The Media Coach

Hi John,

I'm a serial volunteer. I spend two or three days a month in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London, often driving the mobility buggy (with some volunteer chums in the pic).

Over the next couple of months I will be volunteering at the Coronation of King Charles, the Hackney Half Marathon, Major League Baseball at the London Stadium and several concerts and athletic events.

I realise that not everyone is able to give up time to volunteer. It's often to do with the stage of life you're in. But if you can spare a few days each year, do give it a go - it will turn out to be tremendously rewarding.

Seven years ago today, we lost one of the finest musicians on the planet.

Prince Rogers Nelson, known just as Prince for much of his career, died at the age of 57. I was never a huge fan, but I recognised his immense talent.

Two moments in his career stand out for me.

There's the time he played with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood and Dhani Harrison to pay tribute to George Harrison in 2004. His solo was remarkable, and at the end he threw his guitar up in the air. No-one has seen it come down yet (watch the video).

And then there was what I think was one of the greatest ever live performances - he played Purple Rain in the middle of a torrential downpour at the Superbowl half-time show in Miami. Take a look.

Paul Gilroy has compiled a list of songs that charts the development of black music in Britain over the last 70 years, from calypso to grime, as a legacy of the Windrush arrivals.

My radio show guest this week was picked to appear on the list. It's a great opportunity to repeat the chat we had last year.

He's Chris Amoo, lead singer of the legendary soul band The Real Thing, who had hits with "You to me are everything" and "Can you feel the Force?"

We spoke about the challenges and opportunities of the music industry these days, his background as a very successful singer-songwriter, and a new album that his band released.

It was a real pleasure to talk to one of the icons of the UK soul scene.



Listen to my conversation with Chris in the Media Coach Radio Show.

And of course there's a superb new song from The Real Thing

The MediaMug this week is Pauly Michaelis.

He's a New Jersey man proclaiming himself the “biggest advocate and supporter” of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. Last week he burned merchandise and hundreds of dollars worth of booze in a now-viral tirade against the liquor company for going “woke.”

His backlash comes as the whiskey brewer’s “small town, big pride” 2021 ad campaign featuring drag queens from “Ru Paul’s Drag Race” has resurfaced.

“For those of you who know me well my drink has always been Jack Daniels,” Michaelis wrote. “For over 150 years since 1866 this drink was always associated with cowboys, warriors, bikers, savage rock bands and all American badass people.”

“THEY WENT WOKE,” Michaelis wrote, followed by a middle-finger emoji.

Alas, his tirade has been widely mocked on social media. “He thinks Jack Daniels merch counts as decor. Those drag queens did him the biggest favour,” one person wrote.

Another noted, “My toddler does things like this when he’s upset too.”

Think about books you've read, films you've seen, or TV programs you've watched. How would you describe them to someone who hadn't read or seen them? The chances are, you'd just tell them about the theme, the main characters and the message. You wouldn't be able to quote from the script (unless you'd read the book or seen the film dozens of times).

It's the same with speeches. No-one will be able to remember exactly what you said. If they recall anything, it will be a story, a message or an overall feeling. Alas, some speakers fail to grasp this principle, and try to overwhelm their audiences with information, either in spoken form or (much, much worse) on a series of data-packed slides. The only abiding memory of such presentations is usually "They told me a lot of stuff, but I can't remember any of it".

You need to have a big idea. That's the theme of your speech. It doesn't have to be a remarkable innovation; it can simply be a reminder to act in a certain way. As long as people remember it, find it useful and recall that you said it to them it's a big idea.

Everything in your speech should support the idea, so that it really hits home. Tell your audience what the big idea is too, don't make them work it out

.

Does every speech you deliver have a big idea? It should.

In order to get your message across in a media interview, you must speak as clearly as possible. Many interviewees, particularly when they are nervous, tend to speak more quickly, making them harder to understand. You need to make a real effort to speak more slowly - in fact, it is almost impossible to speak too slowly in an interview.

Clarity and diction are important too. Some people worry about their accents when they are due to be interviewed. These days, this is not a problem, since all types of accent are now common on both radio and TV. However, you do need to be aware of any local dialect words that may confuse a wider audience. A late friend of mine, Kenny Harris, used to tell of the unusual way that certain Scottish folk sometimes respond. "If you ask a Glaswegian a question, and he says 'Aye, right', he means 'No'" said Kenny. "They're probably the only people who can put two positives together to make a negative". All over the world, there are words and phrases that can puzzle your audience. As ever, the best advice is to keep it simple.

Using pauses is one of the most effective ways to improve communication. Not only does it help you to gather your thoughts, but it also helps your audience to digest and understand what you have said. It can be very difficult to get used to using pauses, since we all have set speaking patterns. It is well worth the effort, though. You can practice pausing by counting silently to five at the end of each phrase or sentence. The first time you try, it will seem like a lifetime, but persist until you are used to it. You will find it much easier to do if you talk to someone else, as they will be able to give you the feedback that it sounds just fine.

One of the best ways to improve your clarity is to change the pitch of your voice. We have all heard speakers who deliver in a monotone, causing most of their audience to doze off. You should aim at raising and lowering the pitch of your voice occasionally to maintain interest. Overall, try to lower your voice more than raising it, since this is easier on the ear of your listeners.

When you are using a microphone, the technician will adjust the output so that it sounds as clear as possible. Take your cue from your interviewer, and keep the same distance from the mike that they do. Some interviewees make the mistake of either leaning forward (which causes "popping" sounds), or leaning back (so that the technician has to adjust the sound quickly). Instead, sit in a relaxed way, leaning slightly forward, and talk in your normal voice.

When it's time to take a break, many people are now faced with an extra dilemma, along with "How many pairs of shoes?".

They worry about their social media activity having a gap of several weeks in it. Here are a few options. None is right or wrong - it's your call.

1) Do nothing. Just relax on the sun lounger, slap on the suntan lotion, and don't give it another thought. Alas, some people find this hard to do.

2) Set up automated messages. You can automate the posting of social media messages while you are away, so it appears you are online every day. The advantage is that you can then forget it. However, you're not really in the conversation, and the real concern is that you may appear unconcerned when the social media conversation is all about a disaster.

3) Go online while you're away. Not exactly a relaxing option, but if you must do this, try to limit your time to a few minutes in the morning and evening. If you stay online all day, you might as well stay at home - it's cheaper.

4) Give the job to someone else. If someone else understands your business as well as you do, this could work well, as long as you brief them carefully.



Personally, I tend to favour option one

Only Fools and Horses was a wonderful comedy show, but sometimes things didn't go to plan..

If you're looking for a speaker coach, just get in touch. I now have all inclusive pricing.