093. Communicating In A Crisis with Jane Hanson

💭 How do you get your message across in less than 8 seconds - the average attention span of the modern world?

A nine-time Emmy award-winning journalist and news anchor, Jane Hanson worked for NBC for 30 years prior to becoming a communications coach. She was the host of New York live, an anchor and reporter for NBC, including at the launch of what is now known as Today in New York, and had her own programs such as Jane's New York. 

For the past 30 years, she has helped leaders and people communicate with confidence, whether in an immediate situation, facing down a camera and having the confidence to be on video and to improve their presentation skills. 

In this episode, Jane talks about how she left her hometown of Canby, Minnesota, a city with no stoplights, for the bright lights of New York City, where she discovered the world of broadcast journalism. She shares that journalists are the conduit between a story and its viewer, as she defines the news as “when something extraordinary happens to somebody ordinary”. It is their responsibility to convey the truth in a way that the audience would understand. 

With media going beyond just print, radio and television, there is a need for top executives to undergo crisis communication and media training in handling possible questions which need their voice, so that they could communicate with transparency, authenticity and empathy for those impacted by the situation. This could be observed in one’s body language, tone of voice, eye contact and choice of words, among others. 

At the end of the day, journalists are not just out looking for bad news, but are out to look for stories worth telling. With the advent of multiple platforms and a mere 8-second attention span to catch, communication needs to be brief, highly engaging, and emotive. To use Maya Angela’s quote, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

🎧 Download this episode to discover how you can effectively communicate with confidence to your audience.

🌐 Connect with Jane:

• Website: janehanson.com
• Email:

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