Entries by Lindsay Williams

How Zelensky Rallies a Nation

Volodymyr Zelensky is the man of the moment and reams of video and comment are hitting the internet, analysing his chances of survival and his effect on history. As all readers of this blog know, we look for the communications lessons in current affairs and Zelensky is giving us all a text book illustration of […]

The most powerful element of any message….

When my parents married they were dirt poor.  My father had walked away from a life in the steel mill in South Wales and wanted to be a journalist.  Living in a rented flat with two young girls in the early sixties, every penny was counted. He taught himself Pitman’s shorthand – a skill now […]

How to Speak Human…

‘Things could go crazy quickly.’ ‘That’s a world war when Americans and Russians start shooting at each other.’ If you want people to listen and take note of what you say, keep it really, really simple. President Biden wants Americans to leave Ukraine, and leave now. So, he chooses very compelling language. The Guardian pulls […]

What the Bank of England Governor got so very wrong

If you are going to be the public face of an organisation you need to understand how normal people will react to your words. Bank of England Governor, Andrew Bailey, got it badly wrong last week when he called for workers to moderate their wage demands. A call that predictably and reasonably caused outcry and […]

Pork Pie Plot and Other Matters

The news can be dull, repetitive, and tedious despite the best efforts of journalists. But creating or just reporting the witticisms that come naturally from some people, really does make it all a lot more fun. I just loved the ‘Pork Pie Plot’ so-called because one of the alleged political plotters comes from Melton Mowbray. […]

Pyramid Communication, a brief introduction

My boss has the attention span of a gnat…how do I get her attention? I’ve been told I need to communicate better…how do I do that? I lose the meeting as soon as I start speaking – what am I doing wrong? I think I am boring people on video calls…but don’t know how to […]

How to Dress for TV: Our Top Tips

How should I dress for TV? is a question we are regularly asked, so this week we are repeating one of our best performing posts of all time. As media trainers, we think what you are wearing is one of the least important things to worry about if you are doing a TV interview. But we […]

10 tips: what to wear on TV

What to wear on TV: is a question we are asked all the time. Back in November I wrote ten top tips for women and promised we would also provide ten top tips for men. Just to reiterate: as media trainers, we think what you are wearing is one of the least important things to […]