If my circle of acquaintance is anything to go by (and maybe it isn’t) France’s new President Emmanuel Macron seems to be more liked by the international community than many of his own countrymen. Politics aside, part of the reason could be that at his best he communicates in a way that is easy for […]
The art of the quote and the power of a good one is something we at the Media Coach think about every day. But last week in Europe we had another example of someone being a bit more quotable than perhaps the man himself had predicted. Many people outside Brussels or Holland haven’t heard of Jeroen […]
The power of the personal story can shape a campaign and a political career. Skim any article about Martin Schulz, the Socialist challenger giving Angela Merkel a run for her money ahead of Germany’s federal elections in September, and you will almost certainly learn four things about his life before he became a politician. Power […]
EU doorstep interviews should be seen as an opportunity, not a threat. Prime Ministers and Heads of State recognise the PR value of a good EU doorstep – a mini-interview or statement done on the way in or out of Summits. Small countries that hold the EU’s rotating presidency, ambassadors and other officials often miss […]
Post-Truth era communications hold a particular challenge for companies whose marketing is based on some form of science or data. How should companies communicate in the Post-Truth era, particularly when it comes to the use of numbers? For a re-cap of how Lindsay and I view ‘Post-Truth’ please see our previous posts here and here. […]
Public narrative is right at the top of our agenda here in Brussels. It is a really effective way to build a compelling message if you are working for the public good. It is no secret that people who work in politics, campaigning, and media often use storytelling as a way of communicating their values […]
Trade Associations have a structural problem when it comes to PR. Getting timely agreement to say anything that is not just bland. I once e-mailed a Brussels journalist friend to compliment his choice of quote from a trade association in an article he had written about a controversial European Commission ruling. In response he wrote: […]
The Post Truth era: we all recognise the symptoms around us. But the challenge facing professional communicators is how to build real trust in the Post Truth era? Lindsay has already written about the EU Referendum and the apparent disregard for facts and expert opinion that was paraded around with something bordering on glee by […]
The starting gun has been fired for the referendum on Britain’s EU membership. And so has the battle of the soundbites. Pretty much any politician with strong views has come out with their quotable phrases on why Britain should chuck the towel in or stay a member of the club. Amid all the uncertainty over […]
Is it ever ok for organisations to talk about themselves in the third person? Any media trainer will almost certainly say no, adding that nothing de-humanises a spokesperson faster than those who say ‘Organisation X’ rather than ‘we’ when speaking on behalf of their company, institution or NGO. From Churchill to Martin Luther King to […]
