Diversity Belonging + Inclusion
February 10th, 2021
Do you think journalists should be compelled to quote women as often as they quote men? The proposition sounded a bit radical, even to me, back in 2014 when Edelman CEO Lisa Kimmel invited me to defend it in a public debate. Seven years on, it’s no longer a radical idea. Journalists and newsrooms across […]
read more...Should journalists quote women as often as men?
Effective Communication and Master Media Engagement
September 9th, 2020
Can you spot the strategic communications error in this Calgary park signage? (And do you know why it’s relevant for your next media interview?) I’m not talking about the graffiti’d objection to the ownership of wild bunnies and birds signalled by the possessive “our” — although I agree with the correction. No, I’m referring to […]
read more...Replace negative phrasing with positive imagery for more effective media interviews
Master Media Engagement
August 25th, 2020
The prospect of being interviewed on live radio or television makes many participants in our workshops nervous. But none of them have had to negotiate the kind of high-wire crossing in real time performed by our newly appointed Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland. And she has, time and again, demonstrated her qualifications as — in radio […]
read more...10 Lessons from listening to Chrystia Freeland, a seriously “good talker”
Improve your Writing
July 7th, 2020
Don’t stop me, even if you have heard this one before: It’s 1992. I’ve just joined the board of MediaWatch, Informed Opinions’ predecessor. A TV reporter calls to say the Miss Canada pageant has just been cancelled and he needs someone who is not a beauty contestant to come on TV to talk about it. […]
read more...My first op ed… on the Miss Canada beauty pageant
Master Media Engagement
June 2nd, 2020
Let’s say you’re a beleaguered advocate who is part of a national network of women’s shelters that constitute the thin and vulnerable line between daily brutality often leading to death, and escape to safety. No day, or week, or month are ever going to give you enough hours to do the job necessary. Now let’s […]
read more...You Don’t Have to be Quoted to Wield Influence
Master Media Engagement
October 17th, 2019
Good news: we have some strategies to help you get there. But first, some context. For three years in the mid-1980s, I worked for the world’s largest PR agency. My job consisted of getting client spokespeople on TV, on radio and in the newspaper. Before social media democratized people’s ability to get attention, big corporations […]
read more...So, you want to be on television…
Master Media Engagement
November 13th, 2018
Prolific author, volunteer advocate on mental health issues, mother of four — notwithstanding the demands on Ann Douglas’ time implied by all of those roles, she also regularly makes time to engage with media. In the course of promoting her best-selling parenting books, she’s done many hundreds of print, broadcast and online interviews. And she’s […]
read more...Interview tips from best-selling author and media interview veteran Ann Douglas
Master Media Engagement
February 4th, 2016
I’m sitting in a restaurant with my friend Frances. (Note that this blog post was originally published pre-pandemic.) A longtime print journalist and frequent guest on radio public affairs shows, she is knowledgeable, articulate and funny – in both of Canada’s official languages. At the moment, however, she’s on the verge of turning down an interview […]
read more...Are you uncomfortable calling yourself an expert?
Master Media Engagement
January 25th, 2016
Want to know what journalists think? Ask them. That’s what we did last fall by hosting a series of roundtable luncheons in cities right across the country. Our goal was simple: to pick their brains about ExpertWomen.ca, the new, improved and expanded database we’re starting to build. We’re now incorporating their valuable ideas and insights […]
read more...7 Things Journalists Want Women To Know