No Such Thing As Off the Record: A Survival Guide for Public Speaking and Media Engagements

From the boardroom to the newsroom, nearly every job requires speaking in front of a group. In this age of political correctness and viral social media moments, winging it can be a risky business. It's no wonder that three out of four people suffer from speech anxiety.

No Such Thing as OFF the Record is your survival guide for effective public speaking. It will arm you with the skills to navigate tricky Q&A scenarios and avoid unexpected pitfalls like commenting off the record to a trusted source. Whether you re just looking to improve your elevator pitch or preparing for a national media campaign, No Such Thing as OFF the Record's step-by-step coaching provides a complete checklist for how to say what you came to say and not be led off-topic...even under fire.

Andrea Devaux is a quintessential renaissance woman. Her eclectic career includes spending time as a public speaker and media coach; film maker; theatre director; fitness instructor; author; president and co-founder of a women's business networking group; and last but not least: mother.<P> In her formative years, she trained at the New Zealand Actors Theatre Studio, a Stanislavsky-based drama school. She then left her birthplace of New Zealand and cycled and sailed around the world a trip that lasted almost five years, where she eventually found her heart and home in San Francisco, California. Her media career began when she was working for a major medical organization, training high- powered doctors to prepare for appearances on prime time television. Afterwards she transitioned into the position of on-staff media trainer for Media Alliance of San Francisco, while in the evenings she worked with local actors directing theatre and sketch comedy in downtown San Francisco.<P> It was during this time that Andrea astutely observed that her theatre productions only reached a small subset of the population, so she set her sights on film production, collaborating on projects with a much wider-reaching, global medium. For over two decades she has worked as a script continuity supervisor for commercials, feature films, and episodic television. More recently she has worked as a director for commercials and web-based media.<P> With her theatre training, directing skills, and media coaching background, Andrea brings a unique perspective on how to help her clients come alive, stand out from the crowd, and enjoy the experience of public speaking. She currently works with individuals and groups who need to finesse how to stay on message, or for that matter, figure out what their message is.