| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Hi John,
I had a wonderful evening this week, in the presence of musical royalty. "Whispering" Bob Harris spoke at an event in Stratford, and as a huge admirer of his, I was there. He spoke with great passion and knowledge about his fifty years in the music business, and I ended up sharing a few stories with him in the bar later on.
His YouTube channel, Under the Apple tree, has hundreds of music videos recorded in his home studio. It's a wonderful resource, and I will be interviewing some of those featured for my web radio show in the coming months. |
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I've set up an information resource for experts who want to use remote speaking as a delivery method to overcome issues caused by COVID-19. It's strictly non-commercial. No pitches, no selling. Just exchanging best practice.
It's a Facebook group called Remote Speaking.
It's not even four days old and already over three hundred experts have joined to learn, advise and exchange ideas.
Come and join us, and feel free to invite others. Whether you're a speaker or an event planner, we all can do with advice to keep our businesses buoyant. |
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South African mountaineer Cathy O'Dowd was catapulted onto the international stage as the token woman on the controversial first South African Everest expedition, during the notorious spring of 1996. In her show, which is about to tour the UK, you can find out how she became the first woman in the world to climb Everest from both sides, and used that to launch her career as an international motivational speaker. You will also discover her part in the first ascent of Nanga Parbat via the Mazeno ridge, and what she has been doing ever since.
I spoke to Cathy this week about her tour. Grab a ticket!Listen to our chat in the Media Coach Radio Show.
There's also a great tune from Robbie Boyd |
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The MediaMaestro is a TV show that was hugely popular before its 24 year hiatus.
Spitting Image is returning to the screen this autumn, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson and Donald Trump among the targets of the satirical puppet show on the streaming service BritBox.
The new show will also lampoon famous figures including Vladimir Putin, Prince Andrew, Adele, Beyoncé, Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, James Corden and the US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. The climate change activist Greta Thunberg will be satirised as a “roving reporter giving regular weather updates”.
Roger Law, the co-creator of Spitting Image who is executive producing its revival, said: “The new Spitting Image will be global through a uniquely British eye. It will be more outrageous, audacious and salacious than the previous incarnation. The timing is right. The puppets are ready, the people have spoken. This autumn we will get BritBox done.”
Very good!
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The MediaMug is D’Adrien Anderson from Texas.
He was sentenced to 30 days in jail for posting a social media video showing himself removing an ice cream container from a Texas market freezer, licking the contents and returning the container to the freezer.
I know. Horrible. He was sentenced to an additional six-month jail term suspended for two years and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $1,565 in restitution to Blue Bell Creameries, which had to replace all of its products in the freezer.
He made no attempt to deny the offence. He was lucky to escape doing time in the chiller. |
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| Speaking Tip - Is this mic on? |
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You will often have to use a microphone when you make a speech. We've all seen people using microphones, and the principle of using one is pretty simple - you speak, it picks up your voice. So why do so many speakers treat a microphone as though it is a threat to life and limb?
Here are a few microphone tips :
Always do a sound check before your speech. Arrive early and make friends with the sound technician. With the mic switched on, walk in front of the speakers to check for feedback. Know how to switch the mic on and off. If you have to swap wireless mics with another speaker, practice first. Keep your head up. Never lower your head towards a fixed microphone. Don't turn your head away from a hand mic - keep it in front of you at all times. Keep the mic at the same distance from your mouth. If using a headset mic, this is easy.
Always ask for a wireless lapel or headset mic for preference, since it gives you the freedom to move (or stay put), and to use both hands. And never, ever, tap the mic and say "1, 2, 3 testing - is this thing on?" |
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| Media Tip - It's Bob from the BBC - got a minute? |
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If a journalist calls, take it easy, and don't panic. There is no law that says you have to answer their questions immediately. Grab a pen and ask them to give you a few details - who they are, what they want to talk about, what their contact details are. Give them any excuse you can think of - another call, someone in your office, or whatever. Promise to call them back in a few minutes.
Now that you're bought some time, get your thoughts in order, take advice from your colleagues and PR contacts and make the call when you are fully prepared. In other words, take control. You will have time to think about the worst possible question (and how to respond), what your core message should be, and any websites you want to mention. Write them down to refer to during the call.
During the call, make a note of what is said, and keep it as a record of the conversation. You might still be misquoted, but you'll be able to put matters straight subsequently. Remember to note any follow-up actions, such as sending a picture, or some extra facts and figures. Do it straight away, since the journalist will be keen to file the story.
Lastly, if you haven't spoken to the reporter before, add their name and details to your contacts file, so that next time they call, you are even better prepared. |
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| Social Media Tip - Take five |
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Have you ever found yourself in an online discussion that gets more and more heated until insults start flying? Yes, so have I. It seems that people can get upset and annoyed very quickly, and there's no escape from the spiral of anger. It's not an exclusively online issue, and there are simple techniques you can use to avoid things getting out of hand. Here are my five tips for cooling online debates:
1) You don't have to respond. Sometimes silence, or polite withdrawal is the best option. If there's no chance of changing the other person's view, why waste your time?
2) Draft a response before you send it. Sometimes typing out your anger means that you don't have to send it. Once you've read your planned response, and taken a few minutes to think about it, you may find you don't feel so angry at all.
3) Read the discussion out loud to yourself. Does it sound ridiculous? It probably is. It may even make you laugh and decide not to take it further.
4) Consider the impact of your words on other readers. How you come across to people who just read the debate is probably more important that the impact on the other debaters.
5) Take five minutes away from the debate and do something else. When you come back, you will probably find it doesn't matter any more. |
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| I used to love comedian Les Dawson. He made an art form of bad piano playing and deadpan one-liners. In reality he was a concert-standard pianist and gifted actor. Take a look. |
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| Need some speaking tips ? |
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| 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." |
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