| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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I am sure that like me, you have been shocked and stunned by what is happening right now in Ukraine.
It's hard to imagine what it must be like for the people of a country that has known peace for many years to find themselves in the middle of a frightening conflict.
Sadly, there is little that most of us can do other than to watch events unfold, and hope that peace can return to Ukraine, under democratic rule, as soon as possible. |
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We just met up with a couple of friends in the middle of the country - they drove from the North, we drove from the South - and we ended up in Stafford, which I know little about, other than it has two Premier Inns about a hundred yards apart, and very few taxis.
I can confirm that the storms last week made driving hazardous, but it was all worth it to meet up with great friends. |
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| My radio show guest this week is Tristan Gooley is an author and natural navigator. I first played this interview last year, but I've had many requests to repeat it.
Tristan set up his natural navigation school in 2008 and is the author of award-winning and internationally bestselling books, including The Natural Navigator (2010) and The Secret world of Weather (2021), some of the world’s only books covering natural navigation.
He has spent decades hunting for clues and signs in nature, across the globe, and regularly gets called:
“The Sherlock Holmes of Nature”
I love talking to him.
You can hear our chat in the Media Coach Radio Show. |
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One of the most popular songs I've ever played on the show has been Did I break the Law? from When Rivers Meet, so I'm playing it again.
They are becoming one of the top blues bands in the country - so go and see them if you can! |
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| MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestro is Gary Brooker, the golden-voiced vocalist from Procol Harum, who everyone remembers for "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
Gary passed away this week after over fifty years in the music industry. He toured with Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr, and played with Sir Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman, George Harrison, the Alan Parsons Project and many others.
In 1996, he appeared alongside Madonna in Alan Parker's film adaptation of Evita, playing Argentine foreign minister Juan Atilio Bramuglia. His fans included film director Martin Scorsese, who wrote about their "magisterial melodies and teasing, enigmatic lyrics you could invest with your own fantasies"
There was always much debate about the meaning of his biggest hit, co-written with Matthew Fisher and Keith Reid, but whatever it means, we've all skipped the light fandango and turned cartwheels across the floor occasionally.
However, my favourite song of Gary's was from their third album - A Salty Dog |
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The MediaMug is blogger Jason Lee, who runs the website Hollywood Unlocked.
He announced this week that Queen Elizabeth the Second had died. She hasn't, and is currently recovering from a mild COVID infection.
Undeterred by news his story was wrong, he doubled down, stating "I've never been wrong".
He then blamed an intern.
Oh dear. Perhaps the word "sorry" isn't in his vocabulary. |
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| Speaking Tip of the week - Moving the chairs |
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You know the phrase about "moving the deckchairs on the Titanic"? Well I tried it and it had no impact at all. To be fair, I was in a museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the deckchairs were part of a display salvaged from the ill-fated liner. I swapped them over when the security guard wasn't looking. Silly, really. But moving chairs before you speak can have a real impact. The sight of empty rows of seats when you are giving a speech is a serious drain on your energy, and a constant distraction. It will also make your audience members think "why didn't everyone else turn up?". The problem is usually caused by enthusiastic organisers who want to ensure that everyone will have a seat, and therefore not only put out far too many chairs, but also provide much too large a room
That's why you need to arrive early, and ask the organiser how many people are expected. Then count the chairs (yes, do it yourself). If there are obviously too many chairs, request that some are removed. Point out the disadvantages of a half-full room, and the fact that chairs can easily be added at the last minute. If you are able to, it may be possible to switch to a smaller room, or to change the layout from theatre-style to cabaret-style (circular tables with about ten chairs around each). In addition, a few people left standing shows how popular your talk is, which will reflect well on the organiser.
You might also wish to change the layout to remove a central aisle (one thing I always do if I can). Most importantly, you should take charge of the room, so that you and the audience feel comfortable, and have no distractions while you are speaking.
If you can't make any changes, try putting any handout material on the front rows only, and/or have people escorted to their seats at the front. If you end up with a tiny audience, ask them to re-arrange their chairs in a half-circle in front of you. Never, ever make an excuse like "I don't know why so few people turned up". Simply present your speech as though the audience is exactly what you expected. |
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| Media Tip of the week - Being media-ready |
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How did I make sure my clients are media-ready? Here's how.
1) Knowing a topic If you're planning to go on TV or radio, you need to know your stuff. In fact that's why they invited you. Of course, no-one would expect you to know everything about your topic, but you should have a level of expertise that allows you to bring something new to the discussion. In short, you need to have knowledge and experience.
2) Knowing current issues It can happen (and often does) that you will be asked to give an opinion on something that you weren't called in for. The "while you are here" question is a very common journalistic ploy, especially for politicians. You need to take a lively interest in the stories that relate to your expertise, but then why wouldn't you?
3) Knowing how to do fast research Google is an absolute boon to both journalists and interviewees. In a matter of minutes, you can get up to speed on a story. It's also worth checking social networks to see what the "buzz" is, and whether the story is about to go in a new direction.
4) Knowing how to be interviewed Yes, I would say this, wouldn't I? Being media-ready is tough if you've never had any media coaching. It's not going to take very long to learn the basic skills, but it will make a huge difference to how you are perceived.
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| Social Media Tip of the week - Communicate like a band |
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The music business is tough. Competition is rife, margins are squeezed and there's plenty of talent around. A bit like any business, really. But some bands and artists use social media to build a market. You can too, by copying some of their ideas -
1) Create a community Give your fans somewhere to meet and exchange ideas - a Facebook group, a Twitter list or an Instagram tag. Get involved yourself by commenting, posting pictures, video and audio. Respond to individual messages occasionally. Basically, show that you care.
2) Encourage sharing Once people start talking about you and your brand, they may want to share information, and set up their own communities and networks. Encourage them, but don't feel you have to be involved in everything. Don't be too precious about them sharing your content - as long as they attribute it to you, it's all good marketing.
3) Offer special treats Offering prizes and incentives is a great way to build a dedicated following. You might offer a prize to the thousandth like on your Facebook page, or a giveaway of your products to 25 followers. You might even offer a "meet and greet" to one or two fans.
In short, watch how bands create a market, and copy the successful ones.
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| Playing for Change brings musicians around the world to play together for a cause. Their latest offering, When the Levee Breaks, featuring Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones is quite magnificent. |
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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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