The Media Coach

Hi John,

I'm often asked "who are the greatest speakers you have seen?"

That's a tough one, since many of my friends are professional speakers, so it's like a parent trying to name their favourite child.

So my fallback response is usually "it depends", since there are many different types of speaker, and it's impossible to make a comparison.

However, if forced to make a decision, I pick two speakers in particular, both of whom sadly passed away in the last couple of years.

For pure speaking genius, I choose Sir Ken Robinson, and his speech "Do schools kill creativity? In my view, it's a masterpiece of relaxed and funny delivery, with a superb message.

If I'm asked for a great storyteller, I pick Jeanne Robertson, and her speech "Never send a man to the grocery store". It's an object lesson in how to tell a story about an apparently mundane event, and make it a tour de force.

Thinking of working with me as your speaking coach? Here's what someone I've worked with, Guy Clapperton, says.

"I signed up for monthly mentoring sessions with Alan after a friend commented he'd done well from it.

My income from speaking at workshops has now more than doubled compared to this time last year and the investment has more than paid off.

I feel I deliver a more professional offering to clients thanks to Alan's input. I would wholeheartedly recommend his support to anyone who wants a better speaking business."

If you'd like to speak at the highest level, like Guy let's have a chat.

And yes I realise that times are tough for some people, so if you sign up before the end of the year, not only will I keep the price at this year's level, but there will also be no VAT to pay - so that's an extra 16% saving if you aren't VAT registered!

My coaching programme still has places open

When Rivers Meet is a superb blues band that has been showered with well-deserved awards in the last couple of years.

Grace and Aaron Bond formed the band a few years ago, and they have been increasing their fanbase and profile with a headline tour, some superb albums and a lot of plays on stations such as Planet Rock.

I first spoke to them early last year, and I was a. bit worried they'd be too rich and famous to chat with me now. But they were as charming as ever when I spoke to them this week, as you can hear in the Media Coach Radio Show.

And there's a wonderful song from When Rivers Meet too.

The MediaMug is songstress Mariah Carey.

Her application to trademark the phrase"Queen of Christmas" has been denied by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The trademark would have given her the legal right to stop others from using the title on music and merchandise.

She also failed in attempts to trademark the abbreviation "QOC " and "Princess Christmas".

Another singer, Darlene Love, took to Facebook to say she had been "Queen of Christmas" since before Carey rose to fame.

Love is known for her Christmas classic Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) and covers of hits such as Winter Wonderland and White Christmas.

So here's Darlene - who I think is very much the Queen of Christmas..

Using a pithy and memorable quote can make a huge impression on your audience. Be careful how you use quotes, though, since they may end up being the only part of your speech that is remembered. It's important that your message is delivered effectively, so quotes should be used to support rather than overpower it.

It's very poor form to quote yourself. It sounds pompous, and looks even worse on slides. I once saw a speaker display a quote of their own between one from Plato and another from Confucius. It didn't go down well with the audience, and created quite a stir on Twitter.

Please try not to do that quotation marks thing with your fingers before a quote too. It's not necessary if you make it clear, as you should, that you are using a phrase coined by someone else. Attribution of quotes is important. It may require a little research, but try to discover the earliest user of a phrase. That may mean looking beyond Wikipedia. If you can't find a name to go with the quote, simply say "Who was it that said?" or "As it was once expressed far better than I could put it"



And unless you are a talented mimic, please don't try to deliver the quote in the original accent. Just use the words, and give credit where it is due.

I don't do commandments usually, but I think there are some things that are universal, and since I gave you ten media no-nos last week, here's the reverse.

These are media commandments I live by and I commend them to you. Here are the first five. The other five follow next week.

1) Be direct. Don't give guarded or obscure answers to interview questions. Be simple and direct in your responses. If the answer is yes or no, say so. If you have a strong (and legal!) opinion, then offer it.

2) Meet the deadline News deadlines aren't moveable. The six o'clock news always goes out at six o'clock. You will make a journalist very happy by delivering on time, and very angry by failing. Which would you prefer?

3) Answer every question Avoiding questions always looks bad. You should have a response for every question, even if it is to give a reason why you can't go into detail. Preparation is key, of course.

4) Work with everyone Never dismiss a news outlet as being too small to work with. Journalists have to get their stories from somewhere, and it's often the smaller publications that they read in order to find a story to work on.



5) See reporters as allies Even if they are asking you tough questions, treat journalists with respect and help them to get the story out. You are really on the same side as providers of news.

(to be continued)

The 45-minute brewery tour at De Halve Mann in Bruges, Belgium, is a masterclass in communication. The tour guide not only shows and tells how beer is made, but illustrates every step on the way with memorable stories or phrases. The tour includes a trip to the top of the brewery tower, which used to be a feature of every brewing operation. The principle was simple - allowing gravity to do the work moving the water, grain, hops and yeast from one stage of the process to the next.

The principle can be use for any type of social media. Let's take blogs for example. There's a process by which they become read, liked, shared and quoted. If you can place them in a position so that the process moves under its own momentum, you can (almost) sit back and watch your blogging influence grow.

I say "almost" because just like producing a superb ale, the brewer has to watch carefully and take action from time to time. In the same way, you need to look out for comments, questions and challenges, and deal with them quickly and efficiently.



When you write your blog, place it in a prominent position on a site like LinkedIn, give it a great headline and mention it widely on other social media channels. Ask questions within it. Ask people to share if they agree (or disagree). You'll find that just like the brew moving down the tower, your blog will become more and more valuable.

"8 out of 10 cats does Countdown" is a very funny show, but maths expert Rachel Riley doesn't always get the credit for her humour....

If you're looking for a speaker, just get in touch.