The Media Coach

Hi John,

An old news clip of me resurfaced on the web this week.

I was being interviewed in 2001 by the BBC's technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, about the arrival of picture messaging on mobile phones.

I was somewhat sceptical, saying that it would be very expensive to buy the handsets, and they were of no real use unless all your friends had them too.

Clearly, My TV career as a technology futurist was doomed.

Even worse, one of my colleagues pointed out my uncanny resemblance to that cheeky chappy of the airwaves, Alan Partridge.

Even more spookily, I began my radio career on student radio in Norwich.

I'm sure it's just a couple of co-incidences.

All the same, I wonder if I ever met Steve Coogan?

As you know, I'm a big fan of music.

A number of my friends recommended a drama series called Daisy Jones and the Six. On the face of it, I thought it was right up my street - 70s California, brilliant soundtrack etc. However, it turned out to be quite a disappointment.

The fashions were spot-on. The dialogue was a decent representation of how people spoke back then, but being a drama, every phrase had to move the plot along.

Alas, I found the original songs distinctly average. And the characters I found one-dimensional. As I said to people, maybe it's me. I remember the time, and the real bands. I'll stick to documentaries.

Time for another oft-requested interview repeat.

Dr Sue Mitchell is the author of “The Authority Guide to Engaging your People” and specialises in mindset for success in work and your whole life.

She has led expeditions to remote parts of the world, sailed across the South Pacific Ocean, was an international research scientist, is a National Instructor with the British Sub Aqua Club, is on the Edinburgh board of Women in Banking and Finance, and is Director of an award-winning leadership company, Aeona.

She has been giving organisations superb advice about remote working.

In our interview, she offered some great tips, as you can hear in the Media Coach Radio Show.

Go to the iTunes Archive of the MediaCoach Show

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And there's a great song from Chris While and Julie Matthews too.

The MediaMug this week is football pundit Gary Lineker.

He was recording an episode of a podcast with football chums Alan Shearer and Micah Richards. They were discussing their best all-time World Cup team.

Carlos Alberto, who was a key member of the Brazil side that won the trophy in 1970 and scored a superb goal in the final, was selected by Shearer for his contributions at right-back.

Gary Lineker then dug up some old quotes from Alberto where he had been singing Micah Richards' praises. Lineker looked down the camera and said, "Carlos Alberto, if you're watching, can I just say?..." before a member of the crew interrupted and told him, "He's dead".

Alan Shearer fell off his chair laughing. Micah Richards laughed and laughed. Gary Lineker eventually joined in. Oops.

If you are given only a few minutes notice to make a speech, the cold hand of fear can grip your heart. But don't worry. Follow these tips and you'll be fine.

1) What's it about? The first thing to do is to decide on a theme. Is it a general vote of thanks, praise for one individual, or an opening ceremony? Whatever it is, write down the most important thing you want to say. Make everything in your speech support that message. Say it at the beginning and again at the end.

2) Have a structure You'll need an introduction, a couple of stories and maybe some statistics. Jot them down on a piece of paper to help you deliver a speech that has a flow and a conclusion.

3) Drop some names Audiences love to hear you speak about them. If you don't know them already, find out the names of two or three significant people and mention them by name.

4) Don't worry too much about delivery If you are asked to do a short impromptu speech, it's much more important to mention a few facts than to deliver in perfect style. People will be very forgiving if you stumble over a few words, but they won't forgive getting the name of the organiser wrong.

5) Don't apologise Allow someone else to say that you've been asked to speak at short notice. You should never set low expectations.

6) Keep it short No-one ever complains that "the speeches were too short". When you've said what you need to say, stop.

When I train people for media interviews, we work on confidence, their message and staying in control. That doesn't mean learning a script. In fact, quite the reverse. The best media interviewees know how to be "in the moment", so that their interviews stay spontaneous and fresh.

For example, you should pay careful attention to the five or ten minutes of activity before you go on air. You may be in a green room, or you may be on the phone, listening to the studio output. It may be that the presenters have a running joke going, or that a previous interviewee makes an outrageous statement. You can make a comment about it as your interview starts to show that you are "present" in the dialogue, as you move towards the topic you are there to discuss.

It may also happen that the interviewer will ask you a question unrelated to your topic, simply because it is a current issue, or had been discussed in the previous few minutes. I was once on BBC Radio 4, and due to be interviewed about social media in politics. The previous item was about whether Adele is better than Madonna. The first question I was asked was "Alan, before we start, which singer do you prefer?" Luckily, I'd been listening to the discussion, so had an instant response (Adele, if you must know).

You should also check the headline stories before an interview, and see if you can work in a reference to one of them. It makes the interview look more like a conversation than a staged event. You need to be there, in every sense.

I don't mean to be rude. I'm sure you're not vacant. It just made a better headline. Engagement is one of the social media buzzwords. But what is it, and how do you know if you are engaged, or engaging? For some people, it means "talking to customers". For others, it means "getting involved in online conversations" Both are correct, it seems to me, but neither is a complete picture.

Anyone can set up a social media profile. Many do. That's not engagement. Some people send dozens of automated tweets. That's not engagement. For me, engagement is about taking the time and trouble to send and receive messages from a range of sources - friends, experts, clients, potential clients, journalists, etc. I try (but sometimes fail) to respond to every email or direct message someone sends. I try to avoid just "broadcasting".

You need to think what engagement means for you (and I don't mean that you need rules of engagement). Whatever it is, be consistent, polite and reliable. Let people know what to expect of you.

Be nice.

Ben Elton is normally spot-on with his comedy, But in 2013 his comedy train hit the buffers with a perfectly dreadful sitcom called The Wright Way. It lasted for only six episodes. Here's a selection of lowlights.

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

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."