| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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There's been a lot of confusion around this week.
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was confused about whether he was attending a work meeting or a boozy gathering in the garden of his home while such a gathering was banned.
Novak Djokovic, a tennis player of some note, was confused about whether he'd visited other countries in the couple of weeks before he arrived in Australia to play in the Australian Open.
And Prince Andrew, ninth in line to the throne, was confused about whether he sweats or was once in Pizza Express in Woking.
I wish I could help. It's unfortunate to see such high-profile figures being so confused by things that you and I find quite straightforward. |
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There won't be any more football analogies at Downing Street press conferences soon.
Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam is leaving his post as England's deputy chief medical officer.
His bon mots include:
"So this is like getting to the end of the play-off final. It has gone to penalties, the first player goes up, scores the goal. You haven't won the cup yet, but what it does is it tells you the goalkeeper can be beaten."
"Follow the guidance. Don't tear the pants out of it, and don't go further than the guidance actually says."
That's communication. I wish him well in the future. |
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| My interview guest this week is someone near the start of their music career. (And yes, her picture is supposed to be that way up)
Inasens is a self-taught musician and a law graduate who juggles a day job with her love of singing and writing. With the start of her career coinciding with the pandemic, her music - which captures the spirit of youth and confidence - has gained considerable traction online as well as UK radio play.
Inasens is building a dedicated fan base and is excited to continue recording and experimenting with sounds whilst evolving her artistry. It was a great pleasure to speak with her.
You can hear our chat in the Media Coach Radio Show.
And of course there's a wonderful song from her too. |
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| MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestrois Ronnie Spector, a member of the wonderful group The Ronettes, who died this week.
She was remembered by her family in this way: “Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humor and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude.”
In 1963, the Ronettes issued their superb No. 1 single “Be My Baby,” which would signal the defining sound of the girl group era. Songs like “Walking in the Rain,” “Do I Love You,” “Baby I Love You,” and others would influence artists for decades—the Ramones and Amy Winehouse among them. At one point, the Ronettes became the No. 1 pop group in England. Guess where Amy got her look from.
Spector also authored one fo the best-named biographies ever: Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, chronicling her life in the music business. She was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame in 2004.
And of course, it gives me a chance to feature one of the most perfect pop songs of all time. |
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The MediaMug of the week is Gioacchino Gammino, a member of the Sicilian Mafia, who has been on the run for twenty years.
He almost got away with it, until a car taking photos for Google Street View passed by a shop in small town near Madrid where he was chatting to a friend.
Police had suspected he was in the country but had been unable to find him.
"The photo helped us to confirm the investigation we were developing in traditional ways," said Nicola Altiero, deputy director of Italy's anti-mafia unit.
Oops. |
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| Speaking Tip of the week - A Lucky Bag of speaking tips |
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Many, many years ago, I used to buy a Lucky Bag from the sweet shop on the way home from school. You never knew exactly what was inside, but it was guaranteed to be a set of tasty surprises. Here's a Lucky Bag of speaking tips for you.
1) Emphasise nouns, not adjectives For example, in a wedding speech, don't say "Isn't she a GORGEOUS, RADIANT, BEAUTIFUL bride?" Instead, say "Isn't she a gorgeous, radiant, beautiful, BRIDE? Try it. It works every time
2) Humour in your speeches should come from your experience If you think nothing funny ever happens to you, try keeping a notebook with you and jotting down everything that makes you laugh. The book will fill up quickly, and provide a mass of material for your speeches.
3) You can't make things too simple Even if you are talking to an expert audience, try to use simple language. The idea is to create a connection with your audience, and to get them thinking beyond your words. If they are thinking about your words, trying to extract the meaning, then your impact is reduced.
4) Speak to one person Presenting to an audience, however large or small, works best when people feel they're being spoken to as individuals. When you think about your audience, decide what would interest them as individuals, not as a group. Avoid phrases like - "As you are all accountants, you'll be interested in the numbers on the next slide". Instead, say "As an accountant, think what these numbers mean to you" |
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| Media Tip of the week - Hold the Line |
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Just to the south of Philadelphia is the Mason-Dixon line which was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, an English astronomer and surveyor respectively. It's often regarded as the line between the northern and southern states of the USA.
Holding a line is very important in media interviews. It's not just about defending your position, it's also about delivering a strong message. Many interviewees fail to recognise that their best strategy is to plan an approach well in advance, and use their time on air to weave around the line, but never deviate too far from it.
Holding a line can be achieved by using the same phrase often, or by making the same point in different ways. I always advise my clients to use exactly the same wording at least three times, and to ensure that the message is delivered in their final answer. If the reporter asks "just one more question" after what appeared to be their last enquiry, repeat your message one more time; "As I just said"
If your message is strong enough, it will withstand any amount of journalistic probing. If you find that your argument is fragile under pressure, you simply didn't prepare well enough (but you should repeat your message nonetheless). Under every circumstance, just hold your line.
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| Social Media Tip of the week - The Old Variety Show |
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It used to be said that TV killed theatre variety shows. Now it's being said that the web is killing TV. But variety never went away. In fact, it's variety that can help to keep people interested in your social media output. If you only ever post links to your own content, people will stop following you.
On the other hand, if you only ever promote other people's postings, you may be regarded as less than an expert yourself. Similarly, if you upload only videos, or only audio clips, you may end up with an audience that switches off, or believes that is the only thing you can do.
So it's a good idea to introduce variety into your social media output. It doesn't require a great deal of work, but it may help to do a little planning. Here's how you could organise your activity:
Monday - Post a blog about a current issue. Mention it on Facebook and Twitter Tuesday - Post links to five pieces of content by other experts, Include at least one video. Wednesday - Record and upload your own video Thursday - Offer to answer questions live online about your topic Friday - Conduct an online poll and write about the results
Those are just examples. None of them should take more than 30 minutes of your time. Look at other ways to mix up your social media, and watch your following grow.
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| Speaker coaching - a reminder |
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A reminder about my speaker coaching programme for 2022 - find out more at the link or reply to this email
SPEAKER COACHING |
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| The information in this ezine may be freely re-used in any online or offline publication, provided it is accompanied by the following credit line - "This information was written by Alan Stevens, and originally appeared in "The MediaCoach", his free weekly ezine, available at www.mediacoach.co.uk." |
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