Case studies from real training rooms
Twenty-five published accounts of media and presentation training, from the ASPCA and AARP to AIG, Gartner and federal agencies. Start with your situation, or filter by service or industry.
- Published
- 25
- Organization and team programs
- 15
- Individual and coaching stories
- 10
- Industries covered
- 9
This page lists 25 published case studies of media training, presentation training and executive coaching with Jess Todtfeld, a former ABC, NBC and FOX producer. Each links to the full article. Pick the situation closest to yours, or filter by service or industry. Outcomes are as the clients described them. Individual results vary.
Updated
Find a case study
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Nonprofit
Eight years with the ASPCA
Packaging rescue stories for interviews, plus the donation calls to action a nonprofit should never skip.
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Nonprofit
The webinar team that had to watch themselves first
AARP's nonprofit team watched ten minutes of their own webinar, then rebuilt their delivery around the members they serve.
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Government
A week in Washington with the Social Security Administration
Leaders worked through the answer system, soundbite quotes and crisis scenarios over a week of media training.
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Government
Under the local microscope: city and state PIOs
Public information officers felt the full heat of local news. A training day gave them message and answer systems.
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Government
When the org chart made scientists the spokespeople
A reorganization, not a crisis, put twelve technical experts in front of cameras at a federal agency.
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Government
Train the trainer: teaching a comms team to prep anyone
Day two at a federal agency: the five-minute hallway prep, the go-kit and the playback rule.
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Government
The interview was still recording
Three recordings before training began at a federal agency, and the green room habit from network TV.
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Healthcare
Five doctors, one conference
Five Los Angeles doctors preparing to meet journalists swapped jargon for stories and analogies.
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Healthcare
What media training does for doctors on camera
A veteran publicist had Jess media train five doctors for a national campaign. What changed, and why experts are the hardest.
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Insurance and finance
The Kilimanjaro question at AIG
A senior AIG leader took an off-topic question’s bait, caught himself on camera, and stayed on message for years.
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Insurance and finance
The day the PowerPoint snapped in half
Training AIG’s insurance and financial services country presidents after the slides were lost. Nobody noticed.
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Consulting and research
The Gartner story that flopped, then everyone wanted to borrow it
At an executive workshop, video playback and a redo turned a pointless story into one colleagues asked to borrow.
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Consulting and research
The Hay Group meeting that ended in applause
An executive turned off his old-style PowerPoint mid-meeting, just talked, and got applause.
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Consulting and research
The million dollar presentation that skipped the projector
Hay Group’s team handed out printed decks, had a conversation, and won a million dollar New York City bid.
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Energy and utilities
They rehearsed in their heads, then got invited to speak
Two emerging leaders at an energy utility switched to practicing on video and both started getting asked to speak.
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International organizations
The stone-faced executive who teared up at his own playback
A United Nations leader arrived certain he would be terrible on camera. By the third recorded practice he teared up at how charismatic he looked.
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Healthcare
They called about a one-day intensive and booked six months
A healthcare VP chose a six-month coaching program instead of a one-day intensive. Why, and what it produced.
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Healthcare
Forty books on presenting, and he still could not command a room
A Boston-area doctor had read 40 books on presenting. A few hours and video playback surfaced the leader.
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Insurance and finance
She left the mediocre middle and ended up on the CEO track
From the mediocre middle of presenting to one of the top three at an insurance company.
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Education
The hybrid model that landed first jobs
Students heading into financial services and tech watched the lessons first and used live time for practice.
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Healthcare
I stopped saying thank you and started asking what they remembered
After a keynote to a conference of doctors, one question became a four-part presentation ROI test.
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Authors and experts
What executive media training really teaches you
Dr. Deb Carlin, a PhD and author sure she did not need it, learned to speak with confidence on camera.
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Authors and experts
Why a top book publicist sends authors to media training
How to promote a book in interviews without sounding salesy, from calls to action to soundbites.
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Insurance and finance
From camera afraid to regular podcast guest
Media and presentation training took a long-term care insurance specialist from camera afraid to regular podcast guest.
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Authors and experts
What to do if your heart is pounding before a media interview
A psychologist and author felt her heart pounding in the studio, used one question to settle it, and kept going.
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