Michael Sheehan
Lecturer in Theater Management
MFA
Michael Sheehan has been a leader in the field of communications consulting since 1981.
Michael has prepared countless corporate spokespersons for the major national television interview programs: Nightline, 60 Minutes, 20/20, Today, Good Morning America, Crossfire and others. As a confrontational debate specialist, he is one of the most utilized consultants in the country. He prepares CEOs, CFOs, and senior executives from banking/financial services, insurance, defense, airline, medical, energy, and consumer industries to step into the media/public affairs spotlight.
Nationally known for his expertise in message development and training, he has been called upon to help in critical business situations such as initial public offerings, shareholder meetings, hostile takeovers/defenses, corporate legal battles, and more. Responding to the increasing demand for training internationally, Michael has worked in London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Geneva, Brussels, Singapore, and Vienna.
Michael has coached more Presidents, Vice Presidents, Cabinet Secretaries, Governors, and Members of Congress than anyone in the country. He coached President Bill Clinton during the 1992 and 1996 campaigns, Presidential Debates, and for all of his Inaugural, State of the Union, and Oval Office addresses. He coached both John Kerry and John Edwards for the 2004 Presidential/Vice-Presidential Debates. In 1988, Michael was debate coach for former Senator Lloyd Bentsen in his celebrated debate with Vice President Dan Quayle, and for Vice President Al Gore in his CNN debate with H. Ross Perot as well as the 1996 Vice Presidential Debate with Jack Kemp. Since 1988, he has been hired by the Democratic National Committee for every convention to edit the texts and rehearse all speakers, including the party’s nominees and keynote speakers, for their nationally televised convention speeches.
He received his BSFS from Georgetown University and his MFA from Yale School of Drama. Profiled in national publications from The New York Times to The Washington Post, he has appeared on all three networks' news programs as well as those on CNN, CNBC, and Fox News. His speeches have been broadcast on C-SPAN, and he is a guest lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. In 1991, he received the Individual Achievement Award from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association and was recently named to the Leadership Council for Yale School of Drama.
