So many people--business owners and executives, organization and community leaders, political candidates--could benefit from talking to the news media but don't. Others don't do it well. If you have a business, project or community cause, the news media can be the most efficient and cost-effective way to reach an audience. People don't do it because they don't have the skills, or they lack confidence. This book was written for them.

I was lucky enough to do some things at a relatively young age that garnered me media experience early on. Professionally, I began doing campaign management and political media relations, including being the primary spokesman for a statewide campaign in California. From there I became the Vice President for Media Relations at Deaver & Hannaford, a major public relations firm in Los Angeles, where I handled media for a wide variety of clients. Later, I served as Director of Public Affairs and media spokesman for the U. S. Department of Commerce, with its 14 separate and diverse agencies. Eventually, I started Waldmann & Company, specializing in speech and news media communications training. So I've both been on the firing line myself and also trained hundreds of individuals in how to communicate more effectively.

Yes, but only once. A reporter wrote a story that was based on bad information and didn't contact me for the facts. Reporters are human and if you're dealing with them day in and day out, you may eventually encounter one who's inexperienced or lazy. When the publication got the facts, they retracted the story. There are two key points here. "Six-Word Lessons on Winning With Today's Media" provides a lot of tips and strategies for reducing the odds of a negative story. And it's very foolish to forgo all the positive press opportunities on the unlikely chance that you might encounter a bad apple.

First, always be prepared with a positive message. Second, never, ever lie or tell half-truths. You don't have to tell everything you know, but if you mislead a reporter it will come back to haunt you.

I wanted the book to be clear and very concise. The six word limitation enforces a certain discipline and forced me to make every word count. You don't have to devote a lot of time to reading it,but it provides a wealth of information. You'll find the basic ground rules, good advice and insider tips---all you need to become an effective media spokesman.

So many people are afraid to speak in public. In fact, public speaking always ranks right up there with death, flying and paralysis in surveys of what people fear most. The common denominator is the fear of being out of control. With public speaking, there's the additional fear of looking foolish or inept. Yet, the ability to make a good speech or presentation is a very important professional and personal skill, whether you're doing a company PowerPoint presentation or making a toast at a wedding. It's a skill that can be learned and that's the purpose of "Six-Word Lessons for Compelling Speeches"--it gives you all the tips and techniques you need to become and accomplished speaker.

In my case , it was really a matter of learning by doing over many decades. I started doing public speaking while I was still in high school and continued to make a lot of speeches over the years to many different kinds of audiences. I've distilled all my experience into "Six-Word Lessons for Compelling Speeches" so that anybody can benefit from what I learned.

My students have included a quite varied spectrum of individuals from high government officials to corporate leaders, even a "Miss Washington" candidate! That's part of what made it fun. No matter who you are or why you're speaking, the skills you need are always the same and they're easy to learn. It's been very rewarding to see the big improvement and increased confidence levels in my students.