Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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There were a few people at the London Stadium at the weekend. To be more precise, there were three days of 75,000 fans watching either Green Day or The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
I was working with some of the spectators who needed accessibility support, so I ended up with splendid views of all three concerts.
However, the best part for me was on Sunday, when I arrived at the stadium to meet fellow volunteers, to be greeted with "No-one wants to use the megaphone - will you have a go?".
They didn't have to ask me twice. An audience of thousands of fans steaming towards the stadium, and a device to talk to them all - sheer bliss! |
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I was also over in Dublin on a site visit for an event later this year for which I am the programme chair - the Global Speakers Summit at Croke Park.
It's a wonderful venue, where we will be joined over four days by the top speakers in the world.
If you're interested in coming along, full details are at gss2022.com |
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There are six places available on my Exceptional Speaker coaching programme.
I explain what I offer in this video: |
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 | James Warren is a superb and successful musician. One of his first bands, Stackridge, opened (and closed) the first Glastonbury festival in 1970.
He later formed The Korgis, who reformed and are on tour right now.
I spoke to James with his fellow band member Al Steele, and we had a terrific conversation about music, touring and the fantastic new album they've just released.
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MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestro is Labour Deputy leader Angela Rayner.
She stood in for Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Question Time this week, facing Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.
I don't think it was a fair contest. Ms Rayner has the advantage of a quick wit and a sense of humour. Mr Raab appears to lack both, but tried to compensate by criticising her for going to an opera at Glyndebourne and then winking at her.
It made him look both snobbish and condescending, which is quite a feat. Game, set and match to Ms Rayner, as they say just down the District Line. |
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The MediaMug is Vladimir Putin.
He also appears to lack a sense of humour. Of course, there's nothing remotely funny about what his troops are doing in Ukraine.
The G7 leaders at a summit in Germany this week suggested that they should "show their pecs" to show how strong they are. Mr Putin likes to live up to the macho Russian male image and was clearly not amused.
Asked about the comments during a news conference in Turkmenistan, Mr Putin replied: "I don't know whether they wanted to strip down to the waist or below the waist, but I think that it would be a disgusting sight in any case."
Sometimes the best way to deal with bullies is to show them how daft they are. |
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Speaking Tip of the week - The Oops effect |
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If you want to bring something on stage with you - a new product that you are discussing, or your latest book - always ask the organiser first whether it will be acceptable. There won't usually be a problem, but it's common courtesy to get permission to use some of your speaking time (which you may be being paid for) to advertise your items.
However, there is another issue to consider, especially if you are demonstrating something technical. For some years, I had a regular slot as a technology expert on a weekly TV show. Much of the show was devoted to new technology, which I would explain to the presenter. We often used to encounter what Dennis Norden used to call the "Oops" effect (Objects Only Perform Sometimes). If your demonstration goes horribly wrong, as mine did from time to time, the only thing to do is to make a joke of it and explain what it should have done.
One way to minimise the risk of failure is to rehearse and test, but that will not eliminate the risk completely. Some objects are fine in rehearsal, but stubbornly refuse to work in a live performance. As with all things, you need a fall-back position (yes, you can make up your own punchline about falling backwards there). Imagine how you would cope if nothing worked as expected. One day, that preparation will save you a huge amount of embarrassment.
In some cases, devices that fail to work can make a career. The great comedian and magician Tommy Cooper found that audiences laughed more when his tricks failed than when they worked, so he switched to getting things wrong on purpose. In general though, my advice would be to avoid using props. |
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Media Tip of the week - I'm sorry, I haven't a clue |
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Sometimes, you may be faced with a question in a media interview which makes you think "I have no idea how to answer that". There are various reasons why this could be the case. Here are three of them and what to do about them.
1) When you don't know the answer, and there's no reason why you should. This is obviously quite easy to deal with , by saying "I've no idea", and qualifying it with a reason, such as "the investigation is not complete", "You'd better ask them" (if the question asks you to speculate why someone else did or didn't act) or "That's outside my area of expertise". You might offer to find out, but there's really no need to.
2) When you don't know the answer, but think you should. This is more tricky, since you need to be careful not to reveal your ignorance. One tactic is to return to your core message in the hope that there isn't time to ask the question again. Try prefacing your answer with a phrase like "That's not the important issue here - the real question is this." If pressed, the best response is to promise to find out as quickly as possible, and move on to another aspect.
3) When you know the answer, but don't want to give it. This is perhaps the most awkward position to be in. The interviewer is almost certainly aware that you know the answer, and they see it as their job to force you to say it. An outright refusal to answer is rude, so again, try to steer your answer onto ground where you feel confident.
In every case, looking and sounding confident, especially on TV, will go a long way towards saving you from embarrassment. |
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Social Media Tip of the week - So what's your take? |
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As the cliché goes, there's a clue in the name Social Media (no, not media). You will have much greater success if you tell people your views, get involved in debates, and offer opinions on current topics. Many people fear that if they express an opinion, they might offend someone, and lose a potential customer. The reverse is true. Your clients and customers want to know how you think, and why you are saying things. Naturally, there will be some people who disagree with you, but there will also be people who love you.
If you try to remain safe by simply posting links to articles, or re-sending other people's opinions, you will struggle to build up your own following. Being seen as boring is only one step from being ignored. OK, you can go too far the other way, and disagree with people just for the sake of it, or express very controversial views. That's not necessary.
Simply state your case, back it up with reasons, and see how people respond. You'll find that you become the person that others recommend, and your influence and reputation will grow.
And if you're prepared to express a view on social media, be prepared to debate it. It's also no use being controversial and then ignoring or dismissing contrary views.
Get involved, and you will never be ignored.
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My great friend Kenny Harris died ten years ago. He was a brilliantly creative man and a comic genius. Miss you, big man. |
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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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