Our passion for helping others succeed comes from the heart.
Our hearts warm even more when clients and collaborators share words like these:
“I have had a lot of experience with professional communicators throughout my career with companies like Warner Music Group and Time Warner. Hands down, Rich Hayes is the best of the best at tailoring messages that inspire attention and action. Now that I’m teaching business and entertainment at American University, Rich repeatedly gets A+ reviews when I invite him to talk to my students about effective communications. He really has a unique and magic touch.”
– Linda Bloss-Baum, Director, Business and Entertainment Program, American University, and former Vice President, Time Warner and Warner Music Group
“Advice is easy to come by. Good advice is harder to find. Great advice that is timed and delivered in a manner that can be received is an art. As a founding board member for Southern Word, a nonprofit that helps young people develop their voice, Hayes exhibited his commitment to artists and the leading communicators of the future. He demonstrated that congeniality and a sharp acumen are not mutually exclusive. Hayes’s guidance, communications expertise, and energy are valuables that you want a part of your organization whether it is for weeks, months, or years.”
– Benjamin Smith, Executive Director, Southern Word
“As an advocate and non-profit leader, I have worked with a number of media trainers and communication strategists over the years – none more savvy and insightful than Rich Hayes. What sets him apart is his experience assessing what works and what doesn’t in a challenging, ever-changing media landscape and providing the tools you need to navigate it. He has a natural ability to boil an issue down to its critical essence to help you craft a compelling message that can break through the noise. Working with Rich, I was able to make the most of media opportunities as diverse as local print and TV news to 60 Minutes, resulting in important visibility for my organization and significant tactical impact in our issue campaigns.”
– Michelle Robinson, former Director of Clean Transportation, Union of Concerned Scientists
“Rich Hayes gave the single best PowerPoint presentation I’ve ever seen! He wowed executives, city leaders and federal experts with his presence, insight and humor. The communication strategies he detailed guided me for years. No wonder he was the first person I called before launching my food tour business. He helped hone my storytelling and delivery skills and gave me the confidence to position myself as an expert in a nascent field.”
– Karen-Lee Ryan, Founder and CEO, Walk Eat Nashville, and former digital executive for Gannett and Hearst Newspapers
“As a writer who has dreaded book tours and radio and TV appearances, Rich has taught me an immense amount about how to be a better and more natural communicator. He brings a wealth of experience, intelligence, and creativity to the job and, best of all, his kindness and enthusiasm are infectious and get amazing results.”
– Seth Shulman, Guggenheim-winning author of books including The Telephone Gambit: ChasingAlexander Graham Bell’s Secret and Unlocking the Sky: Glenn Hammond Curtis and the Race to Invent the Airplane
“Rich understands the value of using compelling art, design, and data to move the public. He was a critical partner in helping my collective realize a national campaign on the subject of religion and climate change. Our work together received media attention for its ability to inspire, inform, and instruct; that kind of communication is an art.”
– Pamela Hovland, Senior Critic in Design, Yale University, and Founder, Class Action Collective
“Rich is a caring, gentle communications coach. But I also needed practice in the hot seat, so he went full into character, asking pointed questions so I’d be prepared for anything in interviews. He makes it fun and entertaining, almost like performance art, while at the same time teaching how to effectively communicate in a way that was compelling for the average person AND honestly reflected best science.”
– Patty Monahan, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
“Rich has been a fantastic resource and facilitator in training over 20 faculty at the University of Illinois to be better communicators. His wealth of experience and expertise of how to parlay science through the media has drastically improved our ability to navigate the media scene and relay the important work we’re doing in veterinary medicine.”
– Will Sander, DVM, Assistant Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois
“Rich is, at his core, a masterful connector. Whether spinning records as Selector Hayes and coaxing a group of strangers to groove and move together or developing written and oral communications that inspire audiences to tackle intractable societal problems, Rich is expert in connecting people to each other, to ideas, and to action. As Vice Chair of the board of directors of a non-profit I directed, Rich mentored me and helped me achieve success. He was my ‘go to’ for advice about how to approach funders, how to have difficult conversations, and how to ‘manage up.’ I totally trust Rich. He cares deeply for his fellow humans and for the shared community and world we all inhabit!”
– Jennifer Westerholm, former Executive Director, Urban Green Lab, Assistant Director of Sustainability, Nashville government
“In 2018, Rich Hayes delivered the keynote address to the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt’s graduating class. His message to the graduates and their families inspired a next generation of scientists and engineers to be more effective communicators. Hayes delivered this message in an engaging and enthusiastic fashion. He knowledgeably contextualized the importance of scientific communication through integrating personal stories and current events that resonated soundly with our audience.”
– Angela Eeds, Director, School for Science and Math, Vanderbilt University
“Rich Hayes is a communication pioneer and a creative powerhouse. His insight, experience, and delightfully warm personality has helped him become an extraordinary public speaking coach and media trainer for a wide variety of people—from politicians and NFL players to Nobel laureates and nonprofit executives. Time and again, he has helped accomplished professionals become first-rate speakers and compelling storytellers.”
– Suzanne Shaw, Chief Communications Officer, Union of Concerned Scientists
“In his job moderating briefings at the congressional information office I headed, Rich had an unparalleled vantage point as top lawmakers, administration officials, diplomats, researchers, industry representatives and others sought to persuade each other and our members (90 senators and nearly 300 House members). I was impressed by Rich’s analyses of effective communication styles, as I was by his own caring professional style.”
– Linda Cartwright, Former Staff Director, US Congress
“Working with Rich is a collaborative effort, not something imposed. He showed me that I knew my message and could deliver it effectively—and taught me to get out of my own way to do it.”
– Dr. David Wright, Physicist and National Expert on Nuclear Weapons, MIT
“Thank you for such a fantastic plenary talk at the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians’ annual conference. The information you provided was excellent and your delivery was spot on. I have heard nothing but praise for your talk!”
– Kurt K. Sladky, DVM, Clinical Professor, University of Wisconsin