We asked our readers to let us know who are some of the best communicators ever. Here's our audience replies:
Alex Kehoe of Caveni said, "One of the most effective and consistent communicators that many are familiar with is Will Smith. It's undeniable the effect he has had on an entire generation of Americans and what really sets him apart is, aside from being well spoken, is that Will Smith has distinctly kept his message clear despite communicating through mediums that differ from what most PR-focused individuals tend to favor. He has that unstoppable ability to cultivate an image, a message, and to convey that message via traditional public speaking, comedy, music, and acting. He easily shows off the barriers that excellent communicators are able to break given the chance to just display their persona."
Michael Alexis, CEO of TeamBuilding said, "Best selling author, James Clear, is not ironically a VERY clear communicator. You can see this approach to clear messaging in the way he structures his website, the tweets that he makes and the writing in his book. One thing that James does really well is consider information architecture, so for example starting with a large topic and then breaking it down into its component parts. This logic makes it very easy for a reader to follow and understand the info.
Matt Scott, owner of Termite Survey said "Robin Williams is one of the best communicators there was. He was able to demonstrate a vital trait among all professional communicators – spontaneity and the ability to live in the moment. He was exceptional, humorous and deserving of awards in memoriam of his work. Above all, he was always present. As he gave a pre-written acceptance speech for his Oscar in 1998, he was able to add quirkiness right on the spot, stay on track, and inspire and motivate his listeners all at the same time."
Carolyn Cairns of Creation BCI said, "Kathy Murphy, Founder, Fidelity Personal Investment, is a finance icon who is labeled as one of the world's most powerful women by the magazine, Fortune. She's breaking off the traditional, orchestrated corporate speech by mixing sophistication with enthusiasm. Her conversational integrity comes from an expression-filled, naturally strong, confident voice and a simple smile – a beautiful combination of talent and comfort. Murphy is renowned for her direct talk and candor, revealing her own personal insights and encounters in the financial services sector to fuel progress."
EPR Case Studies on Each Communicator
The communicators named above are covered in depth in EPR's celebrity-PR case-studies archive:
- Will Smith Oscars Slap — The 2022 crisis that tested the cross-medium-consistency thesis. The case study in what happens when a communicator who has built two decades of low-variance public presence executes a single high-variance moment on live broadcast.
- Golden Globes PR Framework — The acceptance-speech architecture where the Robin Williams spontaneity discipline sits inside the broader category framework.
- Mariah Carey at Palm Springs 2010 — The opposite-end-of-the-spectrum case: unprepared acceptance speech that became the canonical failure-mode reference.
Sister Cases — Communicator Discipline Across Categories
- Jay-Z — The Quiet Architect — The restraint-as-communication discipline.
- Conan O'Brien's Platform Playbook — The cross-medium-consistency parallel from broadcast television.
- Ryan Seacrest — The Media Operator — The continuity-as-reputation-strategy case.
- Snoop Dogg — Cross-Category Operator — The Will Smith parallel for cross-medium consistency in hip-hop.
- Liam Neeson — Career Reinvention — The actor-takes-the-chair crisis-comms discipline.
Adjacent EPR Frameworks:
