviews—and the articles or news segments that follow—are quick hits. Your TV interview might be boiled down to a seven-second quote. Your 10-minute interview with a...
50 ways to have a crisis—and how to take them on
If you were to think of a crisis as a meteorological event, it might start small, like a few raindrops that eventually transform into a steady, drenching downpour. At other times, it arrives full bore—a tempest capable of leveling everything in its path. All of which...
7 ways to use humor in your presentation
The recent surge in video conferencing brought on by the COVID pandemic has provided a wealth of comedic material for social media – from bosses transforming themselves into potatoes to Saturday Night Live’s take on the ubiquitous Zoom call, and many fails and awkward...
How communicators can answer tough questions: Pandemic edition
Have you had to lay off staff and reduce services to the public during the pandemic? Have you had to scale down your nonprofit’s mission or slash budgets? Has COVID-19 forced you to close your doors at a time your clients need you most? If you lead a nonprofit,...
Media relations mentoring—20 ways to improve your media game
Who often is your biggest critic? You! When it comes to accurate and objective critiques of how you did during a media interview, your eyes and ears aren’t exactly impartial judges. When trained, they can be supremely effective in evaluating your sure-footed successes...
7 tricky questions reporters will ask—and how to answer them
Reporters can be a wily bunch. In their efforts to get to the truth, bottom of the story, real deal, or the inside skinny, they just might let slip a tricky question. If you are on the receiving end of such an inquiry, the last thing you want to let slip is a...