The Media Coach

Hi John,

On Monday, I was at a food launch for a Baseball game in London (I'm not making this up).

As well as a few of us appearing in our natty yellow and black baseball uniforms, we were sampling the food due to be served next month at the London Stadium when the St. Louis Cardinals face the Chicago Cubs.

The chefs explained that they had created food for each of the teams that reflected the culinary delights of each city.

I expected Pizza from Chicago and maybe deep-fried ravioli from St Louis (honestly, that's a real local delicacy).

However, it turned out to be a variety of burgers and hot dogs.

Perhaps the most unusual offering was the St Louis doughnut burger.

This consisted of a sweet doughnut topped with cheese, with a burger on top, then a layer of cheese, then another burger, then more cheese, then bacon, and then another sweet doughnut on top covered in bacon sprinkles. I think the whole thing had about half a million calories. It wasn't easy to eat either, but I had a crack at it.

Then there's the two-foot long hotdogs, topped with various dressings and half a kilo of beef mince. I'm told that some baseball fans go to 80 games a year. Phew!

I still have just one place left on my speaker coaching programme, for six or twelve months - the place is available in June. Better be quick!

Guy Clapperton, The Near Futurist, said:

“Alan has been instrumental in helping develop my keynote, transform my business with the addition of a VA and he helped enormously with the development of my podcast. This is why I extended our year's coaching to two years and added periodic consultations for a third; selecting Alan Stevens as a coach and mentor has been one of the best investments I've made."”

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

My returning radio guest Tristan Gooley is an author and natural navigator who has led expeditions in five continents, climbed mountains in Europe, Africa and Asia, sailed small boats across oceans and piloted small aircraft to Africa and the Arctic.

He has walked with and studied the methods of the Tuareg, Bedouin and Dayak in some of the remotest regions on Earth.

He has tested Viking navigation methods in a small boat in the north Atlantic, leading to the academic paper, Nature’s Radar.

He is the only living person to have both flown solo and sailed singlehanded across the Atlantic and is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and the Royal Geographical Society.

We spoke about his latest book, How to read a Tree, and as always, I learned a great deal.

It was a real pleasure to speak with again him last week, as you can hear in the Media Coach Radio Show.

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And there's a wonderful song from Sons of Town Hall too.

The MediaMug this week is the president of the Spanish football league La Liga, Javier Tebas.

Reacting to reports of racial abuse toward Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior, he said to the player on Twitter “Before you criticise and insult La Liga you need to inform yourself well, Vini Jr. Don’t let yourself be manipulated”

That's a shocking example of blaming the vicim for the abuse they received.

Vinícius threatened to leave the pitch in the second half after being subjected to monkey chants and Real Madrid, who said the incident constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

Javier Tebas has since apologised for his remarks, but the fact that he made them at all is a condemnation of how Spanish football is administered.

The most nervous moments before a speech often come in the few minutes before your introduction. Your heart rate increases, you think about what may go wrong, and you sometimes wish you were somewhere else. That's all normal.

There are things that you can do to steady your nerves and get you ready to deliver a great speech. Here are some tips:

1) Remember the preparation you have done. If you have planned properly, you will know what you want to say. That doesn't mean learning your speech word for word, but it does mean that you have memorised the key points, as well as your opening and closing words.

2) Use your voice. It's important that you have warmed up your voice and said a few words just before you speak. It could be chatting to the stage manager, or wandering around on your own delivering your first few lines.

3) Use your body. walk around for a few paces to keep yourself energised. If you have to stand or sit in one spot before you speak, make an effort to tense and release muscles around your body. And get in a few deep breaths.

4) Have notes with you. I always have speech notes written on file cards as a reminder before I go on stage. As I walk out, I put the cards in my pocket. I've never taken them out, but knowing they are there is a great help.

5) Use the audience's emotion. You aren't being tested or assessed, you're being willed to do well. The audience is on your side. Remember that and work with them.

6) Smile as you walk out. Have fun!

When you're called to do a media interview, it's because the tv or radio station thinks you have something worth saying.

Very often, you will be asked for your opinion by the researcher who calls you to set up the interview. It gives you an opportunity to test your view, even though it's just a phone conversation.

However, when you are on air, the listeners and viewers may be wondering "Why them?", so it's Important to provide some evidence of your credentials during the interview. You should have been properly introduced (that was set up in the pre-interview call) and there is usually a bar at the bottom of the screen with your name and job title.

There are several ways to show why you are the go-to person on the issue under debate. One is simply to say "In my 25 years in the business of..." which provides evidence of your experience.

Another is to say "I recall one of my clients having a similar issue a few years ago, and we handled it like this...". That shows your expertise.

Finally, you can say "There are golden rules for this type of situation, and they are...", which indicates your knowledge and experience together.

Try to use all three in any media interview and you'll find that you'll be called back, and you might pick up some other work too.

Many social media debates degenerate rapidly into an exchange of insults, with very little shared understanding.

While it may be satisfying to get things off your chest, it's not very good to get a reputation for being rude and insulting. Given that you aren't going to agree with everyone, how can you get involved in more respectful debates? Here are a few ideas:

Like many, I love the music of Steely Dan. I had no idea that Donny and Marie Osmond were also fans...

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