| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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As I mentioned last week, I took the role of a polar bear at the Cancer Research Winter Run in London. My job was to give hugs, high-fives and pose for selfies as the finishers came in.
The weather was kind to us. Everyone stayed dry, although it was also pretty cold.
Much to my surprise, I was called up onto a stage in Trafalgar Square to dance with another polar bear. I don't think I will be adding the footage to my show-reel.
Best of all were the chats I had with runners who had tried but failed to get a PB (personal best). I explained to them that as a PB (polar bear) myself, a picture with me counted as a PB. They didn't believe me, but they did laugh.
I've no idea who those chaps in the picture are, but that's definitely me in the middle! |
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Heather and I always celebrate Valentines Day.
While our daughter was growing up, we used to have a special meal indoors, but now we're allowed out again, we pick a fine restaurant.
So let me give a shout-out to our favorite local restaurant - The Dark Horse in Olympic Park, Stratford.
If you're ever in Olympic Park - maybe for a sporting event or a concert - do drop in and say hello to Lee, Ian, Matt and Moz - they will look after you splendidly. |
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| My radio show guest this week is Tom Cridland
He has a remarkable story as a musician, host of an extraordinary podcast, and head of a clothing company
He launched the world’s first ever full collection of sustainable clothing that is backed with a 30 Year Guarantee. He encourages consumers to hold onto their garments for longer and “buy less, buy better”, something which has been shown to reduce carbon, water and waste footprints.
You can hear our chat in the Media Coach Radio Show. |
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| Of course, I'm featuring one of Tom's songs - Falling off the Rails |
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| MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestro is one of the funniest writers I've ever read - PJ O'Rourke.
The recurrent theme in his writing was his place in his generation – the baby boomers. “My generation spoiled everything for you,” he told younger readers. “It has always been the prerogative of young people to look and act weird and shock grownups. But my generation exhausted the earth’s resources of the weird ... all you had left was to tattoo your faces and pierce your tongues. Ouch. That must have hurt. I apologise.”
He was an unashamed conservative (but he voted for Hillary Clinton rather than Donald Trump), and in my view was the funniest political satirist of his generation.
I urge you to seek out and read his books. |
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The MediaMug is Giuseppe Antonio Lomuscio.
He's a painter who created an artwork for the cathedral of Canosa in Puglia, southern Italy, which caused controversy when it was inspected.
The image featured the boss of the charity which commissioned the £17,000 painting of St Sabinus meeting St Benedict, as well as the priest who runs the cathedral.
Mr Lomuscio said he had decided to portray "two authoritative representatives" of the local community.
He tried to make them less evident by adding a COVID face mask to Sergio Fontana, president of the Archaeological Foundation of Canosa, and hiding Father Felice Bacco behind a cross.
He's agreed to revise the painting. But didn't this used to happen all the time centuries ago? |
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| Speaking Tip of the week - Do you know what you're talking about? |
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I know, it seems a silly question to ask a speaker if they really know what they are saying. The trouble is, some speakers don't spend enough (or indeed any) time planning precisely what message they are trying to deliver. They speak well, they entertain, and they may even get a huge round of applause, but when the audience filters out, are they speaking about the memorable message they received, or are they just saying "good speech"?
I've heard people complain that their speaking slot is cut from 40 minutes to 30 minutes. "That's not enough time to get my message across" they say. Try telling that to the organisers of TED.com, where 20 minutes represents a speech that over-runs. You should be able to summarise every speech you hear, and therefore every speech you deliver, in a sentence or two. That should always be your starting point when you sit down to prepare. It may take half the preparation time, but that's fine. It's important to get it right.
If you have concerns about delivering a speech to a particular audience, or you're unsure what to say, perhaps you're not the right person for that event. A true professional will only deliver a message to an audience that they believe will understand it and benefit from it. As William Jennings Bryan put it "The speech of one who knows what he is talking about and means what he says - it is thought on fire" |
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| Media Tip of the week - Any minute now, we'll see the plane |
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It's tough being a reporter waiting for a visiting dignitary to arrive at an airport. They sometimes have to do what is known as the "airport fill", standing on a windswept runway, scanning the grey skies for the faintest glimpse of an incoming plane, while filling the airwaves with vaguely interesting content. You won't ever have to do that, but you could wind up in an interview that runs much longer than expected, perhaps because the next guest hasn't turned up.
So how do you cope if you've prepared for a three minute interview that becomes a ten-minute one? Firstly, relax. The fact that you have more air time is a good thing. It's likely that the interviewer will be far more concerned than you are, and if you are able to help them fill time, they will ask easier and easier questions.
A second tactic to prolong an interview is to tell a story. Of course, it should be a story that you have used before, know well, and has a relevant point. If you've been following my musings for a while, you will know exactly what I mean.
Thirdly, make sure you deliver your core message once more at the end of the interview, however long it turns out to be. There's no harm in mentioning it several times throughout as well. If you can help the interviewer and the producer to do an "airport fill" style of interview, they will be extremely grateful. |
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| Social Media Tip of the week - Three and out |
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Online debates can be very engaging. You spot a Facebook comment and respond, and others join in. The originator comes back, and you respond once more. Thing can get heated, or can simply take up a lot of time.
The thing is, it's rare that anyone's view will be changed during such a debate. If anything, views become more entrenched, and positions harden. The benefit to you, and more importantly for your business, is zero.
So how do you get out of the cycle of debate? Here's a tip I spotted in Wired magazine. Once you have responded three times, stop. That's it. It's like three rounds of boxing, after which the protagonists touch gloves and walk back to their corners.
Online, it doesn't matter who wins the debate, since there is usually no winner. It doesn't matter who lands the final blow. The important thing is to set a limit, and walk away to do something far more important. |
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If you appear on the media, or plan to, then I can help you perform even better.
Media Coaching |
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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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