Tuesday Tip-Offs

It’s one of the great mysteries of life, or at least business: What exactly is PR? To a lot of people, it’s about making news. “Did you see our great PR?” Or it’s crisis management. “They have a BIG PR problem.” There is a lot more to the discipline of public...

“How do you get over being nervous before an interview?” That’s one of the most frequent questions I get at the beginning of media training programs. Being questioned by a journalist, especially on-camera, can be a daunting experience. First, you’re giving up control....

Vacations are over, the fourth quarter starts in just a few weeks and more employees are returning to the office. I’m also betting your organization has a lot of new faces, the result of the Great Resignation. Fall is the ideal time to book in-person or virtual media,...

I’ve been around TV cameras since I was a kid, but I still get a kick out of being with clients when they're going on TV. “Lights, camera, action!” is a cliché,  but live TV production is exciting. Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to be in-studio at...

“I’m thinking of starting my talk with a joke. Is that a good idea?” I get asked that a lot in presentation coaching workshops. My answer? No, unless you are a skilled comedian or have a staff of comedy writers! Famed Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes was known to...

Recently I was referred to a local business owner who needed help restoring his hard-earned reputation. A major city TV investigative reporter had run a long, inflammatory and one-sided story with inaccurate information. The owner was cast as the villain. Was it the...

I have a love-hate relationship with PowerPoint. It is a great comms tool - when used smartly. Click to the next slide: more times than not, it is misused and abused, with presenters killing their poor audiences. Here are five ways to avoid devilishly dull...

Wow. What a year it’s been for BIG stories that offer lessons -- and great training topics -- for all organizations. There’s this summer’s violent weather, Norfolk Southern’s Ohio train wreck, the Titan submersible catastrophe and Bud Light’s controversial social...