Chapter 5. DELIVERING YOUR MESSAGE

"I'm going to be a lot more careful about everything I say, because I find that it gets amplified to a new level."

Mike Huckabee, former presidential candidate

Words are like toothpaste. Once you squeeze them out, you can't get them back into the tube. As George Smitherman, Ontario's former deputy premier, lamented, "At the heart of it, you say a million words and some of them you wish that you could take back."[50] When answering questions from the media, a spokesperson must control every word. This means both knowing what to say and how to say it. But the ability to think on your feet when reporters fire questions at you requires a composure and calmness that does not come naturally. Being forced to respond ...

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