Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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So we've passed the Summer Solstice, and as my good Scottish friend Jim would say "The nights are fair drawin' in..."
Well that's as maybe, but rather than be downcast about darker evenings, there's plenty to look forward to, though obviously not if you're a Scottish football fan (sorry about that, Stuart).
We had some pals staying with us last weekend, and though it wasn't the hoped-for barbecue weather, we found some great things to do, including one of London's hidden treasures - The Museum of Docklands.
It's free to visit (though donations are welcome) and it has some wonderful displays, not only about the history of the docks and surrounding area, but also about the abolition of slavery, in which many women were involved, though William Wilberforce got the credit. Most surprising of all (to me at least) was Project Pluto. You'll have to go to find out. |
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 | Tim Drake is my guest in the Web Radio Show this week. I've known Tim for a while, and very much enjoyed one of his books, Generation Cherry.
When I heard that he had a new book out, called Do Agile, I was very keen to speak with him again. It's a wonderful book - easy to read and full of great advice for where we are now.
Like me, he's a strong advocate of lifelong learning. His CEO Think Tanks have been running for twenty five years, and he still thrives in the shared learning they provoke. Within each industry they are made up of members from all parts of the supply chain with the aim of rattling mental cages, and keeping thinking open and agile
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The MediaMaestro award goes to South Korean industrial designer Paeng Min-wook. He has invented a robotic eyeball that can be strapped to a person's forehead, allowing them to browse their phone injury-free while walking along a pavement.
The device - called The Third Eye - senses when the user's head has been lowered to look at the phone and it then opens its translucent eyelid.
When the person comes within one or two metres of an obstacle, the third eye beeps to warn them of danger.
He said the device was a "satirical solution" which he hoped would make people "recognise the severity of their gadget addiction and look back at themselves".
Maybe not so silly....
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The MediaMug is ITV reporter Callum Watkinson.
He became rather irritated by a person walking into shot as he was recording a piece to camera in Birmingham town centre.
It happened on Broad Street, where Watkinson told the man: ‘Don’t f***ing do it and I won’t come into your workplace and start f***ing with you idiot. Why don’t you go and get a job and then I’ll come behind you and start being an idiot? Do you know how hard it is to broadcast live to half a million people? Do you know how hard it is to concentrate? It’s quite hard, without someone in the background going “Ooh I’m on TV!”‘
ITV has now apologised for any offence, said they had spoken to the reporter and the matter was being dealt with internally.
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Speaking Tip - The red thread |
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Whenever I'm working with speakers, or preparing a new speech myself, I focus on the idea of the red thread.
This is the theme that runs through the speech, and which is (hopefully) what your audience will remember for long afterwards. It's sometimes called the core message, or take-away, but the principle is the same.
The idea is to ensure that every element of the speech is attached in some way to the red thread. If anything that you come up with - a story, an example, or some research - has no connection to that thread, it has no place in your speech and will have to wait for another time.
The red thread needs to be simple, memorable and valuable in order to work. It's very difficult to use a complex idea as the theme of a speech. It's also pointless to deliver a speech with an idea that is hard to remember.
One of the first things I do when creating a speech is to determine the red thread. This is often done in consultation with the client, because they are the person who pays!
Once I have established the red thread, I ask the client to sign it off. This is very important, as every speaker I know has stories about occasional speeches that didn't deliver what the client really wanted.
Keep the red thread in mind at all times - both during creation and delivery of a speech. Perhaps that's why a really good speech is often called a good yarn. |
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Media Tip - Pre-recorded interviews |
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Pre-recorded interviews are used for one of two purposes; to play in full, giving the presenter time to take a break, and to edit for clips to be used in trailers and news bulletins.
The first type, where both the questions and your answers are recorded for later broadcast, can be disconcerting. It may be that the interview is recorded on one day, and broadcast the next. It may be recorded for playback in the middle of the night. You should always ask when it is due to be broadcast, and then imagine that you are “live” at that time. Let me explain what I mean. You may be asked to record an interview at 4pm on Tuesday, for broadcast at 7am on Wednesday. The interview may start with a cheery “Good Morning” from the presenter. You need to respond as though it really is Wednesday morning, since when it is broadcast, the listeners will often have no idea that it is a recording, and will imagine that you are in the studio. It is only a slight subterfuge, but you need to play along with it. It may be easier for you to avoid all references to day or time, and simply say “Hello”.
The second type will probably be conducted by someone other than the presenter. They will have a list of questions, but not necessarily any interest in your responses. The whole process is not a discussion, simply a list of prompts to encourage you to make your points. You need to remember that the questions will not be broadcast, so you have to repeat them in your response, in order for the clip to make sense. If you are asked “How will you react to the workers’ demands for higher pay?”, it will not be helpful to respond “We’re not going to budge on that issue”. Instead, you need to say something like “In response to demands for higher pay, our stance is to stick with our current offer”. In this type of interview, it is up to you to inject interest and emotion, since your questioner may not help you at all. On the positive side, if you deliver your core message in a punchy and memorable way, it will almost certainly be the clip that is used.
In all types of pre-recorded interviews, you need to be at your best at all times. You have no control over which sections will be broadcast, so you need to be sure that every answer is on the money. |
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Social Media Tip - Do more with less |
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One of the most common complaints that I hear about social media is that it takes up way too much time. There are a number of possible reasons for that perception, the most obvious of which being that we get distracted and diverted away from what we were initially attracted by.
If that happens to us when we're browsing, it's also going to happen to the people who browse our content. So how can we keep people engaged, as well as spending less time doing it? Here are a few ideas:
1) Being newsy If you're quick to comment on a news story that's just breaking, you can post a short comment, pose a question and kick off a substantial debate. You don't have to be online all the time - you can visit the debate every few hours, like some comments, and add your own spin.
2) Who's the best? People love to make judgements about who is the best musician, sportsperson, speaker, business guru - you name it, people will have a view. You don't even have to express your own opinion, at least initially - you can let the debate run for a while, then return to summarise it and add your own thoughts. (a variation of this is to pick two contrasting things - Vegemite or Marmite?)
3) Create a poll Pick any issue and create a question about it, adding a few possible answers. You will find that people love to vote, and may add their own options. After a day or so, return to summarise the votes, which may then provide you with the material for another post.
4) An evocative image Post a picture that brings up strong emotions for you - a place you haven't visited for years, a sunset, a memory of an event - and ask people to post their own. You'll find it a popular and rewarding exercise.
In short, you can spend very little time on social media, but still have a big presence.
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An online or in-person speech to make? I can help.
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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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