Six Ways Gov. Cuomo Aces His Daily Briefings—And What Leaders Can Learn From Him

by jane praeger

Late last month, I was padding around my kitchen when I first heard Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s voice wafting over my laptop. I gave up trying to multitask, plopped down at the table and found myself glued to the screen for his entire coronavirus briefing. Like millions of others that day, I became hooked.

For the past 25 years, I’ve been coaching leaders on how to become persuasive and compelling communicators. So when I come across an orator that stops me in my tracks, I need to understand why.

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HOW TO GO FROM AN EXCELLENT TO AN OUTSTANDING COMMUNICATOR

BY KELBY CLARK

Ovid Inc. founder Jane Praeger highlights the three key components in a powerful and persuasive communications strategy.

Words have power. In the workplace, employees—from the executives to the entry-level team members—often wonder how to tap into that power.

Jane Praeger, founder of strategic communications firm Ovid Inc. and faculty member at Columbia University, says “most of the people we work with are already excellent communicators,” however “they realize that to be truly entrepreneurial and to move their idea from concept to execution, they have to be outstanding communicators.”

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Should Women Show Their Rage?

by JANE PRAEGER

To the Editor:

Rebecca Traister makes the point that women’s rage is often “transformed into something more palatable” — like tears.

In my 25 years as a communications coach, I’ve found that “performance anxiety” or “stage fright” — the most common reason women seek coaching — is often rage turned inward.

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A CEO's Guide To Speaking Up In The Age of Trump

BY JANE PRAEGER

In Hollywood, a damning Tweet from President Trump often has a positive ripple effect. Just ask Meryl Streep.

In the business world? A 6AM Trump Tweet about your company could send your stock into a tailspin, prompt a product boycott, or pressure you to publicly comment on an issue prematurely.

Not surprisingly, companies everywhere are bracing for the worst. Consulting firms are flooded with crisis communications work from companies who fear they might be next. 

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THE TOP 5 WAYS YOU ARE KILLING YOUR NEW BUSINESS PITCH

BY HEATHER THOMAS

Most agencies can relate to this scenario: "We’ve got one week to prepare a pitch deck to win this business. Let’s just Frankenstein together some creds slides and case studies from the last three pitches."

I would know. I’ve been that new business executive, obsessing over which slides I needed to create from scratch, and which ones I could just copy and paste from last week’s pitch presentation.

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HOW TO GIVE A GREAT SPEECH

BY JACQUELYN SMITH

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Use anecdotes. “People would find speechwriting much easier if they realized that all they needed to do was find a key message and three great stories to support it,” says Jane Praeger, a Columbia University professor and the president of the speech presentation and coaching firm Ovid Inc. “Those kinds of speeches are also easier to deliver because they don’t have to be read.  If you’ve lived a story, you can tell it from memory and with genuine feeling.  And stories stick in people’s minds.  When you tell people a story, it arouses their emotions and releases dopamine in their brains, which makes that content sticky.  In other words, if you make people feel what you are talking about, they won’t forget it.”

WHY PUBLIC SPEAKING SCARES YOU AND HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR FEAR

BY SUSAN ADAMS

For Jane Praeger, a New York City media and presentation coach, helping people overcome those fears is a critical part of her coaching.  Praeger (full disclosure: a friend of mine) coaches corporate, non-profit and academic clients to make presentations on camera and in front of groups. She teaches in  Columbia University’s graduate program in strategic communications, runs group trainings and she also does a lot of work one-on-one, with people who are paralyzed by their fear of public speaking.

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THE POWER OF STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS

BY JOAN DOWLING

As you’ve all probably noticed, the use of stories and storytelling is emerging as a powerful communications tool and becoming integral to how communicators define their content marketing approach. While we’ve all seen or experienced the use of a dramatic story in a television commercial or customer testimonial, many businesses are finding that stories offer a new and relevant way to connect with audiences in other forums beyond advertising. Businesses now use storytelling in presentations, meetings and as a way to present research or motivate employees.  

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EVERY BUSINESS HAS A STORY TO TELL

BY JOANNA L. KROTZ

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And make no mistake. It’s feelings that seal a deal. “Decision-making is an emotionally driven process,” says New York communications coach Jane Praeger, who runs Ovid Inc. and teaches “strategic storytelling” to business students at Columbia University. “When people make a business decision, they start with emotions, and then post-rationalize the decision with facts.” She cites the work of neuroscientist Antonio Damasio to prove the point.

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