Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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How often do you change your phone/tablet/computer?
For many of us, it's every couple of years for the phone, a bit longer for the tablet, and a bit longer still for the computer. But do we stop to think about the environmental impact? While we think about reducing our flights, and maybe switching to an electric car, there's often little attention paid to technology.
If we could keep our technology a little longer, we could significantly reduce the impact on the environment, and help to keep toxic elements out of the rubbish dumps of poor countries.
I was on GB News again this week, talking about the issue.
I had an idea for a new programme too, as you can hear: |
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I was at Wembley Arena this week to see Bill Bailey, the brilliant comedian and musician.
It was an extraordinary performance, with over twenty instruments on stage, all of which he played with great aplomb.
I thought his best gag was when he read out some reviews that he'd found online for The Pound Shop. There was a one-star review that consisted of a single word - "overpriced". Brilliant. |
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 | Some years ago (longer than either of us care to remember), I was in charge of Which? Online and knew Patricia Yates, who was editor of Holiday Which? at the time.
I spotted on LinkedIn that she had just become CEO of Visit Britain, so I thought I'd get in touch to see if she'd agree to an interview. She did, and we had a great chat about the post-pandemic challenges facing the travel industry. It was a treat to chat to her again and listen to her insights.
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MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestro is a 12-year old girl called Lucy-Marie. She's written a book about her Tourette's Syndrome.
The tics she started to develop when she was eight were, at first, a mystery to her and her mother Toniann. But the involuntary movements, swearing and "funny" call-outs got more frequent. So she decided to write I Can't Make It Stop to help herself and others.
"Some people are rude about it and they'll tell me to shut up," Lucy-Marie said. "It makes me feel very upset and feel like I don't want to go out of the house and stay locked up all the time."
But she has not let those feelings get in the way of her aim of educating people about the condition.
The pieces of homework she got on documenting her experiences in her room have now been crafted into her first published book.
"I wanted to raise more awareness to the world and my class members about Tourette's. I give loads of credit to them because they were really supportive and helpful to me and my mum helped me with what to put where."
Very well done to her. |
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The MediaMug is a joint award to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. I watched some of the coverage of the trial in Virginia where Johnny is suing Amber for defamation, or possibly the other way round. It's hard to tell.
I don't wish to make light of a violent relationship, if that's what it was. However, the constant parade of expert witnesses, many of whom have never met one or both of the couple who are in dispute, has been bizarre to watch.
It's clearly an issue they both feel strongly about, given the time, and especially the money that is being spent. However, with one claiming $50 million and the other counter claiming $100 million, they seem to place an extraordinary value on whatever reputation each of them will have left after all the testimony. |
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Speaking Tip of the week - Thesis and Antithesis |
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In my opinion, speakers should study classical rhetoric, since it helps to know the basis of how to construct and present an argument. Accordingly, now and again, I like to drop in a classic rhetorical technique that is very useful in speeches, and this week is one of those times. As with all techniques, you shouldn't overdo it, but it can add power and emphasis. The technique is antithesis.
It's simply placing two ideas together which are in sharp contrast, or directly opposite. The first idea is the thesis, the second the antithesis. Here's an example - "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him" Shakespeare used the technique often, and many of the most memorable quotes that he put in the mouths of his characters used antithesis. Politicians often use it, such as John F Kennedy's oft-quoted "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"
One of my favourite examples comes from Martin Luther King Jr - "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." Think about ways in which you can pair contrasting ideas in your speeches.
Remember that, like any conflict, it helps to resolve the contrast too. Here's an example of antithesis from Jesse Jackson, speaking about Michael Dukakis - "His parents came to America on immigrant ships, mine came on slave ships". He followed it with a resolution "But whatever our origins, we're rowing together in the same boat now"
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Media Tip of the week - Go the distance |
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How long is a four hundred metre race? Any athlete will tell you that it's around four hundred and twenty metres. If you treat the finish line as the end of the race, you will be slowing down as others power past you. The race is not over until you are beyond the tape, and you need to maintain your speed through the finish. So it is with media interviews too, They are never over until after they're finished, if you see what I mean.
The end of an interview may well be signalled by the interviewer using the words "in conclusion" or "finally". The fact that you sense your time is nearly up may cause you to relax, when this is really the time you need to be most alert. You need to deliver your powerful core message and finish with a flourish. You need to be leaning forward in your chair rather than leaning back.
There's another reason for staying alert, especially if you are being interviewed on a breakfast or drivetime show, with two presenters. You will probably be interviewed by one presenter, who will apparently close the questioning. At this point, the other presenter, who you thought was not listening, will turn to you and say 'One more question before you go", and may deliver either a very tough question, or one on an unrelated topic.
The time to relax is when you are out of the studio and on your way home.
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Social Media Tip of the week - Get operatic on Twitter |
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Forgive me if you've heard this one before, but I still use it as a reminder. The old marketing acronym AIDA is relevant to all forms of selling, which is the sometimes the purpose of your use of Facebook.
AIDA, as you remember, stands for Attention, Interest, Detail and Action. How does this apply to your Facebook business promotions?
- ATTENTION - You need a brief, snappy headline message to grab the attention of your visitors.This could be done as an overlay on a picture, or simply in bold text.
- INTEREST - It should be very easy for someone to see what you can do for them, and why they should take the trouble to find out more.
- DETAIL - It should be easy to discover exactly what you offer, and also how much it will cost. Simplicity is the key here.
- ACTION - You must encourage visitors to take action, by calling or emailing you. Ensure that if they do, they get a quick response.
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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." https://em-ui.constantcontact.com/em-ui/em/page/em-ui/email# |
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