Rich "Trigger" Bontrager

09/04/2026

In 1987, I was a young broadcaster standing inside an ABC production truck during Game 7 of the World Series at the Metrodome.

It was magical—but it also taught me a leadership lesson I have never forgotten.

Millions of viewers saw one seamless broadcast. Behind it were producers, camera operators and technicians listening carefully, trusting one another and working from one clear signal.

Great leadership works the same way. Your team may see different angles, but your communication must bring them together around one clear picture.

09/03/2026

Leaders are constantly told to “know your audience.” But that familiar phrase is much deeper and more powerful than most people realize. Knowing your audience is not simply knowing their job titles, industries, or demographics. It means understanding:

Great sports broadcasters do not simply transmit information. They interpret the experience for the audience. Great leaders must learn to do the same.

Take a moment and read my today's. Lead Through The Lens™ Briefing and see what you learn from some sport broadcaster greats about communication and connection.

A Lead Through The Lens™ Briefing John Madden did not merely explain football.He made you feel the collision.Madden was excited, animated, and wonderfully unpredictable. He punctuated plays with words such as “Boom!” He drew lines across the screen with his telestrator, circled players, and re...

09/02/2026

A great interview is not just a series of questions. It is a conversation built around curiosity, listening, and discovery.

Fellow broadcaster Kerry Liebelt and I discuss what happens when an interviewer stops trying to control every moment and begins listening closely enough to recognize where the conversation wants to go.

Preparation matters. Good questions matter. But the real art of interviewing is being present enough to hear the answer—and curious enough to ask the follow-up question that was never written down.

That lesson reaches far beyond broadcasters and podcast hosts. Leaders also build trust when they stop waiting to speak and begin listening to understand.

Whether you are leading an interview, a meeting, or a conversation through the camera, do not simply work through your questions. Create space for discovery.

That is how we connect through the lens.

09/01/2026

What is the greatest leadership communication challenge today?

From my perspective as America’s Leadership Broadcaster™, it is this:

Breaking through the noise without losing the human connection.

Leaders now communicate across email, video, meetings, messaging platforms, social media, and AI-generated content. We have more ways to reach people than ever before—yet reaching people is not the same as connecting with them.

The data confirms how serious the challenge has become:

Gartner found that 38% of employees believe they receive an excessive amount of communication inside their organizations. Axios HQ reports that 25% of leaders struggle to break through information overload, while another 20% find it difficult to communicate concisely and engagingly.

And Gallup reports that only 32% of U.S. employees are engaged at work.

That tells me this is not simply a messaging problem. It is a problem of clarity, trust, and human connection.

Leaders are competing with overflowing inboxes, constant notifications, shrinking attention spans, workplace uncertainty, hybrid teams, AI-generated noise, and growing skepticism. In that environment, communicating more is not necessarily the answer.

Leaders must learn to send a clearer signal.

That means knowing what matters, getting to the point, communicating with emotional intention, and helping people understand not only what is happening, but also why it matters and what they should do next.

But I want to move beyond the research and hear directly from leaders, managers, executives, and communication professionals who are living this every day:

What is your greatest leadership communication challenge right now?

Is it earning trust? Communicating change? Connecting through the camera? Reaching a hybrid team? Handling difficult conversations? Cutting through information overload? Or something entirely different?

Please share your answer in the comments. I want to listen, learn, and better understand the real communication challenges leaders are facing today.

09/01/2026

Your people don’t need a perfect leader. They need a present, honest, and human one.

That is the heart of Human Connection—the H in my H.E.A.R.T. Method™. When we stop performing and allow people to see who we really are, trust has room to grow.

Watch the full video, "Why Most Leaders Fail On Camera, "on my YouTube channel.

08/31/2026

Standing beside the Lone Sailor and signal flags at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., I began thinking about the responsibility leaders have to send a clear signal.

For sailors, unclear communication over distance can have serious consequences. The signal had to be deliberate, visible, and understood.

Leadership communication works much the same way today.

Your people may be scattered across different offices, cities, or countries, but the distance between you is not as vast as you may think. The camera lens can close that distance and create a surprisingly personal connection—but you must learn how to communicate through it.

Your message is more than your words. Your facial expression, vocal energy, eye contact, pacing, and body language are all sending signals. When they align, people feel clarity and confidence. When they do not, uncertainty begins to grow.

Leaders, don’t simply turn on the camera. Send a signal your people can clearly see, hear, feel, and trust.

08/31/2026

Your first words establish the direction, energy, and emotional tone of your entire message. Before your audience has decided whether they agree with you, they are already deciding whether you understand them. That is why an opening line is not merely a writing decision. It is a leadership decision.

Two recent commencement speeches provide a fascinating comparison. The leaders addressed different graduating classes, but both spoke about the same highly charged subject: artificial intelligence. One opening generated curiosity and applause. The other produced boos and visible resistance.

The difference was not simply the leaders’ positions on AI. It was how each leader invited the audience into the conversation.

Read my complete Leadership Analysis

Two recent commencement speeches provide a fascinating comparison. The leaders addressed different graduating classes, but both spoke about the same highly charged subject: artificial intelligence. One opening generated curiosity and applause. The other produced boos and visible resistance. The diff...

08/27/2026

The Journalist’s Creed: What Broadcasters Teach Leaders ��Every leader is a broadcaster, entrusted with public faith. Just as journalists live by a creed, your communication shapes trust. Your audience gives you their attention, time, confidence, and often their future. ��Are you worthy of that trust?

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08/25/2026

We may be the last generation to remember what life was like before social media—and that perspective matters.

We remember conversations without notifications, relationships without follower counts, and connection that required us to be fully present. Now we live in a media-first world where nearly every leader communicates through a camera, screen, or digital platform.

As a broadcaster and leadership communication strategist, I believe we have an opportunity to combine the reach of today’s technology with the humanity of yesterday’s communication.
Because being seen is not the same as being known. Getting views is not the same as building trust. And reaching an audience is not the same as connecting with people.

Every leader is now a broadcaster. The question is: Are we merely adding to the noise—or are we communicating in a way that helps people feel seen, heard, and valued?

Let’s Lead Through The Lens™ with clarity, confidence, and human connection.
What do you miss most about life before social media?


3h

08/24/2026

After severe storms tore through Northwest Indiana on August 11, thousands of Gary residents remained without power for nearly two weeks. Families lost food, businesses lost income, schools closed, and vulnerable residents struggled to keep medications and medical equipment in working order. At one point, more than 20,000 customers in Gary were still waiting for electricity to be restored.

The physical damage was extraordinary. Winds reportedly reached 99 miles per hour, hundreds of utility poles were damaged, and portions of the electrical system essentially had to be rebuilt. But the restoration effort was not the only problem.

The communication also failed.

Learn more and read this week's LEADERSHIP ANALYSIS.