Tag Archive for: press conference

How to Succeed in Your Own Big Boy or Big Girl Press Conference

It’s clear President Biden intends to stay in the race, and last night’s press conference only cements the debacle Democrats find themselves in—he’s staying, but he’s still not great. They needed Biden to be as bad as the debate—a low bar—but even after misspeaking and referring to Trump as his VP and the many “anyways” when he lost his train of thought, Biden did just enough.

Here are the areas he improved in that made a difference:

#1 — He kept his mouth closed. He kept his mouth closed while listening to questions. A big problem for Biden in the debate was his gaping mouth while listening to Trump speak. When listening to a question, always keep your mouth closed and in a pleasant resting position. Eliminate the frown or the happy grin. Lips together and a subtle smile is the goal.

#2 — He projected his voice. While he coughed throughout and occasionally bounced between a whisper and a yell, he projected his voice. A louder delivery helped break through the weakness he demonstrated in the debate. Projecting your voice is the easiest way to sound confident. As a reminder, your vocals and visuals are tied together, and your facial expressions will mirror your vocal projection. So, if you can give a strong vocal delivery, you’ll have a more engaging visual delivery.

#3 — His visuals were great. His makeup was on point, and the lighting was great. No matter how superficial you think makeup and lighting are, they may determine whether you look rested and/or healthy versus tired and sick. His team took the extra time, and it helped. Powder is a must to eliminate shine. Even if you’re working from home, never underestimate the power of good lighting for your virtual meetings and media interviews. We recommend placing two of these behind your computer.

Filler Word Fixes

Filler words happen to the best of us, including new White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki:

There are steps you can take to rid yourself of filler words, and we highly recommend the following two measures:

#1 — Work on eliminating filler words in daily conversation. There’s enough to focus on when you’re live behind a mic, so it’s best to save your brainpower for talking points rather than trying not to say “uh.”

#2 — Enlist the help of someone else. Take one meal a week to eat with a friend, coworker, roommate who is willing to hold you accountable. Ask them to hit the table, or call you out, or notify you however you prefer every time you use a filler word.

You should see noticeable improvement within a month if you incorporate both measures!

Gov. Northam: A Cautionary Tale in Crisis Management

You don’t have to be a PR professional to understand that Gov. Northam absolutely failed in his response to a racist photo that surfaced last week. Between his initial reaction on Friday to the follow-up press conference on Saturday, there’s a lot to talk about.

We want to focus on something that people in the public eye struggle to do—admit they’re wrong. Responding to a crisis isn’t easy as you risk destroying personal and professional relationships, but Gov. Northam’s “apology” fell short as he gave into the popular narrative of “I’m not that person.” 

Here’s how we think Gov. Northam should’ve handled the situation:

  1. Don’t say “I’m not that person.” 
  2. Instead, admit you’re wrong and say you’re sorry.
  3. And then explain what you’ve learned/how you’ve grown since the incident.

It’s painful to admit you’re wrong, but this strategy is much less newsworthy than a denial, reversal, and offer to moonwalk. If you get out in front of the story, the story will never exist.