| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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So the good news, here in the UK at least, is that a virus against COVID-19 has been approved and vaccinations will start next week.
Sadly, there is still a substantial amount of misinformation online, and far too many people prepared to believe it. The problem of knowing what to believe and who to trust has always been with us. I've always looked for proof and evidence when I see a claim that seems surprising. Even that can be tough, as sometimes "evidence" is faked too.
Factcheck.org has published a set of key indicators to check for fake information:
Consider the source. Is it well-established and reliable? Read beyond the headline. The story may be very different Check the author. Is it a real person? Check supporting sources. See point one. Check the date. It may be very old news. Is it a joke? Satire sites can be very convincing Check your biases. A tough one. Are you making assumptions? Consult experts. Do a bit of your own research
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| Darren Harris shows people how to unblind the mind by eliminating psychological blind spots so you can achieve more in what ever you set your mind to.
He's one of the most inspiring, and fun guests that I've spoken to on the show.
Hear our conversation in the Media Coach Radio Show. |
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The MediaMaestro is Gabriel Sterling, an election official in the US state of Georgia.
He condemned political leaders, including President Trump, for not saying anything about the threats of violence toward election workers in his state.
It was a display of controlled anger and passion that has rightly gone viral. Whatever your politics, there can never be any excuse for threatening people who are simply doing their jobs.
“Mr President, it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia", Mr Sterling said at a press conference on Tuesday. “We’re investigating, there’s always a possibility, I get it. You have the rights to go to the courts. What you don’t have the ability to do – and you need to step up and say this – is stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed, and it’s not right. It’s not right.”
Well said. Watch his speech below. |
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The MediaMugs are the hundreds of people who complained about the South African lottery numbers this week.
The six balls came out as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. There were twenty people who picked the winning combination. However, many more complained that the draw must have been fixed.
"This occurrence, while uncommon, is not impossible," the National Lotteries Commission said.
"There is no way the results could have been rigged because there is no human intervention at all when comes to the draw procedure," the commission added.
So what are the chances of consecutive numbers being drawn? One in 23,541. Given that there are tens of thousands of lottery draws every year around the world, consecutive numbers are in fact likely. |
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| Speaking Tip - Get close to your audience |
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Great speakers relate closely to their audiences, and have done for centuries.
Here's what Aristotle had to say in his second volume of Rhetoric: "People love to hear stated in general terms what they already believe in some particular connection. e.g. If a man has bad neighbours, he will agree with anyone who tells him 'Nothing is worse than having bad neighbours' The orator therefore has to guess the subjects on which his hearers really hold views already, and what those views are, and then must express, as general truths, those same views on those same subjects"
It sounds like a perfect briefing for a politician. Though I hate to disagree with the father of rhetoric (though I doubt he'd sue), I would not advise every speaker to echo the views of every audience. Sometimes you should express a view that disturbs your audience, or makes then question their beliefs. However, you should always, as a first step, understand your audience, so that you know how far you can go.
Speakers need to aim for what is sometimes called the "argumentative baseline". In other words, they need to frame their arguments in terms of things that matter to their audience. For example, a politician delivering a speech about the importance of funding for the arts is unlikely to be well-received by an audience of hard-pressed small business owners.
If this seems blindingly obvious, that's because it is. Unfortunately, many speakers turn up and deliver a speech, remaining quite oblivious of the concerns of their audience. But you won't, will you?
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| Media Tip - Seven ways to ruin a media release |
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Media releases are vital tools in the PR armoury. Here are seven ways that you could end up firing blanks;
Have no obvious angle or hook. Journalists need to have an angle for every story. If your press release doesn't have one in the first few words, it will end up in the bin. Deliver an old story. There must be an element of "news". If the story has been covered before, or happened a long time ago, there won't be any journalistic interest. Have a confusing headline. Does your headline pass the "poster test"? Trying to be too clever, with puns or double meanings, can backfire. Cram in too much information. If the story is not obvious, the release is not doing its job. Don't bother with quotes. In order to give real interest to a story, quotes are vital. Avoid any controversy. Don't be boring - would you read a boring article? Give only email contact details. Better make sure you take your computer to bed if you do this.
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| Social Media Tip - Three social media concerns |
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I've been chatting to plenty of people about social media over the years. It is over twenty-four years since I was in charge of launching an early online social network (Which? Online), and the same questions keep cropping up. Here are three that I hear most often, and my responses to them.
1) I don't have time. You don't have to do everything at once. You can focus on one social network at a time. Sending a tweet takes only a minute. If you become a slave to social media, then it's time to cut back. As little as 15 minutes a day will pay dividends, provided you keep posting regularly.
2) No-one is following me. Don't panic. Build your connections gradually. If you post interesting comments, the followers will come. Join conversations and comment on other people's ideas (don't be too negative). Forward or re-tweet comments that you think are useful. It's not about the numbers, it's about the quality of engagement.
3) People may say bad things about me. That happens offline too. The good thing about social media is that you are more likely to know about it. If you see a negative comment on your blog or Facebook page, decide whether it is worth responding. If it is a legitimate complaint, thank them for raising it and take action. Don't get into a fight you can't win, though. It's better to leave it alone, and let others come to your defence.
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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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