The MediaCoach

Hi John,

It's that time of year when exam results arrive. I remember two years ago to the day when our daughter received her university offer by email before she'd seen her results - such is the way technology has taken over. Anyway if you know someone who was expecting results this week or next week, I hope all was well.

Since I've been doing a lot of sporting volunteering, I hope I've avoided too many athletics clichés in the simple prose I put before you each week. It's probably fine if you're an ex-athlete on the after-dinner circuit, but a few weeks ago I heard a jobbing speaker pepper their presentation with sports-related phrases. They mentioned "going for gold", "breaking the tape", "reaching the last lap" and so on. It didn't go down well with the audience, who I suspect were playing athletics buzzword bingo before the end of the presentation. Actually, I think the phrase "less is more" would have been very appropriate.

I've been having a musical week. My third cousin from Nashville, Ainsley Diaz Stevens, has been in London filming a video for her new song. I've also been chatting to the wonderful Judy Dyble, an original member of the Folk-rock legends Fairport Convention. She has a new album out today, with Andy Lewis, and she talked to me about it, and about her amazing life, as you can hear in the Media Coach Radio Show. There's also of course a track from Judy's new album with Andy Lewis - the title song, Summer Dancing.
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Some things you just can't make up. Gravel-voiced Welsh chanteuse Bonnie Tyler will be performing her hit song "Total Eclipse of the Heart" on a cruise ship, with one of the Jonas brothers, during the forthcoming total eclipse. The ship, the Royal Caribbean's Total Eclipse Cruise, will be positioned in the path of totality for the critical moment. "Bonnie Tyler was a natural choice for this once-in-a-lifetime moment," said the president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, Michael Bayley. What a MediaMaster. I mean Bonnie, of course, not Michael. Turn around bright eyes, as they say. Cue the doves and the net curtains.

It's still music festival time, so what do you think has been banned from the Leeds and Reading festivals? Pineapples. Organisers are worried about hundreds of pineapples turning up on the site - because of Oxford band Glass Animals' song Pork Soda, which includes the lyrics 'pineapples are in my head'. I'm not entirely sure what threat is posed by pineapples which could not be posed by - er - melons. Anyway, an un-named spokesperson for the Reading festival said "Due to risk of disruption, pineapples will not be allowed on site and anyone arriving with them may not be allowed entry". That's a MediaMug right there. I wonder if pineapple outfits count?

HOW CREDIBLE ARE YOU?

When you speak, why should an audience believe what you say? Do you have the necessary credibility to persuade them that what you are saying is important and valuable to them?

One way of establishing credibility is to provide evidence, especially for controversial statements. For example, if you are making a definitive statement, be sure that there is solid research to back it up, and that you mention the research. I've heard many speakers just make remarks which sound credible, but have no basis at all. For example, how many times do you have to have contact with a prospect before they buy from you? I've heard six, seven, thirteen, fifteen and twenty-one all quoted as though they were accurate, when the real answer is "it varies".

Another way of establishing credibility is through personal experience. If you have worked in a sector for many years, your knowledge will have been honed and refined. Make sure that you explain this if it's how you generate credibility. Use stories, pictures and examples.

A third way is by testimonials and endorsements. If you have been recommended and praised by sources that your audience trusts, your credibility will be raised. Some people use their books as proof of credibility. However. with the advent of self-publishing, and the fakery around "Amazon best-sellers", that doesn't work as well as it used to.

Finally, there is the delivery of the speech. A confident delivery will always sound more credible, but without evidence, experience or endorsements, it's just hot air.

WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY

You may find yourself in a position where you have to speak to the media, but you may be either unwilling or unable to say very much. So what do you do? Well, here are three strategies that may help.

1) Avoidance I've explained on many occasions why avoiding media contact may not be a good idea. Firstly, it looks as though you have something to hide. Secondly, someone else may comment on the story, which could be to your detriment. So could you ever avoid the media? Well yes, in a few circumstances you can. If there's an urgent requirement for you to be elsewhere, like a crisis meeting, or if you arrange a time in a few hours to be interviewed, or if you issue a statement but decline questions because the matter is sub judice.

2) Holding statements Especially if you are speaking in the wake of a crisis, you may have little information. Nonetheless, you can use a statement such as "We are aware that an incident has occurred, and we are taking every possible step to ensure that everything is being done to help those involved and ensure that everything is safe".

3) Offer something else Another tactic when faced with a media interview you can't avoid is to offer them an interview on another story which they may find even more intriguing. It's not always possible, and you need to handle it with care, but it's surprising how many tricky interviews can be sidestepped by offering another piece of exclusive news.

BE A SOCIAL MEDIA SPIELBERG

At the World Para Athletics Championships, I was creating social media video content for the International Paralympic Committee Twitter, Facebook and YouTube feeds. Some of the material was from the live broadcast feed, and some we shot ourselves. I jotted down a few guidelines that I thought I'd share with you.

1) Grab attention quickly even in a 30-second video, you need to get to the action, or to the point, fast.
2) Trim the clip Use an editing app or function to tidy up the start and end of each clip. It takes only a few seconds and makes a big difference.

3) Get the light right Shoot in a well-lit area whenever you can, since dim light can make video look grainy. Try to avoid moving from bright light to dim light since phone cameras take a while to adjust.
4) Use a mic An external mic can make a huge difference to the audio quality. I use an iRig, but there's also a fantastic bluetooth microphone about to come on the market.

5) Use a tripod It's hard to hold a camera steady, so use a tripod whenever you can. I use a Joby GorillaPod, which attaches anywhere, with a phone holder.

6) Plan before you shoot Knowing what you want to achieve in advance will make a much better video, even if it's a single scene.
7) Shoot in landscape mode Yes, I know you know that, but I'm just making sure.

Stevie Riks can be anybody - Bono, Jagger, Bowie, you name it. He's very good, and very funny too.

I can help.

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."