Santa Troubled By Epidemic of Fake News

By Santa's Little Helper

Because he covers the globe in a single night delivering toys to children, Santa Claus knows it’s important to stay on top of the news. But he says much of what he’s seeing these days is more naughty than nice.

“What’s the deal with all this fake news?” said Claus. “It’s getting to the point where you don’t know what’s real and what’s not real anymore."

In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Oratorio via Skype from the North Pole, Claus zeroed in on a troubling trend: the proliferation of Web sites and other social media platforms that purport to deliver truthful information that is, in fact, baloney. 

“I checked Facebook this morning and there was some article on there about climate change being a hoax. Listen, I’ve seen every inch of this planet, and I’ll tell you, we’re warming up, people!”

Claus says the best thing we all can do this holiday season is treat what we see online with a healthy dose of skepticism. Don’t rely on a single source of information. Read widely. As they say in journalism school, don’t just assume it’s true - check it out.

“I saw somebody on CNN saying there’s no such thing as facts anymore. Oh really? Here’s a fact for you right here! I’m Santa Claus! I’m coming down your chimney, and I’m expecting cookies and milk!"

With that, our conversation with Claus abruptly ended - he said his Internet connection isn’t so great at The North Pole, and the cable guy who was supposed to show up between 8 and 11 yesterday still hasn’t.

Not Forgotten

By Susan Tomai, Founder

I had the good fortune last week to attend a book reading at the new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington for Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War by Linda Hervieux. 

Hervieux’s book chronicles the experiences of The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the all-black group of fighting men who landed at Normandy Beach on D-Day. Hervieux is an excellent speaker and storyteller; we sat in The Oprah Winfrey Theater hanging on her every word about the men’s experiences in battle and back home. Hervieux introduced us to their families and told their personal stories – some that their family members didn’t even know, because many vets returned home and kept their stories to themselves. I won’t forget the 82-year-old man who talked about how he and his five brothers joined the military to get off the family farm in Indiana for a better life.  Or the retired female African American officer who, after serving 25 years as a pilot, thanked the families of the men who paved the way and enabled her to be in the military.

Then the audience question-and-answer period came, and unfortunately, many of the questions weren’t audible. But I was impressed by the way Hervieux handled the situation;  she offered a synopsis of each question to the audience before launching into her honest and spirited responses.  This is a great tip for all speakers – if there’s any doubt that the audience is hearing the question, repeat it.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture isn’t easy to get into at the moment – many days are sold out months in advance.  So I’m very glad I was able to experience this beautiful new addition to America’s cultural landscape, and to hear stories every American needs to hear.

Living in Virtual Reality

By Susan Tomai, Founder

On a recent Sunday morning, The New York Times arrived at our house in Northern Virginia - yes we still get an actual newspaper - and this old-fashioned form of communication came with a pair of Chevron-branded virtual reality goggles.  What fun.  

My son and I assembled the goggles, downloaded the accompanying VR video from YouTube and took a virtual trip to Chevron’s Jack/St. Malo drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico about 280 miles south of New Orleans.  At the start of the video, I felt as if I was really on the helicopter as it landed on the rig. Then I “walked” all over the facility, getting an intimate and realistic feel for the mini-city in the middle of the Gulf that houses 180 workers and pumps thousands of barrels of oil every day.

What great marketing for both the Times and Chevron. At a time when print is tying to stay relevant, the paper is making an effort to align itself with virtual technology. Same goes for Chevron – it offered an enjoyable entertainment experience that showed the company is keeping up with the times.

It’s The Answer, Not The Question

By Susan Tomai, Founder

Henry Kissinger once opened up a White House news conference by saying “Does anyone have any questions for my answers?” He might have been half-joking, but he had a point.

In every media training session Oratorio conducts, we teach that it not about the question, it is about your answers.  If you don’t like the question, find a way to credibly move on to one of your pre-established messages.  If you don’t like the question, don’t tell the reporter that it is the wrong question; instead, go positive and say “a question I am frequently asked is” and deliver a question that leads to one of your messages. The objective is to make the interview a win-win for both you and the reporter.

I Don’t Like It

By Susan Tomai, Founder

 

Why do so many people in business these days sound like my 16-year-old daughter’s friends? You know what I’m talking about:

“So like, we really need to increase our numbers this quarter, because, like, if we don’t, we’ll like really fall behind the competition.”

Arggggh!

Please make it stop. I am so sick of hearing the work “like” used as every other word in a person’s sentence.

Sometimes when this happens, I don’t even listen to what the person is trying to say. I’m too busy counting the number of “likes.”

Conversational habits are hard to break, but if you suspect that you’re guilty of “liking” too much, try dropping the “likes” and working on using pauses instead. For example:

“So - (pause) - we really need to increase our numbers this quarter.  (Pause) If we don’t, we’ll really fall behind the competition.”

Don’t be afraid of brief silences when speaking. The best public speakers take their time. Don’t rush, don’t use “filler” words, and pause for emphasis. You’ll sound more authoritative.