Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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If you have any interest at all in communication (and I assume that you do, since you're here), then you probably noticed that Boris Johnson did a less than perfect job with a speech to the Confederation of British Industry this week.
Even by his somewhat rambling standards, this was a difficult speech to watch. He lost his place for over thirty seconds, talked about Peppa Pig for some time, apparently without any reference to the rest of his speech, and generally confused his audience of business leaders.
He imitated the sound of an accelerating car with grunts that the official Downing Street release transcribed as “arum arum aaaaaaaaag”. He also compared himself to Moses over his plan to help business invest in tackling climate change.
You couldn't have made it up. As a speaking professional myself, on this occasion words fail me. |
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It's that time of year when those cheeky chappies Ant and Dec put "Celebrities" through a number of ordeals in the Australian jungle. Except now it's in a castle in North Wales. And the "Celebrities" have to explain to eah other who they actually are when they first meet.
There's been one casualty already. TV presenter Richard Madeley has had to depart after a brief stay in hospital. I wish him well. When he watches what happens to the others for the next two weeks from a comfy sofa at home, he may be relieved to be out.
My money is on Kadeena Cox. Well, a fiver anyway. |
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 | My interview guest this week is David Berkeley (right), who is one half of the duo Son of Town Hall, along with Ben Parker.
The pair play a time-traveling, trans-Atlantic union. Imagine if Simon and Garfunkel were lost at sea, salt in their beards, wind at their backs, and whiskey in their bottles.
I'm playing the interview again as the pair are just embarking on a long-awaited UK tour, with details on their website.
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The MediaMaestro this week is film director Peter Jackson, who has spent four years trawling through the out-takes of a Beatles film to produce eight hours of footage that has excited Beatles fans around the world.
I must admit, I was in two minds about this, since I heard Peter Jackson interviewed on the radio this week, and he said that he'd never make a film about The Rolling Stones, since The Beatles were the only interesting group he'd ever heard.
Nonetheless, I think his dedication to the cause is worthy of note.
It was a sobering thought, to me at least, to realise that The Beatles broke up over half a century ago. There are fewer and fewer people around who saw them perform, so the fact that they remain so popular is remarkable.
Still, any band that can put out a song with the words "Semolina Pilchard climbing up the Eiffel tower. Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen Poe." and still have people singing along with it over fifty years later must have something pretty good going on.
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The MediaMug isAustralian TV presenter Matt Doran.
He and his TV station landed an exclusive interview with Adele about her new album, 30. He flew from Sydney to London with a film crew on 4th November to meet her for her only Australian interview about it.
But after admitting during it that he had not listened to the album, Sony withheld the interview footage. Doran apologised and said he had missed an email with a preview copy of the songs.
"It was an oversight but not a deliberate snub," he told The Australian newspaper. "This is the most important email I have ever missed."
Australian media reported that Doran's trip with two colleagues to London was part of a rights package that had cost the network A$1m (£500,000; $700,000).
That was an expensive email to overlook.
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Speaking Tip - What makes a speech vulnerable? |
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Just as there are elements of a speech that can strengthen it and make it more robust, there are also some features that can render it open to attack. Here are three common ones -
- Misinformation
- Contradiction
- Waffle and Truisms
Misinformation - For example, the oft-quoted statistic from Albert Mehrabian that 7% of communication happens in spoken words, 38% through voice tone and 55% via body language. Despite the fact this his research was focused exclusively on personal communication about feelings of like or dislike, his work has been misrepresented for years as a generalisation about communication. Were it true, of course, there would be no need to learn a foreign language, since we could understand 93% of what people say by their gestures and tone. If you make a statement in a speech, make sure that you represent it properly.
Contradiction - Audiences are very quick to pick up on this. If you say something at odds with what you said earlier, then the audience reaction will be "Hang on - you said the opposite a moment ago", and all of the impact of your speech will be lost. Check your speeches carefully for any contradictory statements, and either remove them or qualify them
Waffle and Truisms - OK, I'm guilty here. I use truisms on occasion (even in this very ezine, as I am sometimes reminded), and the problem is, they remove intellectual rigour from your argument. Try to avoid them. After all, you can sometimes have too much of something.
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Media Tip - Bridge over troubled water |
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A lot of the work that I do with media clients these days is helping them to plan for the impact of a crisis. In one sense, a crisis is impossible to plan for, since it is an unexpected event. However, one guaranteed element of any crisis these days is the rapid and often overwhelming arrival of the news media.
It is important to talk to the media as soon as possible in order to establish yourself as the main source of information about what has happened. Unfortunately, you may not be in a position to say very much, probably because you don't know very much. This is where the concept of bridging is so valuable. Although it is a technique for every type of media interview, it is particularly useful when dealing with a crisis.
The idea is to "bridge" from the question to a statement you wish to make. Here are a few bridging phrases -
- Yes, that's important, but what's more important is
- What that means in practice is
- Let me put that in perspective
- A lot of our customers have been asking for information, so let me first say this
When you us a bridging phrase, use it appropriately, respectfully and calmly. It could save your reputation.
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Social Media Tip - But that was years ago! |
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There have been a number of cases recently where people are being held to account for social media posts that they made several years, or even over a decade ago.
Obviously, the posts should never have been made in the first place, but once they are out there, they can be copied and saved, and even hunted down when you think you've deleted them.
What's the best way to respond to something you now feel embarrassed about? Firstly, you need to consider if any response is required. It may be that you used a swear word, or insulted someone or some institution. If you still feel the same way, and feel that your comment was justified, you may just choose to say nothing, and let the story disappear.
However, if your comment is stronger, and can be seen as sexist, racist or defamatory, that's another matter. You need to respond as quickly as possible, by taking responsibility, apologising and explaining that your conduct since has been exemplary (assuming that it has, of course). You might decide to take a break from social media until things die down.
Finally, make sure it never happens again: - Never post in anger
- Always read a post several times before posting
- If you feel strongly about something, compose a comment offline first, and think about it for at least ten minutes before deciding whether to post it
- Never make a personal attack
- Never repeat an insult towards you in order to deny it
- Be nice
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Apologies for last week's fun fling - the video was deleted between me writing this and ou receiving it.
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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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