The Media Coach

Hi John,

Things won't be fully back to normal here in the UK for a few days yet, and the remarkable events of the last week will no doubt live long in the memory.

I am part of the volunteer workforce in London that is providing support to the police and security services during the period of national mourning, As a volunteer in a small (three person) team, I've been mainly providing advice and assistance to people at Oxford Circus.

Many of the questions have been about how to join the queue for Westminster Hall, but we've also been asked where to buy a shooting stick (James Smith & Sons, Holborn), how many floors of toys there are in Hamleys (seven) and where to buy a beard trimmer at 8pm (John Lewis, Oxford Street). And we didn't use Google once.

Last week, it was International Literature Day.

Lockdown apparently encouraged a lot of people to read books, whether in digital or paper form.

I love to read, and I've made a point this week of reading some classic literature and poetry, including Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and poetic works by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Being related to Mary Shelley (or Godwin as she was), through her father William, I've always taken a keen interest in her life and works. I even used her story as a the basis of one of my keynote speeches.

I've just opened registration for my 2023 speaker coaching programme. Only eight places will be available, and this is the only opportunity to work with me one-to-one for 6 months or a year.



Whether you're a professional speaker who needs to increase your fees and get more gigs, or a corporate speaker who wants to deliver exceptional speeches and presentations, this is for you.

I've coached hundreds of people like you over the past few decades, and if you'd like to speak at the highest level, let's have a chat.

My interview guest this week is Michael Armstrong.

Mike's a good friend of the show. As well as being a great singer and songwriter in his own right, he's also helped me out with many guests who have appeared in the last couple of years.

He's worked with many musical icons, and is no slouch himself when it comes to delivering hit records.

Listen to our chat in this week'sMedia Coach Radio Show.

And of course there's a fantastic new single from Michael Armstrong too.

The MediaMug was suggested by many people, including Simon Baker and Jeremy Nicholas. It is of course Center Parcs, who got themselves into a terrible PR tangle.

They initially said that guests would have to leave its five UK sites for 24 hours from 10 am on Monday 19 September. There was an understandable uproar, as people flooded social media with complaints.

Realising their mistake, Center Parcs issued another statement to say that it will no longer require guests who are not due to depart on Monday to leave. Those due to arrive on Monday, however, will still not be able to check in until 10 on am Tuesday.

Center Parcs initially said that guests would be confined to their chalets on Monday, but has now said guests will be able to walk around the villages. However, the facilities, such as restaurants and swimming pools, will be closed. My guess is that they will reverse that decision too. What a nightmare.

Comedian Rosie Holt has made a brilliant video as a "Center Parcs rep"

The first speech I had to give in the presence of royalty was back in 1988 when as a local councillor and chair of the Leisure Committee in St Albans, I welcomed the Duke and Duchess of Kent to the opening of an indoor tennis centre.

I don't mind admitting I was terrified. I had to do ten minutes after dinner, including thanking our royal guests. In the green room beforehand, The Duchess offered me some advice. She said "When I'm speaking, I always imagine The Queen is at the back of the room. If she'd like the speech, I know it will be fine". I never forgot her words. It's like being on Her Majesty's speaking service.

If you find yourself having to do a set-piece speech in the presence of royalty, or other dignitaries or VIPs, here are a few tips.

One of the most difficult tricks to pull in media interviews is showing respect to people that you don't like, or who have made an unpleasant comment about you. But it is also one of the most important characteristics to show, as you will always come across as being fair, even if you are under a lot of pressure.

It can be difficult to bite your tongue when you are annoyed by a remark made by another guest or the interviewer themselves, but that is what you must do.

The same applies in a question and answer session, when a question to you may be prefaced by strong disagreement, or even by an insult.

So how do you ensure that you always show respect?

Firstly, pause. Take time to absorb the comment or question, which gives you time to calm down, as well as time to think about how to respond. There is no benefit in a quick-fire answer, and plenty of benefit in a considered comment. It's likely that you will have rehearsed and anticipated the situation, so pausing allows you to collect your thoughts and deliver a fair response.

Secondly, use facts. There is often a lot of opinion in debates, but facts cannot be argued with (although some people will try). A simple fact will provide you with credibility, and a position to argue from respectfully.

Thirdly, find something to agree with in the comment or question. There is nearly always a some grain of truth in even the most aggressive comment that you can pick up on and say yes to. It can be very disarming for an opponent when you agree with something in what they thought was an insult.

Lastly, stay cool and calm. Never raise your voice, and never show irritation or anger. It may not be easy, but you can do it.

Sometimes, an image is very valuable to reinforce a message, such as in a social media post.

The easiest way to find an image, and the way many people do it, is simply to Google the term and use whatever pops up. But beware. The copyright of many images is owned by individuals or organisations and you need permission to use them. But there are ways to use images without having to seek permission, or to pay for a licence.

The easiest way is to use an image you definitely have the rights to use, which means it has been taken by you, or a friend or family member who is happy for you to share it.

If you are using Google, select Tools > Usage Rights, and then choose Creative Commons licenses. This will bring up images that are free to use and share, though you may have to post a credit to the owner of the image.

You can also use a stock image site, like Pexels or Unsplash.. The images on these sites are free, and providing credit to the artist is optional (although it’s still a nice thing to do).

Wikimedia Commons, a site owned by the same nonprofit that runs Wikipedia, is another great place to find free images. While all the images here are free to use, they have different licenses with different usage requirements.

Lastly, there are a number of Art Galleries and Museums that allow free use of their images.

And yes, all of the images I use are used with permission (if they aren't taken by me).

Queen Elizabeth had a wonderful sense of fun.