Spoken Word Communications recently announced that nationally renowned investigative journalist and speaker Anastasiya Bolton has joined the company as a senior counselor.  Anastasiya comes to Spoken Word following more than 20 years in broadcast journalism, covering local and national politics, crime, mass casualty incidents, natural disasters, incredible stories of courage, perseverance, kindness, and generosity across the United States and around the world.

Based in Houston

Anastasiya most recently worked on the front-line of the US immigration debate, reporting on stories from the US/Mexico border from Texas.  This included riding along with US border patrol agents, engaging in difficult conversations with lawmakers, hearing directly from the people who live on the border and the people who cross it along the Rio Grande. Anastasiya moved to Houston from Denver, where she spent 12 years reporting at the city’s powerhouse TV station 9NEWS and earning a reputation of a fair and trusted journalist.

As a speaker

Anastasiya has been a prominent advocate and sought-after expert in the field of trauma-informed, victim-centric reporting.  She works with law enforcement agencies, public and private entities, journalism groups and other organizations to help develop strong, transparent communications strategies that better serve the public and the organizations during times of crisis.

Recognition

Anastasiya has been recognized with dozens of local, regional, and national journalism awards for her outstanding work, including several Emmy awards and the highly regarded Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Edward R. Murrow awards. 

Background

Born in the former Soviet Union, Anastasiya grew up partially in Africa, at a Soviet Embassy, and partially in Moscow. She proudly became a US Citizen in 2007. Anastasiya knows first-hand what life under a totalitarian regime is truly like. This lived experience fuels her passion for the freedoms in this country.

Contact Dave@spokenwordgroup.com

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A team of students with disabilities mentored by Spoken Word founder Dave Scallan recently participated in the Paving the Pathway to Success competition in Houston, Texas on Saturday June 22, 2024. 

Beginning in April

Dave gave the team a “problem statement” and asked them to complete a series of challenges related to the statement.  For this year’s group, Dave chose to simulate an explosion at a chemical plant in the Houston Ship Channel. 

Over the next two months

The team met three times each week. They learned how to write a press release, develop empathy statements and communicate with key stakeholders, including residents in the area of the plant as well as media outlets looking to cover the event. They also learned how to include empathy in all their communication, as well as how to become a credible source of information to both the public as well as the news media.

Finally, on June 22 after two months of hard work

The team presented their learnings in the form of a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation in front of an audience of over 100 guests.  Although they didn’t get the trophy this year, the team did an excellent job and received high marks from the judges. Most importantly, working with Dave helped the students build confidence in their abilities and increase their work readiness.

Paving the Pathway to Success is a program by the Gulf Coast Workforce Board and Texas Workforce Solutions Vocational Rehabilitation Services. The 7-month training program for young adults with disabilities (ages 16-22) helps students increase work readiness through a series of professional workshops designed to build confidence in their existing abilities by not focusing on their disabilities. The program’s vision is to bridge the gap between school and work by creating the same level of competitiveness with their peers who do not have a disability.

More about Paving the Pathway to Success

Contact Dave at Dave@spokenwordgroup.com

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The team at Spoken Word Communications is excited to introduce a new member and a new aspect of our operations! Longtime NFL and professional soccer communications executive Zac Emmons joined Spoken Word to apply our industry-leading training techniques to the sports world.

Spoken Word Sports Division will provide focused, individualized training for players, coaches, athletic directors, general managers and team executives. Coaches and athletes continually focus on skill development to ensure success on the field or court, but that same attention is frequently lacking when it comes to how they communicate with the public and other audiences.

Zac spent the last two decades working with hundreds of athletes and dozens of coaches and administrators, preparing them for interviews and coaching them on how to stay on message. After inviting Dave and the Spoken Word team to train the senior leadership of the Houston Dynamo in 2019, it suddenly became clear to him.  

“I’ve sat through countless seminars on ‘media training,’ in my career, but Spoken Word’s individualized, on-camera interviews drove those points home in ways nothing else ever had. I am fired up to bring a higher level of service and preparation to an industry that lives under such a microscope,” said Zac.

Zac and Dave conducted the first official training session for Spoken Word Sports Division in Houston last month.

Contact us if you work with a professional or amateur team that could benefit from training.

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Legendary Houston Journalist Art Rascon Joins Spoken Word Communications

March 30, 2022 – Spoken Word Communications announced today that legendary Houston journalist Art Rascon has joined the company as a Senior Counselor and Role Player. Art comes to Spoken Word after a storied 40-year career as journalist, most recently as anchor and reporter for KTRK-ABC in Houston, Texas. 

During his time at KTRK, Art anchored the 11am, 5pm, and 6pm newscasts as well as served as a reporter on numerous Emmy Award winning TV specials and documentaries. He also directed the coverage of U.S. presidential elections and three papal elections from Rome. Art also served as the lead producer and correspondent on the 2001 terror attacks in New York City.

Prior to that, Art served as a correspondent at CBS News where he reported and directed the coverage of stories such as the Oklahoma City bombing, Haiti’s civil unrest, Mexico’s guerrilla wars, Peru’s hostage standoff, Cuba’s downing of U.S. planes, TWA, Value-Jet, and other airline disasters. Art also covered hurricanes throughout the Caribbean and reported from the heat of conflict in Central America, interviewing tyrants including Manuel Noriega and Daniel Ortega.

Art is the recipient of 21 television Emmy Awards and more than three dozen other national and local reporting awards from press clubs in Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami. Those include two Edward R. Murrow Awards during Special Projects Reporting with Dan Rather, three National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Awards, the International Rotary Award for Meritorious Reporting, two National “Headliner” Awards, the RTNDA Award for Continuing Coverage, a dozen Lone Star Awards, and 18 Associated Press Reporting Awards.

Art has reported from more than 77 countries, five continents, and nearly every State in the Union. During his career, he also held anchor and reporter jobs in San Antonio, El Paso, Abilene, and Los Angeles. Art holds degrees from Brigham Young University in Idaho and Provo. He is fluent in both English and Spanish. 

For more information, contact us.

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Monessa “Siren” Balzhiser took flight as Lockheed Martin’s first female F-35 Production and Training Pilot. The former United States Air Force F-16 pilot joins the ranks of an elite group of female F-35 pilots that have paved the way before her.

Siren describes her first F-35 Production and Training flight:

“It was amazing and a bit surreal,” she said. “If you can imagine every emotion that you can think of happening in one location—nervousness when stepping out to the jet, to the pure excitement of being strapped into one of the most powerful fighter jets in the world, to scared of messing up, to a huge adrenaline rush—it was just all encompassed in my one little glass cockpit.”

*Source: F-35.com, F-35 Lightening II, News and Features

Click here to view the article on F-35.com

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September 3, 2019

HOUSTON – Since 2014, Spoken Word Communications has specialized in media, crisis, and presentations training for the oil and gas industry. Now it is pleased to announce it will be bringing those same proven techniques to the sports world. The goal remains the same: teach skills to communicate effectively.

Whether it’s dealing with the press in an informational sit-down interview, or interacting with them in a crisis setting, Spoken Word’s media interview strategy methods aim to prepare participants for any type of encounter. The company is set to offer both small group and full-team classes, depending on the needs of each team or athletic department.

Chris Mycoskie joins the Spoken Word Communications team as a senior counselor, heading the company’s newly formed sports division. Immediately prior, he served eight years with the NCAA Division I Southland Conference, including the last two as an associate commissioner. Before working with the Southland, Mycoskie spent a decade as an on-air personality for local television and radio affiliates.

Small group classes can include team captains, coaches, or administrators. The full-day training centers around three principals: preparation, pitfalls, and powerful messages. Through a sharing of ideas, multiple on-camera interviews, and a review of past examples, participants walk away with the skills needed to have a successful experience, whether it’s media day, mid-week or post-game.

For full teams and larger groups, Spoken Word Communications offers a 90-minute presentation that features news clips of former players and coaches doing things right and doing things wrong. The seminar also includes brief tutorials on the bridging technique and preparation procedures to assure success moving forward.

More information is available via spokenwordgroup.com.

About Spoken Word Communications

Spoken Word Communications is a media, crisis communications, and presentations training company that advises on how to communicate effectively, build confidence and credibility in any type of interaction involving the spoken word. Former journalist Dave Scallan is the founder and president of Spoken Word Communications, a global media and crisis communications training firm located in Houston. He has provided counsel to executives in over 25 countries around the world and worked with five of the Top 10 Fortune 500 companies. The company maintains offices in the U.S., U.K., and Singapore.

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