The MediaCoach

Hi John,

I've been following politics for over 40 years in the UK, but I can't recall a time of such rapid upheaval. Between the time I write this and you read it, something will have changed. Maybe we can look forward to a little more stability under the UK's second woman premier. Oh hang on, there's that Brexit thing.

It's been fascinating to watch and listen to the political comings and goings over the past few days. Some people leave with dignity, others with silence, and a few with barely concealed annoyance. The new arrivals are full of hope, expectation and promises. I'll return to Mr Cameron's departure in a moment. Let me say a few words about Mrs May's arrival. In her first speech as Prime Minister, she took the unusual and very effective step of speaking directly into the camera, and addressing a group of citizens that she promised to work for. It was a bold and interesting move, and time will tell how it will be viewed.

I've just received news from my great friend and fellow speaker Alvin Law that he's literally banging the drum for UK Paralympians in a super Channel 4 trailer for Rio. Do take a look!

Another great friend and fellow speaker, Michael Dodd, has produced a book that should be very useful to politicians - "Great Answers to tough questions at work". He told me all about it in an interview in the Media Coach Radio Show. There's also wonderful song from Jesse Furay Lynch, whose father, Richie Furay, was a member of iconic bands Poco with Jim Messina and Randy Meisner, and Buffalo Springfield with Steve Stills and Neil Young. Jesse's new album will be available on her father's site, CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon - but not until 21st July.
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His six years as Prime Minister of the UK ended suddenly, but David Cameron showed his MediaMastery in the manner of his leaving. From a jaunty hum as he turned back into number 10 after resigning, through a witty Prime Minister's Question Time to his valedictory speech, he's been dignified throughout. His legacy is yet to be determined, but he's made a significant impression with his speeches and media interviews. I think he's often been better ad-libbing (albeit with a few carefully prepared gags) then working from a script, and I wouldn't place him in the pantheon of political orators. However, he's been a good speaker, and will no doubt keep using those skills to great effect.

In the tradition of putting the suffix "gate" onto words connected with a scandal, the President of France Francois Hollande has stumbled into Coiffeurgate. Yes, it's about his haircut, or more precisely his hairdresser. The chap responsible for maintaining the head of state's ordinary looking head is paid almost 10,000 euros a month. French government spokesman and MediaMug Stephane Le Foll has confirmed that Hollande's hairdresser is paid 9,985 euros per month and said that the expenditure was reasonable. "Everyone gets haircuts," he said. "This hairdresser had to abandon his salon and he's on tap 24 hours a day." Maybe he could take a tip from Boris Johnson.

FIVE TIPS FOR SPEAKING IN MEETINGS

I imagine there will be a lot of important meetings in Whitehall this week. Even though you may not be in on them, it's likely that you will be speaking in meetings from time to time. For some people, it can be quite daunting, especially if other attendees are more senior in the organisation. Even the "this is my name and this is what I do" introduction can make people nervous, causing them to give a poor impression right at the start. So here are a few tips to help you to be more confident in those small gatherings.

1) Listen. In small groups, being a good listener is as important as being a good speaker. Show interest in others' comments, both by your expression and body language. Never interrupt, but make notes if you wish to refer back to a point when it's your turn to speak.

2) Talk to everyone. Don't just address your comments to the meeting chair or the last person to speak. In a small group it's easy to make eye contact with everyone in turn as you make your remarks. Making everyone feel included will help to lighten the atmosphere.

3) Ask, don't tell. Encourage feedback from the rest of the group, and actively seek their participation. That's the point of a meeting, to ensure that everyone's views are heard. Otherwise, you could just send the information by email.

4) Keep your language simple, Avoid any business jargon (don't mention "out of the box thinking" or "rocket science"). For example, look at the editorial in any national newspaper. That always has a strong message, in very simple language.
5) Be positive Focus on things that need to be done rather than things that went wrong. When referring to comments from others, find the positives to agree with. Summarise the points of agreement often.
Bonus Tip 6) Be ruthless. Only hold a meeting if you really need one!

ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW

When you are in a radio or TV interview, especially if you are not used to it, you can easily be side-tracked by a reporter who picks up on a chance comment, to take the discussion in a direction you did not expect or anticipate. That's when you can get into trouble, as you feel the control slipping away, and you can't find a way back to the topic you want to discuss, Before you know it, the interview is over and you are left feeling frustrated and annoyed.

It needn't be like that. Media interviews tend to be less than three minutes, so you only have to maintain your focus and concentration for a short period of time. You know by now that you need to arrive with a core message. Whatever questions are thrown at you, that is the message you have to deliver. You can do it.

Keep your answers short and to the point. Don't speculate in areas that you don't fully understand. If you are confused by a question, simply repeat your message with a phrase such as "I don't think that's really the issue here, so if I may repeat what I said earlier".

Keep the interview on a narrow focus, around your core message. Deliver straight answers to every question, and don't be diverted. Straight and narrow is the way to go.

ARE YOU REGULAR?

No, it's not a medical question, it's about your social media behaviour. Alas, when it comes to posting content online, some people fall prey to the "company newsletter syndrome". The first posting is good, and lengthy. The second posting is even better, and even longer. The third is long-delayed and brief. There is no fourth.

That's no way to sustain an audience. You don't have to go to extremes, like me (this ezine is approaching its 700th weekly edition), but you do need to keep at it. Building a following takes time and patience, and once you make a commitment to serve an audience, you owe it to them to keep delivering. That may be daily tweets, weekly blogs or monthly newsletters. It doesn't matter as long as you keep turning up.

Of course, your stuff has to be interesting and/or useful, or the audience will drift away (as Dobie Gray used to sing). Imagine that your message is being read on an smartphone by someone travelling on a swaying train. You need to be brief and engaging. If you are reading this on a smartphone on a train, I'm stopping now. Otherwise, I'm continuing for another sentence, but luckily you aren't missing any advice.

Christopher Walken is one of my favourite actors. He's a very handy hoofer too, as this compilation of 50 of his fils shows.

It's not just incoming and outgoing politicians who need to make speeches. If you do 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."