Master Media Engagement
September 13th, 2021
In the spring of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, Winnipeg-based epidemiologist Cynthia Carr began receiving many media calls. Although she had a lot of experience sharing her knowledge in public talks, she recognized that media interviews were an entirely different beast. Unable to wait for the next scheduled Informed Opinions’ workshop that would […]
read more...An epidemic of interview requests — and she’s still standing!
Diversity Belonging + Inclusion and Master Media Engagement
August 11th, 2021
Lori Campbell, newly appointed Associate Vice President, Indigenous Engagement, at the University of Regina has a long history of advocacy. A survivor of the infamous “Sixties Scoop”, she has used her voice to amplify issues affecting Indigenous peoples for many years, responding to media interview requests despite the challenges of doing so. We […]
read more...Giving media interviews through trauma — and giving back to community
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?
Master Media Engagement
January 13th, 2021
I often joke that I became president of MediaWatch (Informed Opinions’ predecessor) by going to the bathroom at the wrong time, and returning to discover I’d been elected president. The line reliably nets me a laugh and a lot of “been there” nods from audiences of women (because a lot of us have been volunteered […]
read more...So you have reservations about declaring yourself an expert…
Diversity Belonging + Inclusion and Master Media Engagement
November 4th, 2020
and Amy Ede. In the context of our collaboration to engage and support more Indigenous women and gender diverse people in being heard through the media, the two recently sat down (virtually) to discuss related ideas. SHARI: I’m embarrassed to admit that when we started Informed Opinions in 2010, I seriously under-estimated the obstacles to […]
read more...Why is it so crucial that we hear from Indigenous women?
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”
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…
