Resting faces might not look happy

One of the things I always remind people of during Clapperton Media speaker training sessions is not to be put off when the audience looks vaguely hostile. It happens a lot to new speakers, you're standing in front of an audience or group and expecting (or hoping for) smiling faces, nodding, maybe the odd thumbs-up - and you get this bunch of po-faced, miserable looking people.

Get used to it. It's what people look like when they're being attentive. If you're driving and glance at the other drivers on the road they aren't grinning and nodding at you (if they are, you may be in trouble). They're looking serious because they're paying attention.

This came up on a LinkedIn post from someone else which we promptly hijacked to make the point - more info here:

Podcast: Beyond the bio

I was delighted when Sophie Milliken MBE invited me to be a guest on her branding podcast, Beyond the Bio, to talk about the pitfalls of going in front of the media and how to make it work. We speak about the mistakes people make, over-explaining, why your clients (if you're in PR) aren't actually accountable to the press; you can hear the result here:

Video tip: Should you say "no comment"?

I remember when I was a child there was some sort of incident in which some grown-ups I knew were innocent bystanders but reporters were interested. One of the adults said "just say no comment, it's the one thing they can't do anything with."

I disagree and this short video explains why.

In the US press

So I offer media training sessions with my small team and they seem to go well - but can I walk the walk and get my own coverage? That's for the reader to decide, but here I am on the Communications Intelligence Substack from Wichita, Kansas, holding forth about a reporter's conduct in a CBS interview:

Get in touch

Are you in PRcomms and have clients going in front of the press? I've got your back - get in touch to find out about media training sessions with my team including my award-winning documentary maker on camera. My assistant Lindsay can set us up an initial chat - [email protected] .

See you next time!