Matt Cookson Of Cookson Communications On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator
An Interview With Athalia Monae
Respond quickly when an issue arises — you don’t need to have the answer right away — nor should you — but you need to be fully engaged and make or schedule a time to address the communications matter at hand. At Cookson Communications, we handle crisis matters for our clients and they regularly arise in our work in education and healthcare. We make ourselves available for communications support 24/7 and have built on trust that organizational leaders can come to us when issues arise. Many times, they are in a challenging spot. We talk them through it, help with an initial strategy and then work through it together.
In an age dominated by digital communication, the power of articulate and effective verbal communication cannot be understated. Whether it’s delivering a keynote address, leading a team meeting, or engaging in a one-on-one conversation, impactful speaking can open doors, inspire change, and create lasting impressions. But what truly sets apart an effective communicator? What techniques and nuances elevate a speech from mundane to memorable? As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Cookson.
Matt has over three decades of strategic communications experience in large and small organizations, leading messaging, marketing and consulting services. He founded Cookson Communications in 2010. The company is a New England-based full-service agency specializing in public relations, content creation, creative design and branding, digital services and custom consulting services. Cookson’s approach is deeply rooted in finding and telling clients’ stories, redefining, updating and elevating their brands and building connections that create better opportunities to be seen by their target audiences. Prior to founding the company, his diverse career included roles in organizational leadership, executive communications, strategic planning, crisis communications and more. These roles include serving as a press secretary to a member of Congress, government affairs roles in higher education and healthcare, associate vice chancellor and spokesperson for a major university system, executive director of a nonprofit organization, public affairs director of a Fortune 1000 company, and managing director of a tech startup. He holds bachelor’s degrees in English and journalism and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Connecticut and is a Leadership New Hampshire alumnus. He taught public relations classes at the University of New Hampshire for several years and gives his time back to organizations mainly through board engagements, having served on more than 15 boards, often in leadership capacities.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about communication, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
While I have primarily held communications roles in one form or another during my entire career, I caught myself feeling stuck in 2009 and looking to make a move from an associate vice chancellor of external relations at a university system. On a Saturday morning while ripping off a rotten board on my front steps and discovering a massive ant nest, my phone rings. It’s an individual I had known a bit for some time who essentially and serendipitously wondered if I was thinking about a career change and might perhaps be interested in running her marketing firm. While I had entrepreneurial tendencies, this came from nowhere. But discussions slowly progressed, side deals with potential clients began to look promising, and a business plan was modeled and hatched. Nine months later, I found myself as president of her firm and then owner at 12 months with an initial staff of four, a handful of clients, and a collection of stuff from an asset sale. One of those clients was my previous employer and another was a nonprofit called the NH Tech Alliance, where I had served on the Board and now found myself as its executive director with my team running all aspects of this membership-based nonprofit. In 2025, we celebrated our 15th year and second straight year making the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies. The ant nest is long gone, and we no longer run a nonprofit as part of the company, but the career path has held true to what I learned in college as a journalism major, coincidentally going right back to a side gig I had with Business Week’s college magazine uncovering entrepreneurial stories of my fellow college students.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
It’s a right place, right time story. In about 2007, I was at a higher education conference lunch presentation and there was one seat open at our table. A women rushed in a little late, got settled, and whipped out what looked like a reporter pad to take notes. Upon closer look, it said The New York Times and as a media person, that got me interested. We ended up discussing student entrepreneurism, a Times priority in their Education Department. Long story short — this led to a grant to support building and promoting Entrepreneurship Week at the University of New Hampshire and creating an e-mentor business partnership class that still exists to this day. Fast forward five years, and this individual is now chancellor of a multi-campus university, and I am running my communications company. She calls out of the blue and asks what I am doing for the next three years and offers to bring me and my company on board to run marketing and communications for them. This led to an amazing and mutually beneficial experience that helped me grow my company at a very early stage and brought home the value of maintaining strong connections and networks.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Allow people the space to develop and work independently while being there to mentor as needed. I had some amazing supervisors in my 20’s that gave me this latitude. When I moved into executive leadership and then company ownership, I have tried to play that role and believe it has helped people grow and has created loyalty within the company.
- Put ethics first. This was driven home in college as a journalism major and then as a longtime Public Relations Society of America member. I think I wrote my ethics statement before my original business plan! When AI came onto the scene, we did the same thing — ethics first and let that drive usage. As the AI world evolves, I do think this was the right strategy.
- Do well by doing good. Business owners have many varied motivations, and we do need to make some level of profit to pay and reward our employees. However, if you create a culture of working with organizations and individuals you respect and believe are making a positive impact on people, hold true to that. Whether you call it mission-driven, purpose-driven or practice conscious capitalism, if you build it into your business model, you will generate client and team loyalty knowing you are making a difference.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that we are all on the same page. How would you define an “Effective Communicator?” What are the characteristics of an effective communicator?
An effective communicator must first be an effective listener and learner. There is no template as every situation differs. You must take the time to learn about a particular challenges or opportunity, understand the backstory, learn about your audience and ask questions. Once you have this background, you can communicate in a substantive way that demonstrates that you get it and provide information and direction that is relevant and meaningful.
How can one tailor their communication style to different audiences or situations?
One has to! As noted in the previous response, everything needs to be customized. The human element is key. You must clearly understand the audience and situation first. We are in a world overloaded with content. Use it to help you — listen, watch, ask and learn. Then determine how to adapt your style to help ensure messaging resonates based on being informed. Add in one more step — connect with a colleague to fill them in and share information to help determine if you are in alignment with the situation. We always have at least two experienced team members engaged in all client interactions. This helps give us an important sounding board that helps ensure the communication style is in alignment.
Can you provide an example of a time when you had to adapt your communication style to reach a particular audience successfully?
We had one client who went through an executive leadership change and shifted from being a very private, closed organization to one that felt an obligation to be more open and share information. When the new CEO came on, we had to learn about his overall thinking on communications, and it was clear he wanted to move from a closed to an open concept of communications. This was not the practice of the organization. We met to discuss this, believed it was the right move, and came up with an incremental strategy to bring the staff along and build in more openness and information sharing that proved to be critical as the organization required moving to a more proactive approach due to the issues it focused on becoming high-priority matters in the media.
How do you handle difficult or sensitive conversations while maintaining open and effective communication?
Great question! It starts before you have that first sensitive or difficult conversation. We like to engage with the C-suite during the engagement discussions or right after to build trust and understand we are a confidential communications resource. Building and then having the level of trust is the essential ingredient for bringing up sensitive matters. If the trust is there, you’ll be in a position where you can and should have that difficult conversation. Ultimately, that’s what we are hired to do. When you approach from a position of respect and being fully informed, that will build trust and foster open and effective communications.
In your experience, how does storytelling play a role in impactful speaking? Why do you think stories are effective in communication?
Storytelling is the oldest method of communications known to us. There is a reason for this — everyone loves a good story. I love the classic film “The Princess Bride” because it embodies storytelling. Ronald Reagan mastered this as President of having very defined, personal stories in his State of the Union speeches and people in the audience who were the subject of those stories. Every President since then has done this. They are effective when they resonate with a target audience and help build important connections that are crucial to successful communications strategies. In a digital world, storytelling serves as valuable role that helps extend the lifespan of content as it is repurposed across digital and social channels then shared, copied and even told by others for much longer than a press release.
What are your “5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective Communicator”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.
- Respond quickly when an issue arises — you don’t need to have the answer right away — nor should you — but you need to be fully engaged and make or schedule a time to address the communications matter at hand. At Cookson Communications, we handle crisis matters for our clients and they regularly arise in our work in education and healthcare. We make ourselves available for communications support 24/7 and have built on trust that organizational leaders can come to us when issues arise. Many times, they are in a challenging spot. We talk them through it, help with an initial strategy and then work through it together.
- Be a good listener — take the time to learn what the opportunity, challenge or issue is first. When we have a new client, we almost always divide the work into two parts — planning and implementation. We cannot answer what the scope of work will be unless we do the proper planning, which requires research, conversations and due diligence. Some clients want it all right away, but that’s not possible and we do not believe in templating plans so we can go right into implementation — that’s a waste of time, money and focus for everyone!
- Do your homework — if appropriate, research the particular issue, gain other perspectives as needed and become more informed. We have so much information available now and tools such as AI to help gather and cull it. But we still need to do a thorough personal review to determine what is factual and relevant. In our 24/7 news cycles, we want to avoid surprises and pitfalls as much as possible. It’s always better to be on your toes instead of your heels.
- Be authentic in your response — don’t use templated messaging or catch phrases — show that based on listening and doing your homework. Show empathy as needed. If there are legal or privacy issues that curtails your ability to fully share information, note them. In a world where AI is seeping into more forms of communications, do not rely on it for authenticity as that can be a shortfall. You’ve done the homework and know the audience — make sure your message reflects that in a tone that aligns with their style.
- Follow up as needed — so many communications issues are not one and done. One of our jobs is to think through scenarios and plan accordingly. Looping back after an interview, speech or event to check in and do a debrief can determine what loose ends need to be tied up and what adjustments might be needed for the future.
One more comment on all five of these elements — these apply to both your external and internal communications. If you are in a leadership role, make sure you make internal communications a high priority and be proactive. Poor internal communications can be detrimental or even terminal for organizations if it persists.
How do you integrate non-verbal cues into your communication? Can you provide an example of its importance?
Well, non-verbal cues on video can play a big role in public perception. In an era when everything we do is on video — meetings, interviews, events and so much more — and when one misstep can be cut into a 2-second clip and mis-represented — we must be constantly aware. A few key ones — be conscious of your facial expressions and nodding, maintain good posture and eye contact. Don’t look at your phone or watch to check the time.
How has digital communication changed the way you convey your messages? Are there any specific challenges or advantages you’ve encountered?
For sure. First, in digital communications, messaging gets much more structured on length, target audiences, keywords and delivery channels. Second, digital channels offer ways to refine and reuse content so it reaches more audiences and has a longer shelf life. But quality digital communications has more complexity — this includes incorporating design elements, video and keywords. So suddenly, a communicator needs to have unicorn skills or other professionals that can help craft and deliver messaging. Additionally, channels keep shifting and chasing the target audience adds to the challenge, as well as measuring results. So, strategy and planning are critical in a digital communications world because everything is linked. For those who are not aware of the PESO Model, it demonstrates and ties together the core pieces of paid, earned, shared and owned media.
Public speaking is a common fear. What techniques or strategies do you recommend to manage and overcome stage fright?
We all remember that first time in front of a larger audience. While some are naturals, for others it is learned and for some, it might be terrifying. I’m average at best but have done it so many times, have danced through tech glitches, speakers not showing, fire alarms and much more. The big one is “be yourself.” Find the speaking style that works for you. Ask the organizers to adapt the set-up if needed. Do you feel better with a podium for notes, or prefer a wireless mic so you can move around? Once this is set, concentrate on your remarks. Practice in front of a mirror, record it, and maybe in front of a friend. You are the content expert and should approach it from being the subject matter expert. People are there to hear from you. Stick with short sentences, don’t read your slides, incorporate humor if you are comfortable with it, and include video snippets if appropriate. Video is great because it gives you a break from speaking and allows you to potentially recalibrate. While public speaking might be outside your comfort zone, the more practice you can do, the more confident you will be.
What additional resources do you recommend for individuals looking to improve communication skills?
Think about what gets you excited or where you have deeper expertise that you want to share and find ways to put yourself out there. It could be through blogs, podcasts, videos or a series of social media messages. You cannot improve your skills if you do not use them. Find a safe spot to practice — a trusted colleague or mentor who is willing to role play or coach you. It’s amazing how willing people are to do this when asked.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Wow, big question. I’m going to pull this question back into the communications world and cite two major concerns — the shrinking media world and challenge in finding well-researched or trusted content, and a huge percentage of younger people relying on influencers to get their “news” and information. Combined, this adds up to a big challenge to determine what to believe. I’d like to see the movement of small, respected and independent media bubble up to bring back more truth and trust to content. Then see more pushback on the distribution of misinformation, which is causing significant societal issues as it becomes more accepted to just share information that is factually incorrect at worst, or incomplete and out of context at best.
How can our readers further follow you online?
LinkedIn is best — just search for me and I’m sure you’ll not confuse me with the winemaker in New Mexico and the tailor in Paris who share my name!
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Thank you for this opportunity.
Matt Cookson Of Cookson Communications On 5 Essential Techniques for Becoming an Effective… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.