The Media Coach

Hi John,

As I mentioned last week, I was a volunteer on Coronation duty, That was fine, except I got soaked, because it wasn't fine, if you see what I mean.

I was in Cardiff on Sunday at the magnificent Principality Stadium (which is really the Millennium Stadium) watching the finals of the Euro wheelchair rugby championships.

It's a brutal and fascinating sport. The Great Britain team were just pipped in the final by a very strong French team, but both sides qualified for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. I hope to be watching there too!

I have a couple of places on my speaker coaching programme, for six or twelve months - the places are available in June.

Here's what Sierra Modro, Certified Speaking Professional from Portland, Oregon USA said:

“My year with Alan was transformative! I knew that I needed accountability, but he provided so much more: expertise, connections, a sounding board, and support when I needed it. My business was completely different at the end of our time together. I’d gone from confusion about how to progress to feeling like my business was an extension of who I am at heart. During tough times, Alan was understanding and supportive and helped remind me of my success. Exactly as one would hope from a first class coach and a first class person.”

If you'd like to know more and maybe have a chat, just get in touch.

Jane Atkinson knows more about the speaking business than anyone I know.

She's the author of four books including the bestseller The Wealthy Speaker 2.0, The Epic Keynote and The Wealthy Speaker Daily Success Planner and Journal.

She's the host of Host of The Wealthy Speaker Podcast, and worked for over a decade as one of the top business managers for speakers including best-selling authors and celebrities.

We decided to have a chat about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the speaking world, as well as on the world in general. It was a fascinating conversation, as you can hear in the Media Coach Radio Show.

And here's a link to a fabulous free resource that Jane provided for readers and listeners.

And of there's a great song from When Rivers Meet too.

The MediaMug this week is an un-named royal calligrapher.

People noticed that the invitation sent to the First Lady of Ukraine was actually written as the First Lady of "Ukaine". I hope they were sent to SpecSavers rather than to The Tower.

Olena Zelenska herself was very gracious and didn't mention the error. She simply tweeted "Invitation that will be remembered forever. Was honoured to attend coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camillaand to wish them a successful reign and prosperity. Was glad to hear words of support toward Ukraine from guests of the ceremony."

How very nicely put.

If you use storytelling in your speeches (and you even if you don't) you will probably be familiar with the concept of the "Hero's Journey". It is the classical structure of tales told for thousands of years, and is still used everyday by speakers and storytellers. (If you want to look into it in detail, I recommend Joseph Campbell's book "The Power of Myth"). However, I'm going to use a highly-simplified version of it to make this week's point about speaking.

The Hero's Journey has three parts -

For example, The Wizard of Oz sees Dorothy leave Kansas, undergo an amazing adventure, and return to find her perception changed. If you examine stories that you tell, most of them will include a journey, a transformation, and a change of outlook.

You take your audience on a mental journey of transformation as you speak to them. Think about how the principle applies to your speeches. But don't think that the hero has to win - sometimes the most powerful messages come from things that don't go to plan.

(N.B. Yes, to prevent a flood of email, the term "Hero" covers both genders)

There are a number of things to think about when you are on radio or TV. I have spoken about many of them with you before. However, there are three things to think about which will set you apart from the run-of-the-mill interviewee. Here they are:

1) Understand what the station/channel is about. You wouldn't go into a job interview without finding out about the company. In the same way, you should do some research about the show you are due to appear on, and the station/channel that broadcasts it. The easiest way of course, is to watch or listen to a previous show, using iPlayer or a "listen again" feature on their website. Get an idea of the type of guest and presenter who appears, the style they use, and the audience they serve. it will make a huge difference to how you come across.

2) Take a stand The last thing they want is a bland interviewee with middle of the road views. You should be prepared to take a stance and explain why. If it goes against conventional wisdom, so much the better. You are there to express your opinion, not to agree with the host.

3) Stay with your subject It is easy to be diverted away from the issue you were invited to speak on, especially if a news story has broken in a similar topic and you are asked for your views on it. Should that happen, answer briefly and concisely, and then steer the conversation back to your original subject. Never say "I'm not here to talk about that", or you will never be asked back. Be polite, and make sure you deliver your prepared message.

A few years ago, Fast Company magazine asked social media companies for their best advice on using social media for business. Here are my favourite five from that list, with a bit of extra commentary from me.

1) Stop and ask' "Would an actual person talk this way?". This is my favourite, and one that I see often ignored. Social media is conversational, and posts and tweets should sound like part of a conversation. Stilted language and use of the third person make people think you are a machine.

2) If all you do is respond to complaints, that is all people will send you. Of course, it is important to handle complaints well, and be seen to be doing so. It is also important to acknowledge praise, offer advice and ask questions.

3) Update your page or delete it. You don't have to change your information every week, but if people never see anything new from you, they will simply go elsewhere.

4) Social is 24/7, not a one-off. You can't just launch a social media campaign and sit back waiting for the results to come in. You need to be in the conversation.



5) Not everything will work, and that is fine. One of the beauties of social media is the ability to change things very quickly. You should experiment, and if things don't work, try something else.

Yes it's the Eurovision Song Contest. A lot of fun and sometimes a few mistakes....

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