The MediaCoach

Hi John,

I heard this week that sales of George Orwell's novel "1984" have hit record levels. I wonder why that is? Maybe the events in the USA have something to do with it. I'll say more about that a bit later. As far as the art of speaking is concerned, authenticity seems to be taking a bit of a back seat. The next four years could be very interesting. Bless the guys at "Bad Lip Reading" who have delivered their own take on President Trump's inauguration.

Back in the world of real facts (as opposed to "alternative facts"), here's a piece of news you may have missed:
Casting off clothes as well as cares may be the key to happiness and well-being, research suggests. Scientists revealed the naked truth after investigating the psychological effects of nudism. They found that people taking part in naturist activities felt better about themselves, their bodies and their lives overall. The more time they spent naked, or partially disrobed, the happier they were. In the first of a series of studies, an online survey of 850 British citizens found higher levels of contentment and positive body image among those who spent significant amounts of time wholly or partially naked in public.
Well I never - now we know the antidote to feeling upset by the outcome of referendums or presidential votes.

My great pal Sean Weafer shares his wisdom in the Media Coach Radio Show. There's also a superb tune from the 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco.
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A superb video spoof of Donald Trump's speeches has been created by Dutch satire show Zondag Met Lubach. They released a fake tourist video with a voice-over in the style of the new US President. It's sheer comedy genius. "We speak Dutch," the voiceover explains. "It's the best language in Europe. We've got the best words. All the other languages failed. Danish - total disaster. German is not even a real language." It concludes: "We totally understand it's going to be America first, but can we just say: The Netherlands second?" They win the MediaMaster award, bigly. It's huge.

Back in the "real" world, the new White House Press secretary Sean Spicer and Trump spokesperson KellyAnne Conway share the MediaMug award. Mr Spicer used his first press conference with the White House Press Corps to tell them a pack of lies about the attendance at President Trump's inauguration. Ms Conway then compounded the falsehood by referring to Mr Spicer's remarks as "alternative facts". That phrase will go down in history.

YOU'RE NOT SOMEONE ELSE

I know, it's an obvious thing to say, but you're you, not anyone else. I've seen too many speakers try to copy other speakers that they admire, oblivious to the fact that it damages their authenticity. While we all learn from other presenters, and we may decide to emulate them in some way, it's a mistake to copy. I remember seeing a speaker a few years ago who had obviously been studying Anthony Robbins. He had the gestures, the phrases and the message, but none of it was his.

Each of us is unique, and so each of us has a unique speaking style. It's only by delivering one speech after another that we learn what our stage personality is (hopefully a slightly larger version of our off-stage personality). In addition to experience, it's also to do with confidence. Copying the styles of other speakers is creating a pretence, and audiences can see through that. You need to be confident enough to relax on stage and show them the real person underneath.

Tom Yorton, president of The Second City Communications in Chicago put it perfectly:."For years, I presented like other people presented, and it was like wearing clothes that didn't fit. It was much more helpful to do things my own way.",

CAN YOU EVER GO "OFF THE RECORD"?

I've often said that to a journalist, nothing is "off the record". However, under very special circumstances, it may be possible to give a journalist a piece of information that is not attributed to you. The Watergate scandal was the result of just such a briefing, and it was a full thirty years before the identity of the source was revealed.

You may want to try going off the record if -

You should only ever go off the record with a journalist that you know well and trust. Always ask beforehand if they will allow you to speak without attribution. Make sure that you have their agreement. They may ask if they can reveal the information at a later date, and whether they can quote you directly when they do. Whatever you agree, be prepared for them to write a story which begins 'A well-placed source has revealed"

PRET A TWEET

I tweet a lot, but I don't always send the tweets I compose. Before I hit the "post" button, I make sure that I'm happy with what I'm sending. OK, you can delete a tweet, but as many have found to their cost, once a tweet has gone out and people have seen it, copies can be taken, and your words become permanent. Here's a mental checklist I run through before I set my tweets free in the twittersphere:

I try to make sure at least one of these questions is answered with a "yes"

And I make sure that all of these questions are answered with a "no"

I appreciate that may sound like a lot of analysis for a single tweet, but it only takes a second or two to run though. It can save a lot of heartache, not to mention legal fees, if you pause for a moment before posting. Pret a tweet, as they say.

Sometimes, only five minutes of Tommy Cooper will do!

You know it makes sense.

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."