Communication and presentation skills combined with appropriate branding can create the message desired, but not always the message received. The right message delivered by the wrong person is damaging and can both offend and distract from the issue or position. The qualities of a media spokesperson must include charisma, relevance, credibility and above all, one who is appropriate and WANTED …
Hot Under the Collar
In this election year, should Governor Rick Scott have electrified his voter base with a seven-minute stand on a non-issue? And why? Before an October debate in Fort Lauderdale, incumbent Florida Governor Scott created a media disaster by delaying his appearance for seven minutes due to a cooling fan placed beneath the podium of his opponent, former Republican turned-Democrat gubernatorial …
What Not to Wear on TV
After beating the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 of the American League Championship, putting Kansas City on the brink of the World Series, Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie created a firestorm of protest without saying a word. Playing off Chris Brown’s rap song “Loyal,” Mr. Guthrie wore a T-shirt to the post-game press conference that read “These O’s Ain’t Royal.” Not …
A+ for Characteristic Candor
Personalizing a presentation with candor is one of the C’s of good communication. Other C’s include: Conversational, Convincing and Compassionate which help to create a speaker’s Charisma. As Bloomberg News reported on a recent Chicago conference for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care, Ben Bernanke was refreshingly and characteristically candid: “I recently tried to refinance my mortgage …
Having to Say You’re Sorry
In the past year, Lululemon has been under fire not only for the “sheerness” of its yoga pants, but also for the explanations of the brand’s founder, Chip Wilson. “Yoga pants become see-through when women buy sizes that are too small for them.” Backlash from women all across North America registered shock that a company who promotes “quality is at …
And the Golden Globe goes to …
“The present letter is a very long one, simply because I had no leisure to make it shorter,” wrote Blaise Pascal in 1657. Taking the leisure time BEFORE the announcement in a “what if … I win?” kind of way, paid off at The Golden Globes hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler last weekend, with winners who were …
When Hip Hop & History Collide, You Get a “Belieber”
After touring the Amsterdam hiding place of the young Holocaust victim and diarist, Anne Frank; hip hop sensation Justin Bieber decided to leave his mark in the museum’s guest book: “Anne was a great girl. Hopefully, she would have been a Belieber,“ (a believer in Justin Bieber.) Her chronicle, The Diary of a Young Girl is recognized as one of the most …