Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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It's said that a week is a long time in politics.
For UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 24 hours was a very long time this week, as over fifty of his government ministers and junior ministers resigned.
He bowed to the inevitable and offered his resignation as Tory party leader, and will leave Number 10 at a date to be confirmed. |
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So from a technical point of view, how did he do in his speech outside Number 10 on Thursday?
He's always been a good orator, and he made reference to Darwinism and "the herd instinct"
However, he failed to use one important word. "Sorry". The only regret he expressed was a failure to persuade his cabinet colleagues that his views were correct.
It was short and to the point, and he did the right thing by thanking all of those who had helped him along the way. However, his main thanks were reserved for himself.
In my view it was an opportunity missed. These speeches are pored over and analysed, and it's often what is not said that is why they are remembered. He's made many better speeches, and when he has time to reflect in the future, I think he will see it as an opportunity missed. |
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There are now just four places available on my Exceptional Speaker coaching programme.
I explain what I offer in this video: |
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 | Throughout his life, Scott Gaetz has managed to turn his hobbies into his career. His love of TV news led him to NBC News, Good Morning America, and Lifetime. Later, his passion for tech drew him to startups and to Yahoo! where he led products including My Yahoo! and Yahoo! Search.
This experience ultimately resulted in his latest and most personal endeavor, in which he founded Q.Digital, the media company behind GayCities, Queerty and LGBTQ+ Nation. Through these sites, Scott hopes to enhance the lives of LGBTQ+ people across the globe; helping them to live their lives to the fullest. . |
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MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestro is Hollywood actor James Caan, who has died at the age of 82.
His big break came in 1972 when he played the hot-headed and turbulent Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, a role which saw him nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor, as well as a Golden Globe.
He reprised the role in Godfather II - the only sequel that is better than the original, according to most critics.
Other films included “Rollerball,” “Misery” and “Mickey Blue Eyes.” He introduced himself to a new generation playing Walter, the workaholic, stone-faced father of Buddy’s Will Ferrell in “Elf.”
An acting genius. |
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The MediaMug is HSBC executive Stuart Kirk.
Mr Kirk, who is global head of responsible investing at the bank's asset management division, was suspended pending an investigation into a speech he made at an event last week, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the story.
His role, which is based in London, involves considering the impact of investments on environmental, social and governance issues.
HSBC came under pressure to sack Mr Kirk after he gave the presentation entitled "Why investors need not worry about climate risk" at a conference on Thursday.
In the presentation, he said: "Who cares if Miami is six metres underwater in 100 years? Amsterdam has been six metres underwater for ages and that's a really nice place."
Oops. |
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Speaking Tip of the week - Keeping Cool |
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Presenting can be stressful. It's not just your performance, it's all the other possible distractions. There may be delays, technical hitches and difficult people to deal with. It's understandable that you might get a bit angry. I'm sure the audience will understand.
Actually they won't. Nor will anyone else. There is no excuse whatsoever for a speaker with a bad attitude. Whatever the provocation, you need to stay calm. I've seen speakers who complain backstage, storm off because they haven't been treated "properly" and even harangue audience members for not paying attention, or asking "silly questions".
Even if things go awry, your job, as a professional presenter, is to "keep calm and carry on". Never blame anyone if the microphone fails. Simply raise your voice, or wait calmly for a replacement. If your slides don't appear, smile and deliver your talk without them. If you are left with only fifteen minutes to present your thirty minute keynote, don't apologise or complain, just get on with it.
If you are seen as a speaker who can remain unflustered through any difficulty, and who always delivers good value, you will win great praise. Conversely, a speaker who is known to be "difficult to work with" will find work harder to come by. So make it easy for people to book you by keeping your cool and doing a great job every time.
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Media Tip of the week - Killer facts |
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A single piece of information - a killer fact - can completely change the way in which people think about an issue. Being able to craft and deliver a killer fact is a skill that you need on the media. Best of all, listeners will not only remember the fact, but will pass it on to friends, so it almost becomes "viral". So how do you create a killer fact? Here's a simple process.
1) Look at the facts you already have. Are any remarkable? Test them on people who don't know the topic, and see which ones make them say "wow".
2) Look for analogies. Don't simply use the numbers. Instead, say "as big as five football pitches" or "enough people to form a human chain from London to Glasgow". 3) Create images in listeners' imaginations. If they can "see" the fact as well as hear it, the impression is much stronger.
4) Keep things simple. Don't use units that you have to explain, such as nanoseconds. Always speak in terms that your audience will understand quickly.
5) Provide some proof. If a fact sounds unlikely and you can't back it up, people dismiss it. If it sounds impossible and you can prove it, it becomes a killer. |
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Social Media Tip of the week - Web for knowing, handshake for closing |
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What follows may be controversial, post-COVID, but I'm sticking with my opinion.
There are many, many individuals who, in my opinion, are wasting time, money and effort trying to sell their services online. They include coaches, trainers, consultants and other providers of "soft" services which include a major element of person-to-person contact. We all know the mantra of find, know, like and trust that is part of the sales cycle. It's true, and has been for thousands of years, that we buy from people we trust. But trust, as we also know, is hard to establish online. It stems most strongly, and most easily, from personal recommendation from another person we trust. In the absence of direct recommendation, trust can be enhanced by testimonials, case studies, and reputation.
So here's my take. I'm happy to buy a commodity online - a music download, a flight, a hotel. I'm more wary of buying a more "risky" product, such as a financial service, but I'm prepared to go with a well-known brand, probably one that I know in the physical world (First Direct being a prime exception to that rule). However, would I buy a service such as business coaching or marketing services from a company I had only encountered on the web? Absolutely not.
So here's my advice. We all need websites and a social media presence. But for many of us, that's not enough. We need to get out there and meet people in the real world. We need to speak and offer help and advice in person. It may sound old-fashioned, but that's still how high-value relationships are created. Fair enough, the initial contact may be online, but the deal will normally be closed in person.
In the past 20 years, I've met a lot of people who are trying to sell person-to-person services solely via websites, SEO, email marketing campaigns and the like. A few are successful, but a lot aren't. The most successful people I know have built a network of strong, real-world relationships with people who trust them and recommend them constantly. Golfers say "I drive for flash and putt for cash". I say "The web for knowing, A handshake for closing"
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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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