From terrified to teaching
In the beginning…
Speaking in public wasn’t always comfortable for Carmie. As a child, she panicked at the very thought of it. Her heart raced.
Her breathing accelerated. And sometimes she actually felt nauseous. Rather than raise her hand in class when teachers asked questions, she pretended she didn’t know the answer. When asked to read aloud from a book in camp, she said she had a sore throat. Instead of working up the courage to ask people in ticket booths for passes to a movie, a carnival ride, or swimming pool, she often chose to not go.
One day her sixth-grade teacher sat down beside her after class and gently smiled. “Carmie, I know that you know the answers to the classroom questions. But if you don’t speak up no one else will ever know how amazing you are.” The words stuck and that was a moment she never forgot.
As the years passed, she watched people she admired speak. She learned what engaged listeners. She practiced. She gained the courage to speak up more. She got positive feedback. Her confidence grew. Years later, public speaking – the same skill that had terrified her as a child – not only became the field of work she pursued but a talent in which she excelled!
To pay for her university education, Carmie faced cameras working as an actress in numerous TV commercials. Earning a degree in broadcast communications, she became a TV reporter. Being more interested in working behind the camera, she became a writer/producer/director of TV commercials and corporate image films. This led to being hired as Corporate Communications Manager and Olympic Communications Manager for UPS, a position she held for almost ten years. In all of these roles, she was constantly told she had a natural gift for helping others look and sound their best when speaking to different audiences.
Whether for staff meetings, sales pitches, fundraising, board meetings, keynote addresses, or TV cameras, Carmie teaches others that you don’t have to be famous to be an outstanding public speaker.
Today…
Carmie McCook is an internationally respected public speaking and media interview expert. She has taught thousands of business professionals and other individuals how to become more dynamic, engaging, and persuasive speakers for any media interview, B2B presentation, or public speaking event.
Using her techniques, Carmie’s clients have won major competitive contracts, launched new products globally, received promotions, secured funding, handled tough questions from TV reporters, appeared on news programs, responded credibly in crisis situations, and enjoyed standing ovations after giving a speech.
Carmie has taught executives, company spokespersons, and other prominent individuals how to confidently handle interviews with prominent U.S. and international media outlet, including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, BBC, NPR, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Times of London, Le Monde, Al Jazeera, Business Week, Washington Post, and numerous trade and business publications.
As a highly sought-after public speaking coach and presentation trainer, she has been called upon to prepare high-profile professionals from around the world for a broad spectrum of speeches, business presentations, and appearances at international conferences. Those include TED Talks, ICANN’s annual conference in Seoul, Korea and the Global Climate Conferences in Copenhagen and Paris. She was also called upon by Samsung to prepare the company’s president for his live, global announcement to 150 countries, of the Galaxy Smartphones.
Recognized for her expertise in leadership communications, Carmie’s advice, as well as her opinions on high-profile newsmakers, has been featured in interviews with numerous U.S. and foreign news and business publications. Interviews with her have appeared in the Washington Post, Slate Magazine, Smart CEO, Atlanta Journal, Atlanta Business Chronicle, AM New York, Radio France International, and Jyllands-Posten (Denmark). She is also a regular contributor to The Business Matchmaker, an international business publication dedicated to developing commercial trade opportunities between the U.S. and Asia.
Based in Washington, D.C., Carmie is a magna cum laude and Phi Kappa Phi graduate of Georgia State University’s School of Journalism and completed a special advanced studies program at the University of London and the BBC. She serves on the Board of Directors of the British-American Business Association (BABA) and is an active member of BABA’s Energy and Environmental Business Committee. Carmie is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, which explains the southern accent.
The associates
Carmie has strategic partnerships with a network of high-powered training colleagues, all very successful in their fields. When there is a requirement to bring in additional instructors for any client’s communication training needs, she assembles just the right team.
With Carmie McCook & Associates, you always get expert training and coaching that delivers real results.
"Carmie, you were a major contributor to the success of our conference. Evaluations from all 300 attendees were consistently in the 'excellent' category."
"Carmie is great at teaching and coaching you on how to draft and present a memorable presentation. She transformed my talk from a somewhat boring one to a presentation that captured the audience from the beginning to end. She helped me to be myself while maintaining focus on the audience. I strongly recommend her for individual coaching as well as group business presentation classes for any organization. Both are fantastic and produce great results.”
"Carmie gave our team the tools to both prepare our message properly and to execute it with conviction. Since then, each speaking opportunity has been better than the one before. It took my abilities to a new level."
"Carmie gains the confidence and trust of the audience and connects them with the subject matter in a very effective way. We are still getting rave reviews of the presentations she gave at our Business Expo."
"I have attended other media training workshops at national meetings and this was by far the best and the best instructor. Carmie was fantastic!"
"Your program, 'You're Talking but is Anyone Listening?' was a big hit. Immediately following your presentation we were flooded with e-mails regarding how much the attendees enjoyed themselves. We look forward to seeing you again."
"Carmie's interactive and thoughtful training to key members of our staff really made a positive impact. She reminded us of the value of having a structured, strategic approach to handling the media. Her energetic, personable program helped us build a successful plan and her interview training allowed us a unique way to evaluate our personal skill sets."
"The research Carmie had done on my company and the industry was painstaking and proved quite useful. The difference she made between the before and after was remarkable. Her style is engaging and personalized. I highly recommend her services."
"Your approach to communications training has proven invaluable to me. I know I will be a more dynamic speaker in the future. I look forward to our future sessions. Thanks so much!"
"Anyone who has to speak to a crowd-whether it's a crowd of 5 or a crowd of 500-should call Carmie. She is funny, puts you right at ease and gets results quickly."
"Carmie's focused approached to communications training insures success.
"Carmie's techniques are very subtle yet extremely effective. The instruction was very precise for each person. Most important is the results were evident in practice when presented with the opportunities."
"Carmie is fabulous. Enthusiastic and well-prepared, she works easily and effectively with everyone, from the CEO, to scientists, to policy types. We were particularly impressed with her aptitude for helping us develop strong messages. We look forward to having her back for refresher courses in the future."
"Carmie is absolutely fantastic. Some instructors are experts in their field but cannot convey their knowledge effectively and produce results. Carmie has the special talent of being able to apply her wealth of experience in presenting/public speaking to make her students successful. One session with Carmie gave me more insights into my personal speaking and presenting style than years of experience in school and at work. Thanks so much Carmie!"
Public speaking is something I have always struggled with, and I was genuinely convinced that at this stage in my career it was something I would just always struggle with. I feel so empowered by what I’ve learned in your training, and have been volunteering to give as many presentations as I can to practice and hone my skills. Thank you again for helping us help others!
Carmie McCook provided an excellent training session on developing and delivering effective presentations with relevant material. Our group found the session extremely insightful and worthwhile. The tips for planning a presentation were invaluable. The group was pleased with how she was able to tailor the session, specifically tor what we do for the region. The breakout practices and the exercises were very helpful.
"Carmie McCook is a truly engaging Keynote Speaker. She spoke on the impact of storytelling in sales presentations at our annual sales conference. She is a funny storyteller, and her stories are relevant to the topic at hand. She presents articulately and intelligently, yet creates an intimate, almost familial atmosphere. We enjoyed Carmie tremendously and will be inviting her back!"
"Carmie, the public speaking tips and coaching you gave me really upped my skills! I’ve been through a few presentation classes before, and while they helped some, I definitely gained the most improvement from your coaching. I look forward to next time. I will absolutely recommend you to anyone looking to improve their presentation skills."
"Carmie is an absolute pleasure to work with and her public speaking training goes far beyond what most expect…Among other things, she helped me methodically think, and in much greater detail, what different audiences want to get out of my speeches or business presentations, then crafted my content and delivery to suit. I would have told you I was doing this already, but she helped me see there was significant room for improvement!"
Carmie is the absolute BEST! I had done lots of public speaking before working with Carmie, but I always felt nervous and uncomfortable. I didn't think I'd ever be comfortable in front of the camera until I worked with her. She taught me things that I would've never thought of on my own. Her experience and knowledge are second to none. She has the most comprehensive content on the planet and really shines on helping you deliver the most effective presentations in the most authentic way. She is worth every penny and more! Carmie's course was my best training investment since medical school!
"Carmie is by far one of the best media trainers in D.C. Her individualized training techniques help both novice and experienced spokespeople enhance their media interview skills and comfort level. I recommend her highly."
"Carmie strikes tremendous balance in her approach to media coaching. She pushes trainees to their limits in the all-important 'worst-case scenario' while keeping them actively engaged with her charisma and enthusiasm. To the surprise of many, even our most apprehensive senior executives walked away feeling far more confident and better prepared to meet the media. To make that big of an impact on members of our senior management speaks volumes about her abilities."
"Your presentation training program was informative and extremely beneficial for our executive management team.
"If you have a key audience to reach and want to make sure you do so effectively, call Carmie McCook.
"Excellent at teaching what you really need to know when meeting the media! Carmie has really done her homework on our subject!"
"I learned more about giving strong media interviews and delivering engaging business presentations in the two-day intense workshop with Carmie than I had in 7 years with my PR department. She had very carefully prepared for the sessions by learning an impressive amount of information about my field of activities beforehand. I would highly recommend her training to anyone who gives media interviews, important business presentations, and keynote speeches. She is in a class all her own!"
"Carmie is top-notch at public speaking, presentations, and media training! She is passionate about her work, engaging for the audience, and her enthusiasm is contagious. Her tailored workshop on public speaking and media presentations was so well-received, I booked her for a professional networking seminar the following month. I highly recommend Carmie!"
← prev
next →