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Our Services
Click the title for more information.
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Media Training
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"The cautious seldom err"
Confucius 551-479 B.C. |
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Nancy Mathis, President of First Take Communications, believes that to be successful in today's rough and tumble media environment, you must rely on techniques and tactics that have been battlefield tested. Because she has been both a television reporter and a communications director, Nancy speaks with a credibility and authority that few others can claim. She has firsthand knowledge of how news is made, and what reporters need and want.
Nancy has developed a two-pronged strategy for media training. First, she works extensively with her clients to develop cogent, consistent messages around their specific issues that are appropriate for media interviews. Second, her clients are taught how to effectively deliver those messages in television, radio and print interviews. Videotaped interview sessions give clients the opportunity to practice delivering their messages in every media environment, including "live" television. First Take Communications' clients also learn about proper posture, dress, and cosmetics.
First Take clients leave Nancy's media training sessions well prepared for any kind of interview, even the toughest encounters with "ambush journalism".
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Presentation Training
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"Speech finely framed delighteth the ears."
15:39 The Second Book of Maccabees |
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Few of us approach the prospect of public speaking without some trepidation. In fact, a study done a few years ago found that top business executives list public speaking as one of their greatest fears - right behind dying and having their businesses fail.
Nancy Mathis knows from first-hand experience that good public speaking skills can be learned. She and her associates at First Take Communications give clients the tools needed to both craft a good speech and utilize the "tricks of the trade" needed to deliver it well.
A professional emcee and moderator, Nancy examines with clients the basics of how to structure and write an effective speech. Clients are then given extensive instruction in proper delivery techniques. Nancy and her associates address pacing, pitch, proper hand gestures, and techniques for overcoming anxiety and nerves that can adversely affect performance.
Extensive videotaped practice sessions further help clients learn to calm their fears and communicate effectively with an audience of any size.
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Message Development
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"Obviously, a man's judgment cannot be better than
the information on which he has based it."
Arthur Hays Sulzberger, Publisher "New York Times" |
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As an Emmy award-winning journalist, Nancy Mathis is adept at taking complex issues and distilling them into a form that is accurate and readily understood by any audience. First Take Communications' clients find that the messages that they develop with Nancy and her associates have a wide range of applications which include media interviews, speeches, congressional testimony, analysts presentations, and sales campaigns.
Whether working to advocate a policy or issue, or promote a product or company, clients can depend on First Take Communications to help them structure messages and create soundbites that will accomplish their communication goals.
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Moderator Services
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"To stir men's blood: I only speak right on."
William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar |
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First Take Communications President, Nancy Mathis, is a professional moderator and emcee who provides authority and polished sophistication to press conferences, teleconferences, webcasts, debates and important meetings.
An Emmy-award winning television anchor and reporter, Nancy has more than 20 years of experience in front of a camera and on stage. Clients appreciate her ability to master their subject matter, direct the discussion around a specific topic, keep their event entertaining and on schedule, and most of all, handle the inevitable snafus associated with "live" events. Television viewers may recognize Nancy as the long-time host of The Learning Channel's Satellite Town Meeting - a live television show on education issues that features the U.S. Secretary of Education, a panel of experts, a studio audience, and call-in questions from viewers across America.
Nancy hosts teleconferences on a wide variety of issues and is frequently contracted to emcee important press conferences and large events featuring President George W. Bush, former Vice President Gore, several members of President Clinton's Cabinet including Attorney General Janet Reno, Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala as well as leaders in the private sector such as the Bill Ford, CEO of Ford Motor Company.
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Sales Training
| "Everyone lives by selling something."
Robert Louis Stevenson
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You know that you have a great product or service. But how do you break through to those customers and clients who are too busy, too distracted, or too confused by the competition to hear what your sales force is saying?
First Take Communications works with your company to develop messages that can cut through the roadblocks set by hard-to-reach clients and tough competitors. We then train your sales force to effectively deliver those messages at every sales opportunity -- from brief phone conversations to extensive sales presentations. We also teach strategies for dealing with clients who have had issues with your company or who are not inclined initially to buy your product or service.
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Congressional Testimony
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"The slightest remark in either House of Congress
is known all over the world the following day."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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Testifying before Congress can be one of the most daunting challenges facing an individual, a company, and an organization. The stakes are extraordinarily high; reputations can be won or lost in a matter of minutes. It is imperative, therefore, that witnesses fully prepare for any and every scenario. Testimony must be clear, concise and compelling. Witnesses must prepare to both effectively deliver the remarks and field questions from Members of Congress and the media.
First Take Communications helps clients understand what to expect on Capitol Hill, how to successfully communicate their messages in a unique environment, and how to effectively manage media inquiries made in connection with an appearance before Congress.
As Communications Director for a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee, Nancy Mathis knows from direct experience what it takes to succeed in a congressional hearing. She has assisted dozens of witnesses in preparing for hearings. She has also briefed Members of Congress as they developed questions for witnesses. Additionally, as a seasoned journalist, Nancy is well-versed in the rules of engagement with the media after a witness has concluded his or her testimony.
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