| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Last week, I predicted, with some degree of confidence, that the race to become the new Prime Minister of the UK would be between Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt, and that Ms Mordaunt would win.
As it turns out, I was completely wrong, which shows why I rarely bet on anything.
The new favourite to become PM is Liz Truss. who has a fairly shaky relationship with effective public speaking.
Back in the day, contests such as this were won or lost by those who could make the most inspiring speeches. Time will tell, but I don't expect to hear much soaring rhetoric between now and September 5th, when the new PM will take office.
And I'm not making any predictions... |
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Avanti West Coast 0, The Trainline 1 (after extra time)
"Euston, we have a problem". A little contrast in customer service.
I was due to travel from London to Warrington yesterday to deliver a speech and judge a speaking competition. I had a seat booked on the 12.30 from Euston. The previous two days of extreme heat had caused cancellations and delays which were still having an impact.
Though the train was a little late, I headed down the platform with a giddy throng of would-be travellers, many of whom had found their journeys disrupted. I arrived at my reserved seat to find it occupied by one of a family of four, who were clearly stressed.
I pointed out that one of the seats was my reserved place. The father said "We aren't moving". I had some sympathy of course, so looked for another seat. All were occupied. Some of the other passengers suggested that I should simply get a later train and "leave the family alone". Accordingly as the ticket collector arrived, I pointed out the situation, and he said "I've declassified this carriage, so reservations don't count". A new one on me.
There was little point in arguing, so I moved down to the door lobby, or as train companies refer to it quaintly, the vestibule. The ticket collector followed me. "You can't stand here" he said "safety reasons - you'll have to get off". So I detrained. I asked one of the platform staff when the next train was. "Fully booked for the rest of the day" she said. "You can get a refund if you like".
I trudged off the station and repaired to the Euston Tap, a charming little outdoor bar serving a wide selection of real ales. I settled down to organise a refund via the The Trainline app, to be greeted with the message "No refunds available on this ticket type"
That didn't improve my mood, so I rang The Trainline's customer service, and spoke to a charming woman who sorted out the problem in no time, and said "I'm so sorry for your inconvenience I have authorised a full refund". I thanked her and settled back to enjoy my IPA.
It's wasn't so much about the outcome as the manner. Avanti West Coast 0, The Trainline 1.
(And thanks to the brilliance of the event organiser, Heather Wright, I was able to go home and do the gig remotely.) |
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| Iain Matthews is a musical legend. He was a member of the seminal band Fairport Convention, had success with Matthews Southern Comfort and Plainsong, and has had a successful solo career for many years. He's also teamed up with other musicians, especially BJ Baartmans, to continue performing his superb songs. He's doing some short tours, and agreed to have a chat about his music, an extraordinary box set, and life in general.
Hear our chat in the Media Coach Radio Show. |
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| There's also a superb track from Iain's album with his band Plainsong. |
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| MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestro is England women's football manager Sarina Wiegman.
Throughout the Euro 2022 tournament, she has handled the media superbly and been an absolute maestro for her team.
After recovering from COVID, she guided the England team to a stunning comeback victory against Spain this week, and is clearly a tactical genius with superb communication skills.
Whatever happens to the England team in the semi-finals, she has made a real name for herself. |
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The MediaMug is the BBC.
The BBC is to pay damages to the ex-nanny to Princes William and Harry over false claims made about her to obtain a 1995 Princess Diana interview.
Alexandra Pettifer (pictured), known as Tiggy, received an apology at the High Court over totally unfounded claims she had had an affair with the Prince of Wales.
A probe has already found Panorama's Martin Bashir used fake documents to gain access to Diana.
Following the hearing, BBC director-general Tim Davie said the corporation apologised to Ms Pettifer, the Prince of Wales, and Princes William and Harry "for the way in which Princess Diana was deceived and the subsequent impact on all their lives".
He added: "Now we know about the shocking way that the interview was obtained, I have decided that the BBC will never show the programme again; nor will we license it in whole or part to other broadcasters." |
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| Speaking Tip of the week - Gigging around |
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Some of us in the speaking world call our bookings "gigs" (some other professional speakers foam at the mouth when they hear the word). Pretty much every performing musician is happy to talk about a gig, so let's stick with that for now. Musicians know the elements of a good gig, and I think the same applies to speakers:
1) Get the sound right. This means arriving early and working with the sound technician to make sure everything is in order, and everyone knows what is expected.
2) Rehearse the moves. Get up on stage and get a feel for it. Practice any moves, even if it's only getting on and off stage. If there's more than one act (speaker), practice the handover.
3) Know your backup plan Musicians have backup instruments and spare strings. Make sure you can cope if the projector fails, or you spill water on your notes.
4) Manage your set-list Ensure that you know your content, and the order you will deliver it in. Make sure you include the audience favourites.
5) Communicate with your audience A performance (speech) is a two-way event. Ask questions. Respond to comments, and enjoy yourself.
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| Media Tip of the week - Live on location |
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Interviews are often pre-recorded, or take place in a cosy (not to say hot) and comfortable studio. Occasionally, you may be asked to do an interview live in an outside location. That's when the fun starts. Here are some things to remember:
Check your background. The camera technician should do this, but they may be in a rush, so just look over your shoulder to check what else might be in the frame, and suggest a move if required.
Take sunglasses. You may find that you're squinting into the sun. Have some sunglasses to pop on so that you can keep your eyes open.
Keep going. No matter what happens, if you're in a live interview, just laugh it off and carry on.
Keep still until you're told to move. The camera may stay on you for a while after the interview has finished, so stay put until you hear that you're clear.
Stay on message. Despite all the distractions, stick to your main point.
As always, be as helpful as possible to the interviewer and crew. Don't complain about the conditions, but stay professional, and deliver the goods. |
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| Social Media Tip of the week - Fairly short and thin it out |
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When I was eight years old, I used to go to the local barber shop opposite the Odeon cinema clutching a half-crown (look it up).
All the way there, I repeated a mantra my mum had taught me "Fairly short and thin it out". On arrival, I said it to the barber, who duly obliged. I now realise that the maternal advice I received all those years ago is still valid, though not just for hair (although fortunately, I still have plenty of that).
With regard to social media, it's about not overwhelming your audience. It's about keeping messages short and to the point. It's also about finding the unnecessary detail and removing it. Twitter is the obvious example here, since the constraints force you to be brief. However, that discipline may also be used on other sites to great effect.
Journalists, of which I have been one, sometimes get paid by the word. That suggests that the more the content, the greater the value. There's a strong argument for employing people to run your social media feeds based on their talent for delivering information in as brief a form as possible. Alas, it will cost you far more than a half-crown these days.
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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." https://em-ui.constantcontact.com/em-ui/em/page/em-ui/email# |
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