- Handling reporters who interrupt you before you finish an answer
- Adjusting facial gestures that send negative messages to reporters and viewers
- Managing questions that make someone animated and furious
- Taking more control of interviews
- Identifying whom on staff is your best spokesperson and sometimes the best person is unexpected
- Honing and getting back to key messages
- Needing to tell more anecdotes
- Raising very important talking points not previously considered to combat negative news stories
- Avoiding answers that validate a reporter’s negative question
- Strengthening an argument without unintentionally making a key constituent look bad
- Helping to show others that the group’s leaders are real people
- Working on not using too many “uhs” and “ums”
- Holding back from publicly criticizing critics, opponents or competitors
- Discussing with reporters public funding and sensitive financial numbers
- Realizing you have personal stories to tell that reporters should hear
