Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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May I wish you the Happiest of Christmases and the most wonderful New Year.
It's been an interesting time, hasn't it? And it looks like we have a little way to go yet. I hope you're well, and looking forward to more settled times.
I won't be sending an ezine on Christmas Eve - you've got much better things to do. However, there will be one on New Year's Eve, when I will be letting you know the most popular tips of the year, the most-liked MediaMaestro and MediaMug, and the "awards" from me for the funniest media moments.
It's my birthday today, I was born 49 years after the Wright brothers flew their plane at Kitty Hawk, 21 years before marathoner Paula Radcliffe was born, and 37 years before the first episode of "The Simpsons" was aired.
And this week sees the launch of a brand new podcast just dedicated to music, with the stories from behind the scenes. It's called Access All Areas.Rocks. My co-host is music producer Ian Little, who worked with Roxy Music, Duran Duran, Supertramp and many others. Why not take a listen? |
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There's still one place left on my annual speaker coaching programme.
If you are a professional speaker who wants to get back in the game in 2022, with more gigs and higher fees, I'd be happy to help.
However, if you can't commit to a couple of hours of coaching every month, or a year is to much of a committment, get in touch. I have something of interest for you.
I've been boosting the careers of professional speakers for many years. It could be your turn next. Just drop me a line, or check out my website. |
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Mike's a good friend of the show. As well as being a great singer and songwriter in his own right, he's also helped me out with many guests who have appeared in the last couple of years.
He told me an amazing story about the owner of The Cavern Club in Liverpool, a long-lost Christmas song, and how he came to record it.
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There's also that wonderful song, of course! |
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The MediaMaestro is a Finnish teacher called Ilona Taimela. All teachers have been doing a remarkable job through the pandemic, providing remote teaching to their students.
But Ilona has been doing something extraordinary - secretly providing remote education to Finnish children living in Syrian refugee camps.
Her pupils were 23 Finnish children living in al-Hol camp, a vast city of tents for people linked to the Islamic State (IS) group.
"Whoever the children are, they have a right to education," she told the BBC.
The children's progress was the product of engagement with hundreds of text and voice messages via WhatsApp. Because the mothers were banned from owning mobile phones, these messages had to be kept secret from Kurdish authorities and the Finnish public.
She says that she will probably never meet or speak to her pupils, but she is satisfied that she has helped them to maintain their education. Well done to her. |
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The MediaMug isretailer Marks and Spencer. Once again they have decided to take to the courts to complain about a rival supermarket, Aldi.
You may recall that in April, we had "Caterpillargate", when M&S alleged Aldi's Cuthbert cake copied its Colin the Caterpillar cake.
This time the spat is over gin. M&S says Aldi's blackberry and clementine gin liqueur is "strikingly similar" to its own Light Up gin.
Both retailer's gins come in a bell-shaped bottle with a light in the base, which illuminates edible gold flakes in the liquid. The Aldi gin is about £6 cheaper than the basic £20 M&S version.
I have no idea, or even any interest in what the outcome of the case may be. However, at a time when retailers are doing their best to stay in business, it seems a bizarre move to employ teams of lawyers to argue that one bottle of gin looks like another. |
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Speaking Tip - Stage presents |
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I'm obliged to my good friend, Jason Butler, for the pun in the title. I was MC at a stand-up comedy gig when he picked up two beautifully-wrapped parcels, walked up to the microphone and announced "This is what you need - stage presents!"
You're not a robot. At least, I assume not. When you present, you will be using gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and general body language to help convey your message.. The whole package is sometimes referred to as stage presence, sometimes platform mechanics. Whatever you call it, it is essential as support to the most important thing - your words (don't let anyone tell you that words are only seven per cent of communication - that statistic is absolute nonsense).
Even if you stand behind a lectern, your hands, face and eye movements convey a message. Take eye contact for example. It can be absent (if you look at your notes the whole time), false (if you gaze over the heads of the audience to a point high on the back wall), skewed (if you look more often to one part of the audience or to one side) or genuine (when you catch the eye of different listeners, in all parts of the audience).
You are allowed to smile on stage. I know, it may come as a shock, but trust me on this one. You don't even have to say "I'm happy to be here". Your smile says it all. Smile as you begin your speech, and as a signal that not every point is serious. Don't act like a grinning idiot, but show that you are relaxed and happy. Of course, none of the above applies to certain politicians, whose smile creates nothing other than a sense of menace.
Oh yes, a couple more things. One hand in a pocket now and again is OK, but all the time indicates disinterest. And don't keep walking in front of the screen (or don't use slides at all)
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Humour is a valuable tool for any speaker. If you want to make a strong point, deliver it on the back of a laugh, and your audience will remember it. Unfortunately, many speakers try to use "recycled humour". In other words, they either try to tell jokes, or repeat a story that they have heard another speaker use. Neither is a good idea.
Humour in your speeches should come from your experience. For one thing, it's easier to remember. For another, telling jokes requires perfect timing and years of practice. Most of all, if you tell your own stories, it is much harder for anyone to steal your material (and woe betide them if you catch them doing it).
And if you think nothing funny ever happens to you, try keeping a notebook with you and jotting down anything that makes you laugh. The book will fill up quickly, and provide a mass of material for your speeches.
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Social Media Tip - Be a social media Santa |
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No, you don't need to wear the red suit and the beard. The characteristic to cultivate is giving gifts. That's what will make you a go-to person in your topic.
Next time you use Twitter or Facebook, think how you can give a gift, such as:
- A link to a great article
- A mention for someone with great idea
- Thanks to someone
- Re-tweeting a useful message
- Encouraging others to visit someone's site
- Suggesting people to "follow" or "friend"
- Keeping in touch with old friends
- Commenting on a photograph or video
Make someone happy this Christmas with a social media gift. |
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The school Nativity play is a lovely event. Sometimes the wee ones sing so softly you can hardly hear them. This classic video shows a little girl who was obviously told to "sing loudly" and took it very, very literally. |
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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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