John Neffinger
Partner
john@knpcommunications.com
John Neffinger has more than a decade of experience preparing politicians, corporate executives and others to speak confidently and move audiences to action. His clients have included progressive politicians and activists at the local and national levels, including several dozen successful Congressional candidates and sitting Members of Congress. He has also worked with senior and mid-level executives at more than a hundred major companies in the U.S. and overseas, including GE, Microsoft and HBO.
John has been featured discussing politics, public speaking and body language in publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Psychology Today and on programs such as The CBS Evening News, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Fox News's Strategy Room and NPR. He is also an occasional contributor to the Huffington Post.
John formerly served as Director of Communications & Outreach at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, where he worked with the national security and science faculty to facilitate their communication in the media.
John previously worked as a management consultant, preparing and delivering more than a hundred lectures at major companies in the U.S. and overseas for senior and mid-level executives. He also did extensive presentation training, including the development of a comprehensive speaker training curriculum.
John has also worked at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he helped to build the Center for Universal Education working with former National Economic Advisor Gene Sperling. As an attorney, John practiced litigation and intellectual property law with a top-10 New York firm. He holds honors degrees from Harvard College and Columbia Law School.
"I am a big fan of well-written language, but it doesn't matter how elegant the argument or inspiring the prose, a presentation won't move anyone if the presenter isn't feeling what they're saying. I got lucky and learned the craft of public speaking with the help of some wise teachers and a lot of on-the-job learning. Sharing those lessons with our clients — and sharing the feeling of accomplishment that comes from giving a well-received presentation — is a great pleasure."