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Speak to Lead

Lou Hampton is President and CEO of The Hampton Group, Inc., a Washington, DC-based firm specializing in media training, message development, and executive presentations and speech coaching.

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Last Entry: September 24, 2009 at 14:54:05

Humor Trivializes Evil - NPR Treats ACORN Child Prostitution as a Joke

Posted on September 24, 2009
First of all, now that I have your attention, I want to make clear this is not an attack on National Public Radio. But it was an NPR broadcast that sparked my thoughts about the power humor has to trivialize...

Public Speaking: Mnemonic Devices-Barfing Your Way to Success

Posted on September 17, 2009
Mnemonic devices for public speaking have been used for thousands of years. The initial application was to help speakers remember what they were going to say as they delivered the speech. (For an overview and history of mnemonic devices used...

Persuasive Messages: Story Power, Greek Tragedies & Post Traumatic Stress Treatment

Posted on September 01, 2009
As those of you who read this regularly know, I'm a strong advocate of the power of stories, the use of narrative, to engage audiences and open them to your messages. Today's edition of USA Today contains an interesting article...

Presidential oratory, discourse & disagreement - A look back at a kinder time?

Posted on August 25, 2009
Congress has gone home. The president and his family are vacationing in Martha's Vineyard. And most of the political structure (except the ones who can't afford private schools; public schools are already back in session) including the news media, are...

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Persuasion: Dangerous Message - Joe Friday vs Clarence Darrow at Political Bloggers Conventions

Posted on August 19, 2009
"Just the facts, ma'am."* The phrase made famous by Dragnet's Sgt. Joe Friday, raised its deceptive head last week at the Netroots Nation and RightOn (conservative) political bloggers annual conventions in Pittsburgh. Toward the end of a Q&A session a...

Webinars: Aceing Interviews, Crafting Messages, Coaching Your Client - A Quick Survey

Posted on August 03, 2009
Several of you have been asking me when I would be doing any webinars or teleseminars for PR and Communication professionals on topics related to media and speaking skills, messaging, attracting new clients, etc. Well the time has come! And...

Message Development: Making Numbers Come Alive - How much is a trillion?

Posted on July 12, 2009
The great challenge of using numbers in presentations and interviews is breathing life into them so listeners take note, comprehend, and remember. Since the currency here in Washington DC these days is expressed in trillions, I wanted to pass along...

Create a Marketing Habit in 21 Days: A Guide for Professionals

Posted on June 16, 2009
This is for those of you who lead small or solo practitioner professional services firms, and suffer the frustration of not having time to market when you're busy.The solution lies in Paula Black's new book, The Little Black Book -...

Media training/Reputation Protection: Reporter's Words You Don't Want to Read

Posted on June 08, 2009
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2009 (WWDC 2009) opened today in San Francisco. It's described by Apple as "the premier technical event for developers and IT professionals innovating with Apple platforms." One thousand Apple engineers; 5,000 developers...

Media Messages: Sound Bites Gone Wild - Over 30 Sound Bites in 1 Statement

Posted on May 26, 2009
One form of sound bite is the use of vivid words - words that evoke the five senses and emotions or are different (often made up). This is one of the most frequently used sound bite forms and generally involves...

Persuasive Sound Bites: Word Pictures that Change Behavior

Posted on May 23, 2009
Steve Farnsworth (twitter user TheRealPRMan) has written a super blog entry titled Let's Shoot the CEO: Is Pay for Placement PR a Brilliant Idea or Acutely Ignorant. Steve makes a powerful case against pay for placement. But that's not the...

Leadership Under Fire: Answering Tough Personal Questions Positively

Posted on May 20, 2009
Unprepared interviewees. They seem to be ubiquitous in the news these days. Every election, at almost any level of politics, seems to have at least one candidate who stumbles when asked a question about embarrassing personal or professional conduct. And...

Persuasive Speaking: Reputation Protection Part 3 - Five "Quick Fixes" to Safeguard Your Client

Posted on April 08, 2009
In Part 1 (Do Speakers Need a Reputation Czar?) I pointed out that many high-profile speakers end up looking bad because their personal staff and public relation advisers fail to make sure the speaker is ready for "prime time." In...

Persuasive Speaking: Reputation Protection Part 2 - Why Staff & PR Pros Fail to Protect the Speaker

Posted on March 11, 2009

Persuasive Speaking: Reputation Protection Part 1 - Do Speakers Need a Reputation Czar?

Posted on March 07, 2009

Media Interviews: Why Canceling Is a Bad Idea - Jon Stewart Rips CNBC Financial Analysts

Posted on March 05, 2009

Voice & Word Power: Paul Harvey - The Curtain Pulled Back

Posted on March 03, 2009

Washington Wimps Go to School; Obamas Stay Home: Sound Bites Have Anniversaries

Posted on March 02, 2009

Persuasive Messages: Advice from Confucius on communicating in troubled times

Posted on February 23, 2009
Given the uncertainty of the times, it would be good if more of our political and business leaders followed this advice from Confucius:If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said...

Persuasive Speaking: Sound Bite Rescue - moving your speech from obscurity to front page, a lesson from Eric Holder

Posted on February 19, 2009
In the previous post, I noted how the wrong sound bite can destroy your intended message. Here is a prime example of the sound bite saving the speech. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke to Justice Department employees as...

Persuasive Speaking: Sound Bite Suicide - killing your message with a powerful quote

Posted on February 19, 2009
"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done."So advised President Obama in meeting with Republicans at the White House in late January in an attempt to demonstrate a desire to work together in a bipartisan manner. Unfortunately,...

Media Training: John Edwards on Nightline - 8 Lessons for Responding to Scandal

Posted on August 14, 2008
Last week, after John Edwards admitted he had had an affair with Rielle Hunter, he gave Robert Woodruff of ABC's Nightline an exclusive interview. Edwards started strong and ended the first half well ahead. But in the second half, many...

Persuasive Presentations: PowerPoint Poison Antidote ? How to Avoid PPT Homicide

Posted on August 07, 2008
Here?s a fun and free eBook download - How to Commit Career Suicide While Inflicting Powerpoint Homocide. It features a 13-step guide to how NOT to give a business presentation. Bill Lane, Jack Welch?s speechwriter for over 20 years and...

Persuasive Messages 101 (and 201, 301...): The Key to Creating Messages that Grab the Listener's Attention & Get Results

Posted on August 05, 2008
What is the key to creating messages that grab - and keep - the audience's attention? Several techniques will get their attention. But one element is key in keeping their attention and getting the result you want. That key is...

Public Speaking & Political Debate: House Republicans Stage Protest, Obama & McCain Exchange Insults - A New Civility Low in Political Debate?

Posted on August 02, 2008
Yesterday Republicans in the the U.S. House of Representatives staged a protest on the House floor. They were angry that Speaker Pelosi would not bring a piece of legislation up for a vote. On the same day, both presidential candidates...

Speechwriting: Hard Work Now But It Used to Be Worse

Posted on July 30, 2008
Yesterday, Ragan.com posted an article by Michael Sebastian on What's with the age disparity among speechwriters? Why many are young, some are old, and few are in between tracks with what I've observed over 3 decades of being or working...

Media Interviews: Getting Off Message - 5 Reasons Interviewees Stray from the Message

Posted on July 24, 2008
If you are about to do an interview, or are coaching someone who is, keep in mind these situations that can cause you to go off message. Not having any messages. Hard to stay on message when you don't have...

Speechwriting: 3 Lessons for Crafting Memorable Speeches for Executives and Political Leaders from Winston Churchill

Posted on July 23, 2008
Still under the influence of last month's visit to Chartwell, I recently read Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning - Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister. John Lukacs' account of Churchill's May 13th 1940 address to the House...

Humor for Speeches & Presentations: How to Find Original Humor to Use in Your Next Speech

Posted on July 19, 2008
Using humor--the right humor--in a speech makes you more likable and helps you connect with the audience. But how do you find humor? My friend Terri Langhans suggests we need to be actively looking for it. Terri delivers high-content presentations...

Media Training: Why Jackson, Gramm & Other Experienced News Guests Screw Up-Part 2

Posted on July 16, 2008
In Part 1 we discussed the problem of you becoming your own worst enemy in an interview situation Here are the 5 conditions that can trigger the you-as-your-worst-enemy response. And what you can do to avoid or minimize the impact....

Media Training: Why Jackson, Gramm & Other Experienced News Guests Screw Up-Part 1

Posted on July 14, 2008
Why do experienced news guests screw up? Last week we saw two prime examples. Jesse Jackson expressed an intention to castrate Barack Obama (view previous post). Former Senator Phil Gramm, a top economic advisor to John McCain , told us...

Media Training: Jesse Jackson's Gaffe or No Matter How Experienced You Are, Ignore the Basics & You'll Get Caught

Posted on July 11, 2008
On behalf of myself and all media trainers, I want to thank the Reverend Jesse Jackson for demonstrating what can happen when one ignores a basic Media Training 101 principle: From the moment you step inside a studio, or the...

Impromptu Presentations: How to Think on Your Feet Using a Simple 4-Step Formula

Posted on June 27, 2008
"How can I learn to think on my feet?" That's one of the most frequently asked questions I get about public speaking. It's usually followed by, "I'm OK if I have time to prepare a presentation, but I'm petrified if...

Speeches: Words Do Matter - The Example of Winston Churchill

Posted on May 22, 2008
What is the value of the words you use? In the last post we debunked the oft-quoted figure that words only account for 7% of the message received by the listener. If that were the case, then the speaker was...

Public Speaking: Words, Voice, Body & the Oft Quoted Bogus Study

Posted on May 19, 2008
If you've ever had a public speaking course or read more than a book or two about public speaking, you've likely encountered the statement that 55% of the message you convey comes from your body language, 38% comes from your...

More on Ending Nervousness, Quotable Quotes and Churchill's Speaking...in a Moment

Posted on May 15, 2008
It's been so long since I last posted, even our dog, Daisy, noticed. Here she is in my study, pencil in mouth, signaling it's time for me to get back to work. What she won't acknowledge is that she is...

Sound Bites: Cancer Rocks!

Posted on March 26, 2008
Looking for a way to create a powerful sound bite? Combine two seemly contradictory words into a word pairing that grabs the reader's attention and jars the senses. That's what my friend, Roz Trieber, has done in naming her blog,...

Media Training: Clich�s Will Get You Quoted ? Part 1

Posted on March 20, 2008
A key benefit of media training is learning to be quotable. And one tried-and-true tool you can use is the much-maligned clich�. As Suzanne Fields wrote in a recent column: All we have to sustain us on the journey to...

Visuals & Whimsy-A Lesson from Whistler's Mother's Son & West Point

Posted on March 18, 2008
Here's a fun bit of trivia about American painter, James McNeill Whistler, perhaps best known for his painting commonly titled, "Whistler's Mother." As you will see, it has little to do with leadership communication, the focus of Speak to Lead....

Result-Driven Presentations: 3 Questions to Help You Define the Results You Want from Your Speech

Posted on March 10, 2008
Speak to get results. That's our goal for clients. I am adamant that you as a leader must know what result you want from your presentation. That's true whether you're delivering an inspiring speech or conducting a high-content workshop. As...

Media Training: Interview Mistakes to Avoid - Lessons from Obama Adviser's 'Off the Record' Comment

Posted on March 08, 2008
Obama adviser Samantha Power, a Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize winner, resigned from the campaign today and apologized for referring to Hillary Clinton as a monster during an interview with a Scottish newspaper. Where did Power go wrong, and how...

Issue Advocacy: Persuading Others Is Easier If You Define the Issue--Unless You Use the Wrong Definition

Posted on March 07, 2008
In advocating a position on an issue, you'll be more successful if you are able to define, or frame, the terms of debate. That's why getting out in front of the issue is critical. Better for you to get there...

Speakers as Myth Busters: Destroy Myth with Truth (And Beware of Creating the Myth by Joking with Reporters)

Posted on March 05, 2008
This has little to do with speaking, unless you are referencing Harry S (or is it S period?) Truman. In that case here is your chance to be a myth buster. I was taught that since the "S" was not...

Communicate Instructions Accurately: 2 Rules to Ensure Speaker & Listener Are "On the Same Page"

Posted on March 01, 2008
Ever wondered why people didn't understand your instructions? Ever been confused about what you were supposed to do when someone gave you instructions? Perhaps the overview was left out. Good rule when you're communicating directions, processes, procedures, instructions: Begin with...

Executive Speeches: 4 Warning Signs of Disaster and What to Do to Make Things Right BEFORE You Deliver the Speech

Posted on February 05, 2008
You?ve prepared your speech. How can you tell whether it'll be effective? Or, as is frequently my case, you've been asked to comment on someone else's speech draft. What should you look for? Here are four warning signs the speech...

Sound Bites on Viagra: 4 Ways to Arouse Interest in Your Message

Posted on January 24, 2008
A successful sound bite arouses interest in your message and extends the length of time it remains in the listener's memory. At its best, the sound bite is so tempting the reporter is compelled to find a place for it...

TV News' Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & the Death of Heath Ledger

Posted on January 22, 2008
TV News suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome. Today's coverage of Heath Ledger's death is a prime reminder. Shortly after 17:00 (aka 5:00 p.m.) ET, I switched on the TV to see what the U.S. financial markets had done in light...

Executive Speeches: How Long Should You Speak?-The Example of Hannibal Lecter

Posted on January 22, 2008
I'm often asked, "How long should a speech be?" The definitive answer is situation specific. For example, if you are scheduled to speak for 15 minutes immediately before a luncheon, you'd do well to keep your comments to 15 minutes...

Political Speeches: What Leaders Can Learn from the Victory Speeches of Obama (IA), McCain (NH) & Romney (MI)

Posted on January 19, 2008
The first three major events of the 2008 American Presidential Election--the Iowa Caucuses, and the New Hampshire and Michigan primaries--produced three Goldilocks victory speeches. Obama was "too hot." McCain was "too cold." Romney was "just right." Please note, I'm not...

Presidential Leaders Speak Silently: Romney-Clinton Silent Debate Provides Relief for Weary Listeners

Posted on December 17, 2007
After last month's CNN-YouTube debates (not to mention the recent--and excruciatingly boring--presidential debates in Iowa), a new debate format has arisen: the SILENT debate. No more three-minute answers to yes or no questions. No more long answers that start with...

Corporate Communication: It's Not What the Speaker Says, But What the Listener Hears that Counts

Posted on December 12, 2007
In corporate communication, indeed in all communication, it's not what the speaker or writer says that's the ultimate communication. It's how the listener or reader interprets what was said that counts. An obvious point, but one we need to remind...

Communication Is Top Leadership Trait Says Harvard Study But Other Rankings Questionable

Posted on December 01, 2007
The ability to communicate well is rated as one of the top traits Americans want to see in their president, according to the recently released "A National Study of Confidence in Leadership" conducted by the Center for Public Leadership (CPL)....

Media Interviews: Sometimes a Simple Question Deserves a Simple Answer

Posted on November 28, 2007
Question: Yes or No, most politicians are unable to answer simple questions with yes or no? During the recent Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, Barack Obama and John Edwards proved incapable of simple yes or no answers. Click here...

Memorable Quotes: One Key to Creating Quotes that Engage the Listener's Mind & Emotion

Posted on November 21, 2007
In an article titled, "Your Quotes Could Have Gas," Steve Crescenzo of Crescenzo Communications, divides quotes (and sound bites) into three categories: C.R.A.P., G.A.S., and P.A.R.C. Or--my translation--Boo, Yawn, Bravo! What's particularly interesting are the examples, one for each category,...

Political Sound Bites--What the Candidates Say & What We Hear

Posted on November 21, 2007
Regardless of what we say, the ultimate communication is what our listeners hear. This is a particular problem for political candidates when listeners aren't buying their spin. Walt Handelsman, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist for Newsday, lets us...

Lou Hampton-M.I.A.? Why No Posts in 6 Weeks-A Tale of Adventure, Recuperation & No Net Access

Posted on November 21, 2007
I'm back! Yes, Lou Hampton is ready to blog again. (I threw that third-person reference in for the sake of the search engines; the only internet references I've seen recently to Lou Hampton refer to a blues musician.) I know...

Sound Bites Chubby Checker Style: Another Twist to Creating Sound Bites & Brand Names

Posted on October 03, 2007
One way to create a sound bite, brand name, or tag line is to take an existing word or phrase and change part or all of some of the words. That's been on my mind today, because this is Chubby...

Media Training: Answering Hostile Questions-How to Stay in Control When the Interviewer Goes from Jekyll to Hyde

Posted on September 28, 2007
The interview has been going great when suddenly your interviewer changes from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde and zaps you with a nasty question. How do you avoid looking like a deer in the headlights? Here's a technique to help...

Marcel Marceau-Speaker Without Words: The Power of You As Your Best Visual

Posted on September 24, 2007
Marcel Marceau, who died on Saturday, was his own best visual. That's no surprise given that he was a mime. He is, however, an example of the power of the body in communicating. Twice I had the privilege of seeing...