Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Twitter has a new owner. Well, almost - the deal will go through later this year, but his bid has been accepted.
It's Elon Musk, the richest man in the world. He paid $44billon for the sixteenth-largest social network in the world.
I've been on a number of news shows talking about the deal. I don't know Mr Musk, but I do know quite a lot about social media.
I really enjoyed an interview on the GB News Breakfast Show, with Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster, even though it meant getting up at 4am to get to the studios for 5.30am.
The thing is, I train people to do media interviews, and I tell then that they have to be on top form whatever time and circumstances they find themselves in. I think it's important to practice what I preach.
If you were looking for a media trainer, wouldn't you want someone who not only told you what to do, but demonstrated it on national TV and radio? Of course you would.
So here's how I did: |
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I'd be interested in your views on this story.
The UK government is bringing in new rules under which retailer promotions on food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar will be restricted.
Kelloggs, which makes a number of cereals, is taking the government to court claiming that the impact of adding milk to cereals has not been considered.
So let's be clear. The cereals in question have been judged to be too high in sugar, fat or salt. Kelloggs say that if you pour milk on them, the overall percentages of sugar, salt and fat are below the limits.
Here's an idea for Kelloggs. Why not reduce the amount of sugar, salt or fat in your cereals? You're welcome. |
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 | One more interview replay before we get back to contemporary ones.
Dr Josh Packard is a sociologist, professor and researcher at the University of Northern Colorado, who studies the ways in which communities behave with regard to trust. He speaks about how brands and institutions have lost trust, and what they can do to win it back.
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MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestro is former Olympic swimmer Mark Foster.
He's just come out as gay at the age of 47.
"I had that little voice where I was afraid of what people in swimming might think, afraid that they might not want to share a room with me," Foster says.
"I was the big, strong one on the team, the muscly one who did the cool event. I was captain, and wasn't going to put myself up there to be shot at or worry about what they might or might not think.
"So I just got used to hiding my private life."
"I don't think there's a right or wrong time for people to come out. I was 47. Do I wish I was 15? Yeah, I do, if I had my time again - but I don't."
"It wasn't about who I went to bed with or what my sexuality was. I was still Mark, who is stupid and childish and likes chatting a lot, but loves people."
"And if you can go with love, you get love back."
I wish him well. |
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The MediaMug is Queen's University Belfast (QUB).
In a study apparently sponsored by the department of the blindingly obvious, they have discovered that children spent a quarter of their time in class daydreaming.
The QUB team said that the results indicated that daydreaming "can be reliably measured in children and is of educational significance".
"Children's interest in a topic influenced the level of mind wandering, which in turn influenced participants' ability to recall facts from stories."
What was that - I wasn't paying attention there for a moment.... |
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Speaking Tip of the week - You're all individuals |
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There's a scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian where Brian (Graham Chapman) addresses a huge crowd and tells them "You're all individuals". "Yes" they respond in unison "We're all individuals". It's a clever and funny scene, but some speakers make the mistake of addressing their audience as though they are a crowd.
Everyone in your audience wants to be spoken to as an individual, and to feel that your message is directed at them. In order to create that impression, you must be aware of the language you use.
Here are some phrases that talk to people as crowds:
- "How many of you are nervous of speaking in public?"
- "Hands up all of you who would like to be more confident"
- "What proportion of you are left-handed? - show of hands, please"
- "Most of you are probably thinking that this topic is complex"
And here are some that speak to individuals:
- "Are you nervous about speaking in public?"
- "Put up your hand if you would like to be more confident"
- "If you are left-handed, please put that hand in the air"
- "Are you thinking this topic is complex?"
See the difference? Always aim to speak to a single individual, even in an audience of a thousand. It will make a huge difference to how you are perceived.
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Media Tip of the week - ten video tips |
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It's easier than ever to produce video these days. However, the quality is very variable. How can you make yours stand out? Here are ten tips that may help, whether you use a camera or your phone.
- Plan, plan, plan Prepare a storyboard and a shooting script. Depending on the story, you may script it tightly, or leave it until the shoot. Never start filming until you have the end result in mind.
- Keep it Steady Camera movement is very difficult to control using a hand-held video camera. Use a tripod, or brace yourself against a tree, post or doorframe. Go down on one knee if there is nothing to lean against.
- Keep it Short Long sequences can very quickly become boring. Aim for shots of five to ten seconds in length.
- Use the Zoom very rarely Although your camera may have a powerful zoom, try to avoid using it. If you do need to use it, zoom slowly, and only use the optical zoom function, never the digital one. The quality drop-off is alarming
- Show us where you are Always try to include a landmark or location shot to position your video. TV shows do this all the time, with an exterior shot before an internal (studio) scene
- Make use of the light When outdoors, always shoot with the light source (hopefully the sun) behind you. Indoors, if you camera has a "backlight" feature, make use of it.
- Shoot for the edit Make sure you have set-up shots, closing shots and detailed shots that will fit together to tell the story
- Change your perspective Use different camera angles, panning shots and (slow) zooms to provide variety
- Conserve the battery Turn the camera off when not in use. Carry a spare battery as well (or a charger)
- Learn from Films When you watch a film, think "how did they film that?" and learn some new techniques
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Social Media Tip of the week - Throw a party |
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There's been a lot of chat about parties recently. Running an online event is a bit like hosting a party. You need a venue, you need to send invitations, there must be some entertainment, you need to keep people in order, and you need to follow up afterwards. So whether it's a webinar, twitter chat or Facebook Live, here are some things to make sure the party goes well.
1) Venue. Think about where your actual and potential customers are. That's the place to run your event. It may be possible to attract them to a Facebook Live, but if they aren't using Facebook, it may be better to run a webinar that's easier to participate in.
2) Invitations. Make sure these go out well before the event so that people can put the date in their diary. You will need to send reminders (not too many) as well, to pick up those who are interested, but failed to see or act on the initial announcement.
3) Entertainment. You don't need a DJ or a band. You do need something that people find interesting and useful, which is the content you provide. It is up to you to make it somewhat entertaining, so if you find it tough to deliver in anything other than a monotone, have someone else on hand to work with you. It's often much easier, as well as being more engaging, to have two presenters.
4) Keeping order. Sometimes, discussions will go off-topic. You need to have a polite and diplomatic way of bringing them back to the main topic. In extreme situations, you may have to eject someone, but starting a fight is never a good idea.
5) Follow-up. After a party, it's often the guests who thank the host. Online, it's usually the other way round, since you want to keep in touch with participants to find out what they thought, and invite them to future events.
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If you appear on the media, or plan to, then I can help you perform even better.
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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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