The Media Coach

Hi John,

I'm back after a splendid few days in Paris, without once seeing the Eiffel Tower.

I can thoroughly recommend a wonderful walk through the city on an old railway viaduct that's been converted into a long green oasis.

The Promenade Plantée was converted into the world’s first elevated park walkway in 1993, and most locals thought it a waste of money. Parisians needed time to take a project like this to heart, but now the Promenade is a cherished landmark.

The city panorama across Parisian rooftops can be spectacular. And not a tower in sight.

A reminder that along with my friend Jonathan Low, I'm running an Exceptional Speaker Masterclass in London on Wednesday November 8th.

These days always sell out quickly as they only run once a year and we have only twelve spaces.

Pop the date in your diary - there will be details of how to sign up in a couple of weeks.

My guest in the web radio show this week is Justin King.

I've known Justin for a while, and I'm hugely impressed by his expertise.

He's a retirement expert, podcast host, author, experienced sailor, ex-pilot, Ironman competitor and Registered Life Planner®.

Probably the best word to describe him is curious. It’s this curiosity that drives his endless thirst for knowledge, his quest for self-improvement and a genuine desire to help people by understanding what makes them tick.

He's just publishing a wonderful book called The Retirement Cafe Handbook, with strategies that everyone should know about.

Hear our chat in the in the radio show.

Go to the Apple Podcasts Archive of the MediaCoach Show

Follow me on Twitter

And there's a superb song from The Dustbowl Revival

The MediaMug of the week is TV presenter Richard Madeley (on the right).

He was interviewing musician Eddy Grant, who seemed totally baffled when Richard quizzed him about how Ghana has become oil-rich since he left.

Eddy was a founding member of the Equals, one of the UK’s first diverse pop groups, and he penned their number one, million-selling single Baby, Come Back in the 1960s. He is also known for his solo career, which saw him release anti-Apartheid anthem Gimme Hope Jo’anna and he become Grammy nominated for the 1983 song Electric Avenue.

Eddy Grant is from Guyana, not Ghana. Richard Madeley is a real-life Alan Partridge.

Disputes are all too common on the football field. Arguing with the referee is a constant feature of games. Players present their case, often rather poorly. In business, presentations are often given as a precursor to a discussion.

The aim is to provide information, prior to making a decision. If you find yourself presenting to a meeting in these circumstances, you may well end up chairing the discussion. If conflicts arise (as they almost certainly will), here are some tips to help you reach an agreeable conclusion.

In short, work at it, and talk about the issues, not the personalities involved. Alternatively, there's the advice given by Theodore Roosevelt. In a letter to Henry L. Sprague, on January 26th 1900, he wrote: "Speak softly and carry a big stick" But that's a red card on the pitch.

Many years ago, when I was first on radio and TV (no, it wasn't still in black and white), I met another guest in the green room at the BBC. I was reading my notes for the seventeenth time, and he was looking very relaxed, sipping a coffee. I asked him how he prepared for a media interview. "I listen to the news on the radio and read the paper" he said. That was very valuable advice, which I still pass on to clients.

The thing is, you know your topic in great detail, and you are never going to be caught out on your knowledge. The trick is to be able to relate your message to what is happening at the moment. The interviewer will often refer back to the previous interview, or one of the main stories of the day. Even if they don't, you can drop in a topical reference or two in your answers.

Showing that you are in touch and aware of current issues will create a much stronger impression than just talking about your prepared message.

So your mission, should you choose to accept it (yes, another old cultural reference) is to simply keep up with the news of the day. Listen out for any items that you can link to your story, and show that you're not just a one-topic expert.

All sports team managers (well almost all) know that if you have a winning formula, you don't change it. How odd then that some people feel the need to change their websites or social media appearance on a regular basis. I've talked before about the dangers of website redesign (orphan pages, links into your site that no longer work etc), but I still see sites that change every few months. It's like the staircases in Harry Potter.

Whenever you visit Amazon, you expect to find the same site. They do change a few things, but only very slightly, after lots of testing, and even then, are prepared to revert to the old design if things don't work.

If your design works, leave it alone. If you want to add a new feature, try it out on a few users first. Change makes people nervous, so think hard before your next redesign. (Oh yes - I look forward to the response to this advice from web designers - happens every time).

Time for some rugby funnies in honour of the Rugby Union World Cup

A reminder to look no further. Just get in touch. 07986 852621

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."