Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Sorry to mention it (especially to my friend Andy), but it's the time of year when retailers reveal their Christmas adverts.
I've had a look at them on your behalf, so you don't have to go searching for them online. The John Lewis advert is a bit of an ET story. The M&S advert features the voice of Dawn French as a Christmas fairy, and Tom Holland as the voice of Percy Pig.
And a new player in the game this year is Sports Direct, who have spent a reported six million pounds to get the likes of Emma Racucanu, Jack Grealish and Katarina Johnson-Thompson, among many other sports stars to have a snowball fight.
Who wins? Well I guess that's up to you.
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The Exceptional Speaker Academy opened its virtual doors this week. .
Only $99 per month for over 2 hours of live interaction and content from 3 award-winning speakers - Lesley Everett, Sean Weafer and me.
We had a terrific opening session with our new delegates (some of whom were happy to be pictured), and we are looking forward to our fortnightly sessions.
This is too good to miss if you're serious about improving your speaking skills. We promise you'll get world-class advice from some of the best in the professional and international speaking business.
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 | Jarod Lawley is a singer and musician who plays, as he says, "alternative music for people with old souls"
I don't know if I fall into that category, but when I saw him play a superb set in London recently, I was keen to have him on my show. It turned out to be a fascinating interview.
Jarod will be playing at The Back Stage Bar of The Rialto Casino in Leicester Square on the 18th of November.
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And there's a great song from Jarod too. |
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The MediaMaestro could have gone to any number of great speakers at the COP26 conference this week.
But for me, one person stood out with regard to what they said and how they delivered it. Dame Jane Goodall. She was speaking this week about the conference, and also about her studies in Africa.
Her work is being showcased at the Natural History Museum in London. The biographical exhibit will be on view from Nov. 7th, 2021 to April 7th, 2022. It will feature “a life-size replica of Dr. Goodall’s research tent, ‘immersive displays of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park, a hologram of Dr. Goodall sharing her memories from Gombe and “digitally rendered chimpanzees in a multiscreen experience,’
I'll certainly pay a visit. Maybe I'll see you there. |
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The MediaMug goes to Ben van Burden, the boss of oil giant Shell.
He says his company can transition to net zero by 2050, but it will need the cash from its oil and gas business to pay for it.
Shell currently has a global carbon footprint the size of Russia's if you include the emissions from customers using Shell products.
It plans to spend four times as much on oil and gas development as on renewables next year. This is why some doubt that Shell can hit either its own targets and those imposed by a Dutch court which require it to halve its own net emissions by 2030 and eliminate them entirely by 2050. Shell is planning to appeal part of the ruling.
Mr van Burden might consider choosing his words more carefully.
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Speaking Tip - Off the cuff |
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A couple of years ago, I had been invited to a formal dinner, and the hostess asked me during the opening drinks reception whether I would say a few words after dinner. I said yes immediately, not just because I was grateful for her hospitality, but also because that's what speakers do. We all have (or should have) a bank of stories and phrases we can draw on.
Of course, I often prepare in great detail for a set-piece speech, as do all my fellow professionals. However, if the occasion demands it, I can also deliver a speech with a few minutes notice. Here's my three-step process for an impromptu speech:
1) Establish the requirement It's extremely important that you clarify what you are being asked to do. Is it a vote of thanks, a call to action, or some funny stories? In order to check you've understood the brief, repeat it back to whoever asked. When you get the nod, you're good to go.
2) Prepare Obviously, your preparation time is very limited. Take a few minutes away on your own and jot down an opening remark, a closing remark and a story heading or two. That's it. No-one will expect a keynote. As long as you open and close your short speech with strong lines, you will make a huge impression.
3) Deliver Don't say that you weren't expecting to speak, or didn't have much time to prepare. People know that. Instead, say how grateful you are for the opportunity to speak, and deliver your opening line. It should be easy for you to tell a story or two, and then close with your planned phrase. Job done!
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Media Tip - Keep it fresh |
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If you can bring a new element to a news story, you be welcomed by the media. You're not there to tell a reporter what they already know, but to offer a fresh insight, however small. But you need to be able to react quickly. It is more important to be responsive to the media than to spend hours crafting the perfect response. If you don't supply a statement or quote quickly, someone else will, and they may be a rival, or someone with a grudge against your organisation. You need to establish yourself, very quickly, as a prime source of information that the media can approach to for an interesting viewpoint.
If a journalist tells you that they need a response by ten o'clock in the morning, you need to supply it by five to ten, not five past ten. A few minutes late can mean that your brilliant quote may never be heard. Of course, you can sometimes prepare your quote in advance, such as when a report is due for publication, and you know you will be asked to comment. In the apparent "heat of the moment" you can then deliver your carefully crafted message.
The best way to deal with a sudden media request is to have a list of agreed "position statements" in the hands of anyone who might be confronted by a camera or microphone. Update these statements regularly - say every three months - and your spokespeople will be able to deal with most issues without having to call a meeting first. When I was a media spokesman for a large organisation, I could recite any one of ten position statements on various issues, and could adapt them for any situation. That's what you need to do, otherwise you could be caught out.
Keep your statements fresh, respond quickly, and always be helpful and polite. You'll be the perfect interviewee.
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Social Media Tip - Three Social Media Myths |
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There are more social media experts around than you can shake a stick at. Not that I'm encouraging you to do so. Instead, here's my take on some of the most popular advice offered about social networking.
1) Always include a call to action. While it's fine now and again to suggest that people visit your page or even buy your course, constant selling is a real turn-off. It's about creating relationships, not constant marketing. If you're well-liked and respected, business will come in without you having to keep asking for it.
2) You can't do it all yourself. I'm here to tell you that you can, and you don't need to spend all day online, either. Being present on social networks for a few minutes each day will maintain those relationships. Posting a few comments each time you're online, commenting on your areas of expertise will keep your profile high. A few good conversations each week will pay dividends.
3) Older people aren't on social media. OK, that depends what you mean by "older". From where I sit, I guess that's me, and most professionals that I know of any age are using social networks. Surveys suggest that users of Facebook and Twitter are skewed toward the more mature users.
As with all advice (including what I've just offered you), it's best to try things out and see what works for you. There are no hard and fast rules about social media, so just get involved as much as you wish.
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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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