Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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As I mentioned last week, I've been volunteering at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
I was part of a team of "Flash Quote Reporters" along with my colleagues Gemma and Petter (pictured) gathering quotes from competitors after their races, and putting them on the media database for all reporters to use.
We had an amazing time, and with the fantastic help and support of other members of the media team working in the mixed zone, we managed between us to interview every gold silver and bronze medallist. |
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The noise in the arena was astonishing, and it was sometimes hard to hear the cyclists as we interviewed them, so we recorded everything and figured out their quotes when we played it back later.
I'm biased of course, but a highlight for me was being in the centre of the track as Laura Kenny charged to victory in the women's scratch race on the last day. Not only was she a worthy winner, she was also a joy to interview. |
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However, being in the middle of the action also meant being close to some of the horrifying crashes that happened.
In the most alarming, English cyclist Matt Walls literally flew into the crowd and had to be treated for some time before being taken to hospital.
Luckily, no rider or spectator was badly injured in any of the crashes, but it was a stark reminder of the risks and dangers of a sport where speeds of over 50k/hour are common.
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 | The spirit of Syd Barrett, Robyn Hitchcock and Andy Partridge permeate the music of pink sock wearing trilby hatted troubadour Phil Matthews a.k.a. the Village. The Village is a magical place for outsiders and oddballs.
Phil Matthewshas written and performed with many bands over the years and the Village is his latest alter ego, with his music played on hundreds of radio stations worldwide and his album tracks streamed and downloaded thousands of times.
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MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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The MediaMaestros are the members of the England women's football team who had a magnificent victory in the Euros at the weekend.
It's not for their post-match interviews, but for their decision to write an open letter to Tory leadership hopefuls Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.
The team have asked the next Prime Minister of the UK “to make it a priority to invest into girls’ football in schools".
In the letter signed by 23 members of the team, the Lionesses stressed that the women's team has come a long way and added that it still has a long way to go. They noted that it is the first time that England became European Champions. In the letter, the players called for ensuring that all the girls get access to physical education for a minimum of 2 hours a week and they must be given resources to have football sessions.
Well done to them and I hope whoever becomes PM acts on their request. |
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The MediaMug is Southend United Football Club.
They have named a new stand after a club sponsor - local estate agent Gilbert & Rose. It's the west stand in the stadium.
Unfortunately, that means the stand is now called "The Gilbert & Rose West Stand".
Rose West is one of the nation's most notorious serial killers, and the unfortunate juxtaposition in the name of the stand does not look good.
The issue was raised at a meeting between fans and the club's leadership earlier in the week but there were no plans to change it due to the potential costs involved, according to the Daily Telegraph.
I guarantee they will reverse that decision shortly. |
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Speaking Tip of the week - Start strongly |
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It's a common theme in sport that you need to make a strong start.
You already know that the first few minutes of your speech are very important. You need to think long and hard about how you will grab your audience from the very first thing that you say. When I work with CEOs and company spokespeople, I often surprise them by telling them to drop the "Good Morning" and "It's nice to be here" at the start of their speeches. They say "But it's only good manners", Well, true. But it's about making an impact. Your audience knows who you are, since you've been introduced. The assumption is that you're happy to be there. So you just need to start your speech.
You can start with a story, a question, a provocative statement, or whatever you like, as long as it is of interest to your audience. You may need to play around with several different openings as you prepare, before you decide the best one to use.
Think about films. The opening shot is crucially important, and is given a great deal of care and attention by the director. For example, the opening image of Citizen Kane is of a dark, rambling castle with much of the grounds in ruins. The camera finally reaches a bedroom in the castle, where an old man utters a single word before he dies. The rest of the film explains who he is, how he got there, and what his final word signified.
You can use a similar technique by telling your audience the outcome of a story, especially if it has an element of intrigue. They will be fascinated to learn the backstory, provided you tell it well and it has value to them.
Sometimes, starting at the end is the best way to start (if you follow me).
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Media Tip of the week - On the radio |
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Appearing on radio, whether by phone or in a studio, shouldn't be too daunting, especially if you've been following these tips for a while. Here are a few extra pointers to help you up your game in front of a microphone.
1) When asked to test the sound levels, deliver your core message rather than 'One two three testing', and add the name of the radio show and station you're appearing on. Sometimes they will use it as a station promo clip (honestly).
2) Smile, but don't laugh loudly. Smiles can be heard on air, but loud noises just upset the sound engineer.
3) Listen to your voice as you speak. If you sound a little flat, add some colour and tone.
4) If you are part of a panel discussion, use the names of the other participants whenever possible. That will help the listener to know that it's you speaking (since it's obviously not them)
5) Never interrupt. Several voices speaking at the same time is even worse on radio than on television.
6) If you are in a studio, raise your hand to indicate that you wish to speak. It's much better to be invited to speak by the host than just jumping in.
7) Relax. It's just a conversation. A happy dialogue between people who enjoy the company of each other makes for really good radio.
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Social Media Tip of the week - Google tricks |
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You may have come across a handy search engine called Google. But you may not be aware of some of its features. Here are ten of the best.
- Set a timer, by using a phrase like "Four minute timer"
- Use it as a dictionary by typing "define:" followed immediately by the word or expression you need to have explained
- Type "lyrics:" followed by words or phrases in quotes to identify a song from a few words you heard on the radio
- To see the time anywhere in the world, type time followed by the placename
- To find web pages similar to one you like, type related: sitename
- Currency conversion - type, for example, 100 GBP in USD to convert a hundred pounds to dollars
- Type "Atari breakout" for a playable very old video game
- To compare nutritional values, type "compare" into Google, along with the foods you want to look at, such as "compare broccoli and asparagus."
- Type in "Google Sky" to explore the universe (honestly)
- And one rather obvious but very useful one - if you can't find a way to contact a company via their website, google "company name customer service" and a phone number will appear.
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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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