Could any of us do this as well as C.J. Craig?
Last night was a sad night for fans of "The West Wing". The last show of the series aired. I won't give away the plot, since many people may still have it on their TiVo.
But, while I was reminiscing about the show today with a fellow communications professional, I was reminded that when C.J. was press secretary I used to marvel at how facile she was handling the questions fired at her all day long. And then, I would remember, she had a script!
But, it brings to mind the great challenge that we all have today -- in this world of 24/7 dialog. I am sure there are a lot of people with a lot of opinions. But here are a few of mine:
-Try to keep in mind what your core message is. It can be tough, but it's good discipline;
-Listen;
-Try to focus on substance. Not fluff or hype;
-Don't be afraid to say "I don't know";
-Start with the truth.
Those guidelines may be pretty basic, but it turns out they are quite hard to follow.
I don't really remember if C.J. followed these guidelines. But I seem to think she did!
But, while I was reminiscing about the show today with a fellow communications professional, I was reminded that when C.J. was press secretary I used to marvel at how facile she was handling the questions fired at her all day long. And then, I would remember, she had a script!
But, it brings to mind the great challenge that we all have today -- in this world of 24/7 dialog. I am sure there are a lot of people with a lot of opinions. But here are a few of mine:
-Try to keep in mind what your core message is. It can be tough, but it's good discipline;
-Listen;
-Try to focus on substance. Not fluff or hype;
-Don't be afraid to say "I don't know";
-Start with the truth.
Those guidelines may be pretty basic, but it turns out they are quite hard to follow.
I don't really remember if C.J. followed these guidelines. But I seem to think she did!
posted by Abigail Johnson at 5:11 PM
1 Comments:
Yes, C.J. was an ardent speaker of truth to power. Sometimes it even worked. I totally forgot to watch Sunday's farewell, so I suppose I'll have to wait for the season on DVD. *sigh* I'm plugging it into my Netflix queue as soon as I can.
I like your blog and the Roeder-Johnson website. You're going into my RSS reader.
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