The Media Coach

Hi John,

So here we are. It's over. We've come to the end.

After exactly twenty one years and over one thousand weekly editions, this is the very last issue of The Media Coach.

I know from the many messages I've received that people will miss it. I'll miss writing it too (though I will get my Thursday evenings back).

I'd like to thank you for your loyal readership, and wish you every success for the future.

I'm not retiring, just winding down a bit. I'll still be coaching a few people, delivering the odd speech and running an occasional crisis communication session.

I'm still fit and well as far as I can tell, I'm just looking forward to a bit more free time, and stepping away from the time and expense of running a limited company. I've kept my promise that I made 21 years ago to keep this ezine free to receive, though it has cost me a tidy sum to send it out (not that I begrudge a penny of it).

Anyway, I'm still around on social media. I have two Facebook groups about speaking - Remote Speaking and Keynote Speaking that you're more than welcome to join. And I'll do the occasional newsletter on LinkedIn too. The rest of this ezine is going to be about some thanks and some ideas on ending things.

Wherever you are, and whatever you do, thank you and goodbye.

I'd also like to send some thanks to people who have supported me while I've been producing this ezine.

Firstly family of course. (L to R) my daughter Ellie, my wife Heather and Ellie's boyfriend Chris.

They're all very successful in their own work, and it's a pleasure to have their encouragement. I love them all.

Secondly my best pals Lesley Everett and Sean Weafer, who have been part of a mutual support group (we call it a mastermind) for two decades.

We don't get together as a group very often - Lesley now lives in California and Sean is in Dublin.

However, Sean and I will be indulging in the ancient Irish sport of Tie One On next week.

And a tribute to the fourth member of our support group, Kenny Harris, who died eleven years ago.

I was honoured to be able to collect a posthumous award for Kenny - The Professional Speaking Award of Excellence - at the weekend.

Kenny was a gem. We still raise a glass to him whenever we meet.

Myradio show will be continuing, but I'll be taking a break for a few weeks while I work on a new format.

The idea is to have a business interview and a music/entertainment interview with a bit of chat and of course, some music.

The interviews will be longer than before, giving us s chance to talk in more detail.

If you have a great business tip to share, or you're a musician who likes to speak, do get in touch.

I'm also looking at the idea of having a guest joint host for every show, so feel free to pitch yourself for that too.



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MediaMaestro, MediaMug

The MediaMug of the week goes to no-one in particular.

I didn't want to end this ezine by picking on an individual who had messed up on the media.

However, I will still be on the lookout for those who get it wrong on air and online, and posting about them from time to time on LinkedIn.

It won't ever be you.

The end of a speech is the time to put over your main message as powerfully as possible, so that the audience takes it away with them. In order to deliver a passionate and powerful close, you need to plan and rehearse.

It's a good idea to arrange the closing minutes of your speech so that the final line comes as a climactic summary of everything you have said, with the entire speech building to that moment.

The impact can be undermined in several ways. One is by the MC coming on stage to congratulate you, and attempting to summarise your key point again. If you suspect this may happen, make sure that you have a word with them beforehand, and politely suggest that they simply thank you as you leave the stage. Another way to diminish your impact is to remind the audience that your products are for sale at the back of the room. You can avoid that by mentioning it briefly much earlier in your speech, making it clear that it is a "commercial break".



The most common way to unravel the closing message is to have a question and answer session. Either don't have one (say "I'm happy to chat to you in the break"), or use the double close.

That requires you to deliver your powerful message once more, at the end of the Q&A session. You might use different words, but I'd advise sticking to the same ones. Simply say. "So, may I remind you of the key message today". That will really make it stick.

After a media interview, you'll probably be feeling very proud of yourself (if you've been paying attention to these tips), relieved that you lived through it, or depressed because you made a hash of it. The best thing to do is to go home, have a cup of coffee (or whatever your favourite beverage), relax and forget it for a while, right? Well, no.

There is some very important work to do immediately after the interview is over. Firstly, you may have promised some follow-up actions, such as supplying more information. Make a note of it, and ensure that you, or someone else, does it as quickly as possible. Double-check any "factual" statements that you made, and if they need correcting or amending, contact the media outlet as soon as possible.

Make sure that you stay in contact, with either the reporter (for print) or the station (for broadcast). Your aim is to be asked back. There are a couple of things that will ensure a recall. The first, you should have already done, by delivering a great interview. The second is to be helpful, and supply other contacts, leads and information long after the event. Next time an issue in your area of expertise comes up, they will think of you.

Write down a few notes, too, so that either you or a colleague will be able to refer to them in future. Make sure your message is consistent.

I'm not leaving social media, but I may slow down a bit, and even take a break from time to time

Some people worry a lot about their social media activity having a gap in it. Here are a few options. None is right or wrong - it's your call.

1) Do nothing. Just relax and don't give it another thought. Alas, some people find this hard to do.

2) Set up automated messages. You can use various systems to send messages while you are away, so it appears you are online every day. The advantage is that you can then forget it. However, you're not really in the conversation, and the real concern is that you may appear unconcerned when the social media conversation is all about a disaster.

3) Go online occasionally. Not exactly a relaxing option, but if you must do this, try to limit your time to a few minutes in the morning and evening. If you stay online all day, you might as well have not taken a break.

4) Give the job to someone else. If someone else understands your business as well as you do, this could work well, as long as you brief them carefully.

Personally, I will be using option one.

The final fun fling is a brief one. It had the most response of anything i've posted in this section, despite being the shortest. Thanks Chuck. (and yes, I know it was a staged advert, but it's still funny)

I'm still here! 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."