| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Hi John,
T. S. Eliot, in his poem The Hollow Men, says:
"This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper."
Well the world isn't ending as far as I know (unless you believe that the virus originating in China will do it), but we did reach the end of a long Parliamentary process this week when the Brexit bill finally attained the approval of both houses.
It happened in the House of Lords on Tuesday. There was a murmur of agreement from the "Contents" (they don't have Ayes and Noes in the Lords) and that was it. Of course, there's a long long way to go yet, and as you know, dear reader, I don't get into the politics of it. But bearing in mind all of the drama of the last three and a half years, I think T. S. Eliot has it, as the speaker might say. |
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We lost a comedy genius this week. Terry Jones, part of the Monty Python team, writer, director, actor, author and all-round Renaissance man.
He directed and starred in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which some religious groups denounced for supposedly mocking Christianity. He defended the film: “It wasn’t about what Christ was saying, but about the people who followed him – the ones who for the next 2,000 years would torture and kill each other because they couldn’t agree on what he was saying about peace and love.”
He wrote children’s books, starting with The Saga of Erik the Viking (1983), which he composed originally for his son, Bill. A book of rhymes, The Curse of the Vampire’s Socks (1989), featured such characters as the Sewer Kangaroo and Moby Duck.
When he was asked what he would like on his tombstone, he did not want to be remembered as a Python, perhaps surprisingly, but for his writing and historical work. “Maybe a description of me as a writer of children’s books or maybe as the man who restored Richard II’s reputation. I think those are my best bits.”
Fair enough. Thanks for everything, Terry. |
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I often talk about a Hollywood screenwriter called Blake Snyder, who wrote a superb book called Save the Cat, which I recommend to all speakers. It's about the structure of film, but also applies to speeches. Anyway, I was asked if I'd replay the interview I recorded with him a few months before his untimely death. Hear it in the Media Coach Radio Show.
There's also a great song from The Lost Hollow Band |
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The MediaMaestro is BBC Broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire.
It was revealed this week that her award-winning morning show is to be cancelled by the BBC (who were a contender for the MediaMug for this decision). I'm sure Ms Derbyshire will be given another role, but I wanted to pay tribute to her remarkable work on a show which is timed to reach a diverse audience, is led by a female presenter and has a team of young, diverse editors.
The show has also done some remarkable campaigning work, a feature which is rare on TV these days.
"Linear broadcasting" (live TV and radio, consumed when it is broadcast) is in steep decline, so I suppose this sort of decision is inevitable. But it's still unfortunate to see. |
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The MediaMug is Boris Johnson, who has won a lifetime achievement award for ‘prolonged and consistent nonsense’.
Every year, the Confused.com Plain English Campaign awards single out the public figures who have made the most baffling comments over the last year. Not only did the prime minister come in first place for 2019, clinching the Foot In Mouth Award, he was also the ‘winner’ of the 40th anniversary Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mr Johnson was ‘honoured’ for several ‘incomprehensible’ comments he has made over 2019.
These included ‘Brexit means Brexit and we’re going to make a Titanic success of it’ and (my personal favourite) ‘I could not fail to disagree with you less’. Another ‘gobbledygook’ remark mentioned was Mr Johnson’s now-infamous comment that he would ‘rather be dead in a ditch’ than return to Brussels and ask for another delay to Brexit. The politician has taken the ‘Foot in Mouth Award’ three times which is unprecedented.
As he would say "Er...well...as it were...quite" |
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| Speaking Tip - Stay in your comfort zone |
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People often say that it's good to get out of your comfort zone. I say that it's good to be in your comfort zone, especially when you are on stage. Speaking to an audience of any size requires good planning, attention to detail, and removal of any distractions. Your sole focus should be on delivering great value, so that your audience leaves better informed, feeling better, or hopefully both.
In order to be at your best on stage, you need to feel comfortable. Rock bands are often very precise about this sort of thing. A singer will require a favourite piece of carpet to stand on, a drummer will require the drum kit to be set up in precisely the same formation every time, and other band members like to have their own familiar patch of stage, with exactly the right distance between the mike stand and the stack of amps. In short, they get everything in place to make them feel comfortable.
It works for speakers too. Many specify exactly how the room is to be laid out, what type of microphone they require, and even what temperature the water should be at (no ice cubes, of course). It's nothing to do with diva-like behaviour, but all to do with not having to worry about anything but the speech.
That's why a rehearsal is vital, as is creating a good relationship with the organiser and audio-visual team. If something is not working for you, there needs to be time to fix it. For example, a while ago I was working with an audience of over a thousand people, running an electronic survey system. The results were displayed on two huge screens. As I rehearsed on stage, it was evident that I couldn't see either screen, since they were both in front of the stage, facing the audience. There was time to arrange for a small feedback screen to be placed on stage for me to see. It was a small but vital detail. Next time you are booked to speak, remember to get comfortable first. |
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| Media Tip - Show you care |
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It's easy to tell if someone cares about the subject they are discussing on radio or TV. They speak with enthusiasm and passion. They also speak with great knowledge. They clearly love what they do. As a media spokesperson, it's your job to convey that message, so if you don't feel strongly about your topic, my advice would be to find someone else who does to answer the reporter's questions.
Alas, many media spokespeople exhibit all the passion of a plank of wood when asked questions about their alleged area of expertise. They think that their main function is to deliver as much information as possible. Wrong. The job of a media spokesperson is to leave an impression that their organisation (even if it's just them) can be trusted, and is in full control of whatever is happening.
In short, you need to show that you care in every way. On television, you need to exhibit confident body language. Under all circumstances, you need to use clear, confident language. That doesn't mean that you need to know everything. There's also a need for an element of humility, and a willingness to find out information that may require some investigation.
Viewers and listeners will forgive many things if they hear from someone who obviously cares about their customers and their organisation. If you want to succeed on the media, show you care. |
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| Social Media Tip - Play nicely, share! |
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One of the first lessons children learn is that sharing is good. It's not always an easy lesson to teach (as fellow parents will know), but it's an important one. In the world of social networks, it's a critical factor for success. People who share content become much more popular and respected, and do more business as a result. But there are different types of sharers. Some people only share their own content, under the impression that sharing others' expertise is giving away business. In my opinion, that's a misguided strategy. By all means share your own wisdom, but include it in a stream of links to other valuable content. People admire generosity of spirit.
So how do you find material to share? Here are some ideas:
1) Set up Google Alerts on topics in your area of expertise using key words or phrases. You can choose to receive these weekly, daily or when they appear. When you find an interesting article, post a link to it.
2) Create Twitter lists of experts in a topic, and browse their messages from time to time. Be sure to mention them when you retweet a link.
3) Used saved searches in Twitter to check up on tweets that use keywords in your niche.
4) Follow popular bloggers who write about your topic, and post links to their relevant content.
5) Use a free content curation service like Paper.li to create daily digests of expertise, and post links to your favourite pieces.
Whenever you share content, add your own opinion, preferably in the form of a question, in order to start a dialogue. You'll find that sharing really does win friends and influence people. |
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| 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." |
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