Leonard Greenberger

Bio

Leonard Greenberger has 20 years of experience in communications, first as a journalist and then as a professional consultant. As a partner at Potomac Communications Group, Leonard’s firm has helped dozens of nonprofits, big and small, to achieve their marketing, public relations and public affairs goals. Leonard developed PCG’s media and risk communication training curriculum and has trained hundreds of business executives, senior government officials and association professionals to communicate effectively with the media and other audiences. His recent clients include the Direct Selling Association, National Grid and the U.S. Coast Guard. Leonard serves on the American Society of Association Executives’ Communication Section Council. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, and bachelor’s degrees in communications and political science from the University of Michigan.

Session Descriptions

Friday, Oct. 2 | 9:15 – 10:45 a.m. Branding for Success

A strong brand can make the difference between success and failure, and not only during economic downturns. When employed properly, AFP membership itself can be a powerful and effective branding tool. Come to this session and learn how to develop your personal brand, establish credibility, raise your visibility, and create and deploy a branding toolkit. Participants will be encouraged to share their own branding experiences, effective and not-so-effective. Walk away with tips and tricks that will help you in today’s economic climate and in the future.

Friday, Oct. 2 | 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Answering the Most Difficult Questions: A Risk Communication Primer

At some point in our careers, most of us will face difficult questions from a concerned, distrustful audience—a skeptical reporter, an angry citizen, or a concerned regulator or legislator. When that happens, a communicator’s first goal must be to establish trust and credibility with the audience. During this session, you’ll learn:

 To understand how the general public assesses and perceives risk.  The skills and techniques of risk communication, which can be used to communicate effectively in “high-concern, low-trust” situations.  A model answer for answering the most difficult questions from potentially hostile audiences.