In the News
Pajamas, Dangling Cords, and Other No-No’s for Virtual Candidates
“For candidates up and down the ballot, reaching voters requires a vibrant online presence. It shouldn’t be overly produced, nor does it need to be perfect. But it should reflect who you are and why you’re ready to serve. I’ve been coaching women candidates for twenty years and here are my six top points on […]
What Do We Hear When Women Speak?
“Women come into training sessions more aware of what they need to work on because they have been dealing with the tone police all of their lives,” said Christine Jahnke, a speech coach who has worked with a number of Democratic politicians. Keep reading here. Photo credit: CSPAN, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Writing the New Playbook for Political Women
Activists invigorated by the Women’s March and the #MeToo movement are expanding the definition of what it means to be a female political leader. Meet one woman who’s coaching them along the way. Guest: Chris Jahnke, speech coach to women working in politics. Go to podcast.
![Writing the New Playbook for Political Women [Podcast Episode]](http://wellspokenwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WaPo-June2019-Elizabeth-Warren.jpg)
Writing the New Playbook for Political Women [Podcast Episode]
Stand up straight. Keep your hands still. Talk about accomplishments, not goals.
How can the women on the debate stage stand out?
“These six women onstage are evidence of tremendous progress on the Democratic side of the aisle. Someone such as myself who’s been doing this for so long, we’ve been building the bench for over 20 years, and we have it now. We actually have a bench.” Keep reading here. Photo Credit: Bruce Tuten from Savannah, Georgia, […]
Want to get noticed as a female candidate on the Democratic debate stage? Interrupt a man.
“If I was coaching any of the six women, I would be thinking strategically about how these women can assert themselves very proactively, but forcefully. I think that’s going to be key, how to draw attention to yourself in a crowded field of 10, but really 20, candidates and be assertive.” Keep reading here. Photo Credit: […]
How to Get Your Message Across at the Women’s March
A wave of women’s voices will once again power the resistance and drive social change at the third annual Women’s Marches around the world this weekend. For the speakers taking to the stage to make themselves heard, standing before a gigantic crowd can be a simultaneously exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience. I’ve been backstage coaching women leaders […]
Is she likable enough? We’re still asking that?
It came as no surprise to Christine Jahnke that the chattering classes would instantly cast doubt on whether Elizabeth Warren is “likable enough” to be elected president in 2020. What was new to Jahnke, a D.C.-based speech coach who trains female politicians, was the backlash: a collective howl raised by voters and political analysts who […]
Election Night Protocol: Win or Lose, Signal Why You Care
The turmoil of the midterms will reach a fever pitch on election night as people anxiously watch the returns.
Women Candidates Rewrite the Political Playbook
The impact of record numbers of women candidates has already been felt this election cycle. The #MeToo movement and anger about the outcome of the 2016 presidential contest has driven women to break free from some of the conventions that have constrained them in the past.
Four Ways Certainty, Conviction and Anger Can Power Your Voice
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was subjected to the same double-standards Anita Hill dealt with in eerily similar circumstance: both were expected to be pleasing while their abusers felt free to let their anger fly. Women who speak truth to power often face intense scrutiny and pressure to conform to expectations. Yet, knowing full well what they would […]
For Female Political Candidates, Sometimes the Biggest Threat Isn’t Losing an Election
Christine Jahnke, a political communication expert who has advised former First Lady Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, has seen some head-spinning stuff while working with Democrats and progressive groups. The author of The Well-Spoken Woman, Jahnke recalls an incident in Indiana, where a candidate she advised arrived to campaign at a veterans’ hall and “some old guy […]
Forget Suits. Show the Tattoo. Female Candidates Are Breaking the Rules.
“These different women who are running, and the way they’re running, is going to change politics forever,” said Christine K. Jahnke, a longtime consultant to Democratic women. “They’re rewriting the playbook. But we don’t know exactly what the new playbook will look like.” Read the full story here. See Chris’ New York Times Quotation of the Day […]
New York Times: Quotation of the Day
“These different women who are running, and the way they’re running, is going to change politics forever,” said Christine K. Jahnke, a longtime consultant to Democratic women. “They’re rewriting the playbook. But we don’t know exactly what the new playbook will look like.” See the quotation of the day here.
It’s 2018, and Female Candidates Are Tweeting About Lipstick. Is This Progress?
So it’s remarkable that here we are eight years later, and there’s a candidate—a young progressive candidate, no less—who’s not only fielding questions about her appearance but doing so voluntarily, with the enthusiasm of a genuine beauty junkie. “I’ve never seen anything like it before,” says Chris Jahnke, a Washington, D.C.-based speech coach who was […]
Public Speaking Advice for Handling BS on the Campaign Trail
In GenderWatch, Chris Jahnke writes, “Too many campaigns hold back – ignoring derogatory comments because they don’t view them as damaging. Or, candidates are advised to bite their tongue lest they sound whiny, petty and create a backlash. In a post-2016 election world, this guidance is outdated. It’s time for campaigns to pull on their […]
Tell Your Personal Story to Let Voters Know Who You Are
Telling your personal story is a powerful tool to let voters know who you are. Learn a few tips from our team on how best to tell it! Tune in to Emily’s List on Facebook here.
Oprah – Other Worldly Source of Inspiration: What Every Woman Candidate Can Learn from Her Magnus Opus
In GenderWatch, Chris Jahnke writes, “In today’s blockbuster release of A Wrinkle in Time, Oprah Winfrey plays Mrs. Which – an out-of-this world being who inspires a young girl to “Be a warrior.” Real-world Oprah doesn’t need to appear as a shimmering light to lead us out of the darkness here on Earth.” Read the full article here. […]
The Well-Spoken Women of 2017
Looking for inspiration? These women will bring you to your feet. From the U.S. Capitol to statehouses nationwide. From Alabama to Virginia. From jammed phone lines to packed town halls. From Hollywood to television studios. Silence breakers, candidates, organizers, and activists are giving voice to the resistance. Let’s celebrate the stirring words of strong women driving change. […]
How to Run Against an Old, White Conservative
Campaign Tips from a Speech Coach The surefire way to bring the crowd to its feet at the Women’s Convention in Detroit was to announce you are running for office. “Hell ‘yeah!” was the response at the three-day organizing event as love was showered on the aspiring candidates. It was a wind beneath candidates’ wings needed […]
The Well-Spoken Women of 2016
Looking for inspiration? These women will bring you to your feet. Hillary Clinton – The First Post-Election Day, thousands of women say they have been inspired to run for office. Watch the first but not last woman candidate accept a major party presidential nomination. Michelle Obama – Not Your Typical Political Speech […]
Prepping Scientists to Run for Office in Response to Trump
The Trump administration’s attempts to suppress research on science from climate change to vaccines has become a call to action for many usually apolitical scientists. And one grassroots activists organization, 314 Action, is trying to get them elected to public office. Well Spoken Woman’s Chris Jahnke spoke to Vice News Tonight on HBO about running for office […]
Being Heard: How to Hold the Floor
Tips for Lawyers & Anyone Who Contends with Mansplainers and Conversation Hogs In Medium, Chris Jahnke writes, “As a speech coach whose passion is helping women speak out I’m often asked: how can I do a better job of holding the floor? The question comes from women who want to throw out ideas in meetings […]
Do Women Have to Talk Like Men to Be Taken Seriously? And Should They?
This female vocal coach teaches women how to talk without being called angry or shrill. The balloons hadn’t even begun to drop after Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention this summer when pundits started scoring the way she sounded. There was Brit Hume of Fox News complaining about Clinton’s “not-so-attractive voice” and saying, […]
First Lady’s Convention Speech Is A Case Study In Excellence
In Philadelphia, First Lady Michelle Obama gave one of the most successful political convention speeches in history. The First Lady’s speech is a case study in how to present your authentic self. Her stirring words were matched by her poised performance. Watch and learn: Photo Credit: Photo by George Milton from Pexels
Huma Abedin On Her Job, Family, and the Campaign of a Lifetime
“The summary of how it feels is like every day you’re drinking from a fire hose,” Abedin explains one evening, about the constant onslaught of her job. Wearing a pink-and-navy print dress, she is sitting in her light-filled corner office in Clinton’s downtown Brooklyn headquarters. One wall is covered with framed photos of the candidate. […]
How Not To Bomb Your Convention Speech
The stage of a national political convention is the Olympics of political oratory. You are standing on a podium before a national audience, in front of hundreds of the partisans who can help make or break your career. The audience is there for the singular purpose of rallying together to elect the next leader of […]
Memo to Women Candidates Part III: Lessons from the Presidential Primary Debates
History was made on the primary debate stage as women from both major parties stood shoulder to shoulder with the men. From the onset, Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina each faced a unique set of challenges as well as a common obstacle. Two different candidates exposed the trials and triumphs of campaigning while female.
WNYC: The scrutiny that comes with being a female candidate
Speech and debate coach Chris Jahnke has advised a number of female candidates and leaders, including New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan and First Lady Michelle Obama. She discusses the gender dynamics at work in last night’s debate, and the particular ways in which women are expected to behave on stage while debating men. Listen to the full radio […]
WNYC: Hillary and Bernie spar one on one in New Hampshire
Christine Jahnke previews the Democratic presidential debate. Listen to the full radio interview here. Photo Credit: Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels
US News & World Report: TV is ruining presidential debates
Typically, if debates fail in the intended purpose of informing voters, the blame is heaped on the candidates who supposedly are coached to deliver canned responses. This cycle, we can blame weak moderators, gotcha questions and no clear ground rules. Fortunately, there is still time before voters head to the polls next week to take […]
Medium: Third woman in a row to deliver SOTU response. Does it matter?
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will be the third woman in a row selected to deliver the Republican response to the President’s State of the Union address. Does it matter that another woman will be laying out the opposition party’s policy agenda? Read the full op-ed here. Photo Credit: Photo by Luis Quintero from Pexels
The Well-Spoken Women of 2015
Here are standout media and public speaking performances from the Well-Spoken Women of 2015. These role models will make you LOL, misty-eyed, and shout: “Amen, sister!” Photo Credit: Photo by christina-wocintechchat-com from unsplash Misty Copeland – Principal Ballerina At 13 years, Misty was told she was too old, her feet were wrong, […]
How to ace a debate? Ask the pros behind the politicians
NPR’s Rachel Martin speaks with O’Donnell and Chris Jahnke, who works with female Democratic candidates at all levels, to find out a few debate do’s and dont’s — which the Democratic presidential candidates might do well to remember at Saturday night’s debate in New Hampshire. Listen to the full piece here. Photo Credit: Photo by George […]
Elle: How to dominate a debate as a woman
When debate coach Chris Jahnke schools women in public speaking, she likes to start with this: “Let your inner diva come out.” The author of The Well-Spoken Woman and founder of Positive Communications says that women need to understand how important it is to own their own voices. Read the full article here. Photo Credit: Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels
The Hill: Presidential debate styles: Why they matter
The presidential debates offer an exhibition of personalities with a plethora of speaking styles. What, if anything, do the personas the candidate’s display tell us about their leadership capabilities? Can anything meaningful be gleaned from the on-stage exchanges? Read the full op-ed here. Photo Credit: Photo by Michael Judkins from Pexels
Memo to Women Candidates Part II: What Kind of Debater Are You?
Everyone advises you to “just be yourself.” But how is that possible under hot TV lights, inches from an opponent, with reporters waiting to pounce on any misstep? What can be done in advance to present your best self?
Memo to Women Candidates from Debate Coach Chris Jahnke
Women candidates running for executive posts in 2016 should watch and learn from the first Democratic primary debate. What candidates see and hear from the presidential contenders can jump start their own debate prep regimen.
US News & World Report: You don’t have to smile to be liked
The media buzz around Carly Fiorina’s debate performances catapulted her from relative unknown to leading contender. Imagine the envy of the opponents who ignored her and are now forced to drop out. But it’s still early and a poor debate performance can immediately disqualify candidates seeking executive office – particularly women. Read the full op-ed here. Photo […]
The Case for Diverse Leadership
One of the most powerful women on Wall Street makes a compelling case for gender diversity. In this Knowledge at Wharton conversation, Sallie Krawcheck offers frank and humorous advice on how to negotiate and network your way to the top. The former head of Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch is the owner and chair of […]
The Best Career Advice You Never Got
The CEO of Leading Women answers the question: “Why am I getting passed over?” Susan Colantuono discusses a leadership trait that you and many women may be missing. To close the gender gap at the top, Susan’s research shows women need to beef up their business, strategic, and financial acumen. It’s key for women to […]
SUCCESS: How to get over your fear of speaking up – in public or not
Not long ago at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, action film director Michael Bay famously melted down in front of an audience and fled the stage. In the post-presentation analysis, everything Bay did that day contributed to failure on the field. “He broke all the rules of public speaking,” says media trainer Christine K. […]
Real Simple: 5 steps to conquering your fear of public speaking
With the proper preparation, you can stand and deliver with the best of ‘em. Speech coach Christine K. Jahnke, the author of The Well-Spoken Woman, reveals how through five clear steps – including carving out time, visualizing success and putting in the work. “People underestimate how much work it takes to prepare. The speakers who […]
Impassioned Plea for Women’s Rights
“We must change attitudes around the world.” Watch Angelina Jolie Pitt at the Women in the World Summit deliver an impassioned plea for women in war torn regions. Angelina pledges her personal support to the women and girls in Iraq and Syria facing horrifying violence. And, calls on the world powers to step up saying […]
Can introverts be strong public speakers?
Writer Susan Cain champions the talents of the shy and reserved. Watch the video: Susan Cain The Power of Introverts Photo Credit: Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels
Lessons from the Oscars
Make Your 15 Seconds Count Academy Award acceptance speeches have long been used by Hollywood stars to raise awareness of favored causes. The much-deserving top actress honorees both seized the opportunity before a worldwide audience. A comparison of the performances of Julianne Moore and Patricia Arquette reveals a sharp contrast in technique. Best supporting actress […]
Lesson from the Oscars
Make Your 15 Seconds Count Academy Award acceptance speeches have long been used by Hollywood stars to raise awareness of favored causes. The much-deserving top actress honorees both seized the opportunity before a worldwide audience. A comparison of the performances of Julianne Moore and Patricia Arquette reveals a sharp contrast in technique. Best supporting actress […]
Public Speaking Resolutions For a Well-Spoken Year!
1. Ring in 2015 with a toast. It’s good practice. 2. Create your elevator speech. In 2 minutes, what do you care about & why does it matter? 3. Quote the greats: “The American dream is not dead. It is gasping for breath but it is not dead.” Barbara Jordan 4. Warm up beforehand. Slowly […]
The Well-Spoken Women of 2014
The Well-Spoken Women of 2014 called it like they saw it. Dared to defy authority. Changed the debate. Broadened the dialogue. Their words and ideas challenge us to think differently and act boldly. Mo’ne Davis – Little League Star With a 70 mph fastball, 13-year old Mo’ne is in a league of her own. […]