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Claire Doole is a former BBC correspondent and international spokeswoman who is passionate about helping people communicate with confidence. Since 2006, she has successfully trained hundreds of professionals in the art of presenting and public speaking, talking to the media, managing communications in a crisis, and writing for the web. In addition, she has coached C-level executives and public figures to give powerful TEDx and TED style talks in Europe and the Middle East. A Swiss and UK national, Claire trains and coaches in French and English.

Claire is also a highly experienced moderator having facilitated panel discussions with government ministers, NGO activists, humanitarians and human rights specialists at major events.

www.doolecommunications.com

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How to give a talk that engages the audience

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By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

“We are a new women’s networking group in Geneva and would love you to talk for 40 minutes about your career in communications”, says Valentine Honoré, the founder of the Curiosity Club.
My first reaction was, do I really want to talk about myself?
The second, was do I have anything to say?
And my third, 40 minutes is far too long. 
You would think I would jump at the chance of talking to this group of women. But I have spent most of my professional life not talking about myself. I have always been most comfortable when asking questions as a journalist, or conference moderator, speaking on behalf of an organization or training people to speak in public or to the media!
 
Although the invite was out of my comfort zone, I thought it would be good to put myself in the shoes of the clients I train and coach in public speaking. They often tell me that they are also uncomfortable talking about themselves even though they know that personal stories help people connect. 
 
Below are some tips and techniques on how I went about telling my story. 
 

What makes a great interviewer?

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By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

Did you watch Emily Maitlis’s interview with Prince Andrew about his relationship with the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein? If not, did you see the wonderful film that has just come out – Scoop – about that interview? 
 
Emily excels as an interviewer. She enters each conversation well prepared, focused and with a clear idea of how she wants to steer the conversation. Her strength also lies in her ability to listen to deepen her understanding and ask probing follow-up questions. This blend of preparation and flexibility is one of the reasons her interviews are so compelling. 
 
You may not get to interview a member of the British royal family – few get that opportunity. However, her approach and techniques are worth observing, if you are asked to conduct an on-camera interview for your organization or company.
 
Over the past few months, I have trained a number of people on how to interview their CEOs, members of senior management teams or technical experts for videos to be posted on the company intranet, website or social media platforms. 
 

Tips from a Masterful Media Communicator

Tips from a Masterful Media Communicator
 
By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com
 
People often ask me who excels at talking to the media. My answer is Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of UNRWA – the UN Palestinian Relief Agency that employs 13,000 people in the Gaza Strip, and runs schools and social services. 
 
Lazzarini has one of the most challenging jobs in the world, made even more difficult since the events of October 7th. Currently, he is  banned by Israel from visiting Gaza, and his agency is not allowed to deliver much-needed food to the North of the strip where famine looms. Israel has also accused a dozen UNRWA staff of involvement in the Hamas attacks on Israel – allegations that remain unsubstantiated. 189 of his staff have so far lost their lives in the conflict.
 
Yet he remains cool, calm and collected when questioned by the media about those allegations, the effectiveness of the relief operations or the plight of the Palestinians. 
 
I have analyzed some of the interviews he has done with major international broadcasters, Al Jazeera, Sky News and BBC, over the past six months, with a view to illustrating some of the techniques he uses that make him such an excellent interviewee. 
 

Keeping the show on the road

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By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

One of the key roles of a conference moderator is making sure that everything goes smoothly. Whatever happens, the show must go on, and the only person who can ensure this is the moderator who has the microphone.
 
Nothing as dramatic has happened to me as the famous incident back in the 1980’s when BBC newsreader Sue Lawley carried on reading the news when activists stormed the studio – one handcuffing herself to a camera and the other crouching below the newsreader's desk!
 
However, here are a few conference shockers that I had to deal with and ensure the show went on… 
 
The rollercoaster of technical chaos: At one event, we were eagerly awaiting the keynote speaker's wisdom, only to be met with the dreaded "failed to connect" message not once, not twice, but three times on day one. The organisers refused to ask her to pre-record her remarks for day two and, predictably, day two didn't fare any better! Again, we twice tried to connect, but our speaker remained elusive, leaving us hanging without a single word of her anticipated keynote.
 
But wait, there's more! As we attempted to patch in speakers from every corner of the globe, it seemed like the universe conspired against us. Five consecutive no-shows! It was like a virtual game of hide-and-seek, and we were losing spectacularly.

Event Organisers, Heed Your Moderator's Counsel

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By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

Someone asked me this week to explain the role of a panel moderator.

I replied that it was to facilitate an insightful discussion for the audience. Remember them? The most neglected part of an event except when organisers panic the room might not be full.

Unfortunately, engaging debates are sometimes very difficult to achieve when you are brought in at the last moment and the panelists have already been selected by the organisers for political or PR reasons. It is like trying to bake a great cake with the wrong ingredients.

Drawing on decades of experience and a lot of patience, I usually manage after speaking individually to each panelist to construct a flow and exchange between the panelists, that is engaging and insightful. Of course, the discussion is compromised in terms of depth as I have to loop in people who either don’t want to address the theme of the panel or don’t have the knowledge to do so.

There seems to be a view by some organisations - the more panelists the merrier, as this shows how well-connected and influential, they are. However, this leads to frustration all around – from the panelists themselves, who have less time to get their points across, from the moderator who has to keep the discussion at a relatively high level and the audience, who most probably have learned nothing they don’t already know.

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  3. Is Chat GPT Valuable for Public Relations Professionals?
  4. The Unexpected Panel 
  5. What makes a great Master of Ceremonies?
  6. SEE, STOP, SAY: How to deliver a speech that captivates
  7. When do you cancel a panel discussion?
  8. Speechwriting - How to capture your speaker's voice
  9. Know Your Audience – the Key to Successful Speeches and Presentations
  10. 10 top tips for nailing that job interview
  11. The forgotten panel participant - the audience
  12. Lessons from the pandemic on how to communicate science
  13. Media Training: How to Answer the Personal Question
  14. Wolfgang – the master storyteller
  15. Demystifying the art of storytelling
  16. Has there been an event reset since COVID?
  17. Setting up and running hybrid meetings
  18. Advice from a moderator on how to select your panel speakers
  19. Press briefings in the virtual world
  20. How to professionally produce a virtual event
  21. Hybrid events the new normal in 2021
  22. Moderating in the virtual world - Tips and techniques from a professional moderator
  23. Engaging Presenting in the virtual world
  24. Successful virtual events are good television
  25. Facilitating engaging meetings in the virtual world
  26. The power of virtual learning particularly in a pandemic
  27. 10 Tips for Moderating Dynamic Virtual Meetings
  28. Unprecedented pandemic press conference from pharma industry
  29. Storytelling is an essential professional skill
  30. Creating a STAR panel discussion
  31. An end to "Manels" and "Manferences" - a Moderator's View
  32. Helena Rubenstein - Opportunity missed to tell the story of a great woman
  33. How to make your point the right way
  34. How to succeed at a video job interview
  35. Storytelling to further your career
  36. A job interview is a presentation
  37. Avoiding Oscar Night Gaffes
  38. Is Davos the gold standard of panel discussions?
  39. You Too Can Be A Powerful (TEDx) Public Speaker
  40. What Makes a Powerful TED Talk?
  41. Building Rapport for Effective Communication
  42. Handling Question and Answer Sessions
  43. How to construct a memorable speech
  44. Motivational speeches: Take a lesson from football
  45. 6 top tips for an engaging panel discussion
  46. How to craft a memorable sound bite
  47. Saving Swiss Public Service Broadcasting: Tips on structuring a persuasive speech
  48. Moderating with a Cartoonist
  49. Technology can transform your conference
  50. Moderator, Facilitator and Master of Ceremonies: What is the Difference?
  51. Lessons from a Master Coach: What I learnt about public speaking from a musical maestro
  52. "Answer, don't avoid the question Prime Minister"
  53. The Local Media: Friend or Foe? How to constructively engage with local journalists
  54. How to moderate a hot topic
  55. How to sound natural when reading a speech
  56. The inaugural speech of Donald Trump: How persuasive was it?
  57. Moderating with Macron