| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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The nation has been gripped by the goings-on in AC-12, where Ted, Kate and Steve are one episode away from what is probably the end of a long saga of police corruption,
If you haven't been watching Line of Duty on Sunday evenings, don't worry, I'm not going to give away anything (as if I knew), but I do want to celebrate a return to old-school TV drama, where millions of people tune in live to see a show as it is broadcast.
At a time when box-sets and streaming services provide the shows we want when we want to see them, it's good to return briefly to an experience that we can all share at the same time.
As Ted Hastings would say "Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey!' |
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5 questions for you: What role does public speaking play in your life? If you were better at it, would you do it more? Can public speaking be learned? How different would your life be if you could master this skill? How serious are you about this skill?
Paul du Toit and I wrote The Exceptional Speaker to address these questions, and we are now offering a one-day virtual masterclass to put these skills into practice.
You will need to prepare a 5 minute speech to deliver to your Masterclass colleagues on the day. Each participant's speech will be recorded and played back to the group for evaluation and guidance. More details, and how to book, are here.
We've limited the numbers to just ten people, to give everyone a chance to practice. We've kept the price down to £199 including VAT. We have set up a schedule to fit every time zone around the world, an we look forward to welcoming you if it's what you need now. |
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| David Crystal is one of the greatest living experts on language. He has written over one hundred books, including a number of best-sellers.
He was kind enough to endorse our book, and provide a quote for the cover, calling it "An enlightening blend of clear explanation and sound practical advice"
It was a huge privilege for me to chat to him a while back, as you can hear in the Media Coach Radio Show , where he talks about attention spans and eloquence.
There's also a great tune from Slim Chancewho will be the first live band I've seen for over a year when I get to their gig in June. |
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The MediaMaestro is Jim Steinman, the music producer and composer, who died last week.
He worked with many artists, especially Bonnie Tyler (pictured with him) and Meatloaf, producing songs like Total Eclipse of the Heart and Bat out of Hell.
His own website described him as " The Lord of Excess", and the Los Angeles Times dubbed him “the Richard Wagner of Rock and Roll”.
Bat out of Hell has sold over fifty million copies since its release in 1977. Not bad for an album that was turned down by a dozen record companies.
No-one slept while a Jim Steinman song was playing. Farewell Jim.
The video shows a rare glimpse of Jim Steinman performing live with Meatloaf and Karla de Vito in a very raunchy version of Paradise by the Dashboard Light. |
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The MediaMug is Simon Dorante-Day
He told 7 News in Australia "My grandmother, who had worked for the Queen, told me outright that I was Camilla and Charles' son many times."
So convinced is Mr Dorante-Day that he has been to the Australian High Court to fight his case, having failed with three previous legal attempts to prove his claims, according to The Daily Mail.
According to his claims, he was conceived when Charles and Camilla were just 17 and 18, respectively.
He appeared on This Morning and told Phil and Holly that he believes that something may have been done to his eyes and teeth to alter his appearance to make him look less regal.
Right. The Palace has so far offered no comment.
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| Speaking Tip - Making the vital connection |
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I'm sure you know what the vital connection is for speakers. It's between you and your audience. Oddly, many speakers devote more attention to the connection with their slides, their notes or the loose change in their pocket. But not you. You know what is important, so let me offer you a few tips to make that link even stronger.
1) Aim for the argumentative baseline. This is the point where the audience will not question the assumptions behind your argument. For example, in the great "I have a dream", speech, Martin Luther King said "I have a dream that one day Negroes will be able to buy a house anywhere their money will carry them, and get a good job". The thunderous applause showed that no-one questioned his premise.
2) Tell the audience facts that they already know. That's not to say that you should patronise them, but to demonstrate that you understand their point of view.
3) Ask your audience questions to which they already have answers, such as "Are you proud to be business owners?"
I've found an excerpt from a speech which uses all three techniques. It was delivered by a former slave, Sojourner Truth, when she spoke to a conference on women's rights over 150 years ago -
"That man over there said that women need to be helped into carriages and lifted over ditches. Nobody ever helps me over carriages or mud-puddles. And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I've ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me. And ain't I a woman?"
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| Media Tip - Five media questions you must answer |
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In almost every media interview, there are five questions that you will be asked, either directly or obliquely. You should prepare an answer for each of them.
1) Who? This is really "Who are you to comment on this?" It's about establishing your credibility and your knowledge. A brief description is enough, but it must make it clear why you are the best spokesperson for this news story.
2) What? As in "Can you tell us what happened?". This is one you must answer with great care, since reporters will be looking for something to probe in more detail.
3) Where? Remember who is interviewing you. If it's an overseas broadcaster, you need to give a slightly longer explanation, so that listeners understand where the incident occurred.
4) When? Here, you may simply be confirming what has already been reported. If you are offering an update to the story, a great line to grab attention is "Just a few moments ago, there was a new development.."
5) Why? This, of course, is the killer question. It may be asked as "How could this have happened?" Never, ever speculate about the cause of something. Stick to what you know, even if it's "we don't yet know the cause, but we are on the case"
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| Social Media Tip - You are not the BBC |
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News organisations like the BBC do their job very well. They deliver a 24/7 news service. For some reason, there are people who simply re-post the news they have seen or heard on the BBC and similar sources on their social networks, as though they are reporters themselves. There is no point trying to compete with news sources - they do a really good job.
However, you can make use of news to deliver your own message. For example, you can post a link to a news article and offer your own take on it, perhaps with a question asking what others think. Then a discussion can start.
You can also "piggyback" on news stories. As the story dies down, you can offer an example of a similar story from your own experience. Again, that can start a debate which will raise your profile online.
One thing I would urge you to avoid, and that is to criticise the news source. There is bias in reporting, and though I'd argue the BBC is neutral, some would disagree. However, having a rant about the person reporting the story is not going to help your business.
My advice is to use Google Alerts to let you know when relevant news stories appear, and comment on them with a link to the source. You may even get an invitation to comment from the broadcaster themselves if your opinions are interesting and valuable.
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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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