| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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This is the last ezine of 2020, a year we will all be glad to consign to history.
I'm not going to bother you on Christmas Day. Regardless of the size of your bubble, I hope you have a happy, healthy and relaxed time. I hope you get some wonderful gifts. Sixty-five years ago, I got one of my best gifts, a huge bear called Ted (I'm the one on the left). It took me another sixty years to get a TEDx talk.
2021 is going to bring plenty of changes, I'm sure. There'll be a new relationship between the UK and the EU, a new President of the USA, a return to live events (eventually...) and hopefully some new and exciting things for you too.
However, two things will stay the same. This ezine will appear every Friday morning, and my web radio show will appear on iTunes at the same time. And both will remain completely free.
So thank you for sticking with me in 2020. I always appreciate your feedback, so don't hesitate to tell me what you want to see and hear. |
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And just one more thing about the USA election. As you know, I don't make political points in this ezine. If you want to find out my political views, follow me on Facebook.
However, I do want to make the point that President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris have both shown that a well-crafted speech can deliver a message in an incredibly powerful way.
In his speech this week, Joe Biden used similar words to Mrs Thatcher when she spoke from the doorstep of number 10 Downing Street as she became Prime Minister. They both quoted (or in fact slightly misquoted) words attributed to a prayer of St Francis of Assisi - phrases like "Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is darkness, light"
Good news for lovers of great speech-writing and delivery. |
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| Andy Lopata is a close friend of mine, and he's written many great books. His latest book is just released, called Just Ask, and it is absolutely superb, and spot-on for what is happening right now.
In the book, Andy explores the change in mindset needed to embrace the support of our networks and the power of doing so. He discusses the impact that transparency can have on individual and collective achievement and illustrates with case studies based on exclusive interviews how it has already affected people from all walks of life.
Hear more about Andy's superb book from Andy himself in the Media Coach Radio Show. |
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| There's also a traditional song for this time of year from Ron Hipp and Carol Statella, known collectively as Out of the Rain |
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The MediaMaestrois David John Moore Cornwell, better known by his pen name John le Carré.
He died this week at the age of 89. He wrote novels such as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Night Manager, which gained him critical acclaim and made him a bestseller around the world.
Stephen King wrote: “This terrible year has claimed a literary giant and a humanitarian spirit.” Robert Harris said the news had left him “very distressed … one of the great postwar British novelists, and an unforgettable, unique character.” Adrian McKinty described Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as “quite simply the greatest spy novel ever written”, while historian Simon Sebag Montefiore called him “the titan of English literature up there with the greats … in person, captivating and so kind and generous to me and many others.”
He summarised his work in a beautiful quote: “Out of the secret world I once knew I have tried to make a theatre for the larger worlds we inhabit. First comes the imagining, then the search for reality. Then back to the imagining, and to the desk where I’m sitting now.” |
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The MediaMug is Carolyn Hallam, a teaching assistant from Nottingham, who picked up a bargain Christmas cardigan to wear at school the following week.
Luckily, her daughter asked her to try it on, and noticed that it wasn't entirely suitable to wear in front of her class.
It featured a couple of reindeer in the act of what can be described politely as making more reindeer. The picture of Carolyn wearing it has had thousands of views on social media. But she found a different cardigan to wear to school.
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| Speaking Tip - 'Tis the season... |
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Now is a good time to think about dumping parts of your speeches. Why? Because things change. Audiences don't age, but you do, which means that your references slowly lose their connection with them. Also, your topic changes. There's new research, which may contradict or amend what you tell people.
I review all of my speeches in the first week of a New Year. I dump at least a third of the stories, references and ideas. I add in new material, and sometimes change the message in the light of new research. One of the easiest ways is to Google every assertion you make. That's what your audience will do. If you find reliable (key word there) information that is different to what you say, then you should alter your speech.
Last year, I was speaking at an event with an expert on change management. I asked her how long she'd been doing exactly the same speech. "Ten years" she said. I made no comment, but you can guess what I was thinking.
Don't be like that. Take a long, hard look at your material when you have a little down time, and be ruthless about removing out-of-date information. |
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| Media Tip - All I want for Christmas... |
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If you asked a TV or radio producer what they want for Christmas, the response will very likely be "A guest to talk to".
Over the Christmas and New Year period, the media still operates, but guests are hard to find. It is often the easiest time to get on air, and because the audiences tend to be large, it can be a very good time too. How to get on air? Call them and tell them how much you enjoyed an earlier item. Ask to speak to the editor or producer. Chances are, they will ask you if you are available to chat.
If you receive a call from a journalist, asking if you might be available for an on-air interview over the festive period, say "yes" - even if it means missing a couple of hours dozing on the sofa in front of a repeat of that comedy show that you never really liked anyway. You'll be glad you did. It could be the start of a new career.
Have a happy media Christmas. |
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| Social Media Tip - A few resolutions for 2021 |
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I know. You're just like me. You make some resolutions on New Year's Eve and you've broken most of them by mid-January.
So here are a few ideas for 2021 that you may just be able to stick to.
Be nice There are no winners in a social media argument, and there's no business benefit to them either. There's no need to be a Pollyanna, but there's no need to insult anyone either Be helpful You may be able to help someone directly, or point them in the direction of someone who can. Both feel good. Be constructive Supporting people's ideas, and giving them encouragement is a great way to behave. Be honest I know, a bit obvious. But sometimes there's a tendency to exaggerate a little. Resist it. Someone will find out Be real If things go wrong, or you get a bit fed up, admit it. Everyone will understand, and it just shows you're human. |
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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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