The MediaCoach

Hi John,

I'm still glued to the Winter Olympics. From the heartbreak of speed skater Elise Christie crashing out and then disqualified from her event to the extraordinary slow-motion skill of the curling teams, it has been a rare treat to watch. One of the most inspiring stories has been the UK women's bobsleigh team, who lost their funding last year and had to crowdfund the money to get them to South Korea. Mica Moore and Mica McNeill finished in eighth place, which is the best-ever result for a British women's team. I hope their funding is now restored, but if not, I'm happy to contribute.

I will be in Birmingham next week working in the media team at the World Indoor Athletics Championships. I've volunteered at many sporting events, but this is the first time I've had an email to say that there aren't enough trousers and trainers for the volunteers, so can I bring my own in the correct colours. I guess that is the age of austerity we live in.

A reminder that my great friend Lesley Everett is running a Leadership Brand Retreat in Carmel, California. I can't recommend it highly enough. If you are interested, or know anyone who may be, here is the link.

My radio guest this week is Richard Hagen, an expert on book publishing. He is running a workshop on March 14th in London, along with author Martyn Pentecost and BBC broadcaster Janey Lee Grace. It's well worth attending if you have a book idea. Here is the link. Listen to our chat in the Media Coach Radio Show. and there's also a superb tune from my Nashville chums The Lost Hollow Band, who will be on tour in the UK again soon.
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The MediaMaestro this week is Cassiday Proctor, a weekday morning presenter on The Arch station in the US city of St Louis. She went way beyond the call of duty by broadcasting from her hospital bed as she gave birth to her son Jameson. The baby arrived two weeks early, and Ms Proctor made a spur of the moment decision to be live on air through the event. Her radio station worked with the hospital where she gave birth so it could be broadcast. Ms Proctor's co-host Spencer Graves told the BBC that the on-air birth was a "magical, intimate moment". Good luck to them all.

The MediaMug award goes to the Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, which has hit the news for a series of bans on boy's hairstyles including one popularly called 'Meet me at McDonald's'. From time to time, a school will come up with a weird ban on something or other, with the justification of "keeping discipline". In practice, the bans are often the personal whim of the head teacher. In this case, the ban also includes "Hair teased to an excessive height", "Overgrown fringes brushed forwards" and "Shaven partings". You couldn't make it up. Power has gone to the principal's head, and he's beyond the fringe, combing out boys with unacceptable styles (That's enough hair puns - Ed)

PLAYING AS A TEAM

Sometimes, you need to make a team presentation. You may be pitching for business, talking to shareholders, or explaining a new development to residents. The rules of presenting (see previous issues) still apply to the person who is speaking, but there is now more to consider. For example, who will be presenting? In what sequence? How will transitions be made? Will you have a facilitator?

As always, it comes down to good preparation. One person should take charge of the planning and co-ordination, and ensure that the whole team understands what will happen. Ideally, the separate presentations should fit together to form a coherent message. That will probably require several rehearsals, for both words and visual aids (if used).

Even the staging is important, and whether the whole team will be on-stage together, or appear one at a time. In the latter case, remember to practice the changeover, particularly if microphones are involved. Never, ever, try to switch from one laptop to another - something will go wrong, leading to embarrassed asides to the audience. If you are on stage together, remember that you are all on display at all times, so show your respect and attention to the person speaking. I once saw a pitch ruined by a two team members who clearly had a private joke running about another speaker's style of delivery. They lost the pitch, of course.

Obviously, it's all about good teamwork. If you are going to win people to your point of view, you need to be at your best, at all times. Plan, prepare and practice.

WHAT WAS I SAYING?

It can be a bit traumatic to appear on radio or TV, especially if you are new to it. One of the main concerns of new interviewees, and many experienced ones too, is that they will forget their message. The pressure of a live interview under bright lights can be intense, and it's not possible to refer to notes, even in radio interviews (most radio studios have webcams, and radio journalists really don't like guests with crib sheets)

So here are some tips to help you stay on-message, even in the most pressurised media interrogations:

It's not what you do on air, it's what you do beforehand that will guarantee success.

BLOGS AND PR

Blogging is almost "old news" these days. Some argue that it started with Samuel Pepys, but I couldn't find his website, so I'm not sure. There are millions of blogs, many of them read by only a handful of people, and some probably only by the author. The value of Blogging for public relations purposes has been much debated. I think it has several important PR functions.

1) You can raise your profile by commenting on issues of the day, offering advice and starting debates
2) You can join in debates on other blogs about your topic (see effect above)
3) You can see what others are saying about you, your company, and your area of expertise

All of which seems to be worthwhile to me.

How often you write a blog is up to you. Sometimes, when the muse settles upon my shoulder, I write one or two a day. At other times, one or two a week. It doesn't matter that much, as long as you keep at it. Most importantly, allow people to subscribe to your updates.

Our friends at Bad Lip Reading have summarised the NFL season.

Don't worry, I can help you protect your reputation.

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."