Inspired by the story of the heroic Chinese doctor caught up in the coronavirus outbreak, I wrote a commentary for the Toronto Star on the importance of truth-telling, courage and listening in crisis communications. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/02/09/doing-the-right-thing-is-invariably-the-best-communications-strategy.html...
Blog
Just Say No- When the best communications strategy is to shut up
When Prince Andrew sat down for an extended interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis, it was one of the “gets” of the year. Great for Maitlis and her program. Not so great for the House of Windsor. Not since King Charles I rose in his own defence at his trial...
Answer the Question
“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain The wry wisdom of Samuel Clemens resonates in the modern world of communications. I often tell clients, particularly those facing crisis, that the best strategy is always to do the right thing. In the...
Training Spokespeople for a Great Cause
One of our favourite Saturday morning excursions is to the wonderful farmer’s market at Evergreen Brick Works. But Evergreen is about far more than just this one institution. They do important, visionary work to nurture conversations about how to improve life in our cities. That’s why it was such a...
Media Training-Beyond the Basics
Just as you don’t take just one piano lesson, media training is not done when you’ve been introduced to the basics. Recently, I led a session for one of my best clients, a prominent industry organization that is often in the news. Its leaders have already gone through my proprietary...
When Key Messages Aren’t Enough
(Originally posted on LinkedIn March 25, 2019) Advisors to Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompson must have thought long and hard before agreeing to book her for an interview with CBC Radio’s Matt Galloway. It meant subjecting a minister with a sketchy performance as a communicator to one of the most...
A Passion for Food
Spectacular cuisine can be found throughout Italy, but in this nation of great food, the region of Emilia Romagna stands out–the home of balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano Reggiano and prosciutto. In this article for Post Media, I profiled some of the people who take simple, local and extraordinary ingredients, inject a dose of passion...
Victoria’s Island
The Isle of Wight has hosted both Queen Victoria’s sumptuous retreat and a seminal music festival that rivalled Woodstock. Now it is a bucolic retreat for wealthy Londoners and a cherished home for full time residents who revel in the laid back lifestyle. I wrote about it for Post Media....
On the Buses, Off the Buses. (from Huffington Post)
For a young reporter, as I was once, there were few better assignments than a leader’s bus during an Ontario or federal election. You felt like you were making an important contribution to the democratic process: watching every move, listening to every word of a person aspiring to high political...
Toronto’s Top Cop Could Use A Lesson In Public Speaking (from Huffington Post)
An approval rating of 69 per cent is the stuff of dreams for most politicians. It is close to double the current number for the president of the United States and a multiple of the rating for the premier of Ontario. But Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders is more properly...