Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Sorry about any confusion caused by last week's email, which I headlined June 1st. You didn't slip though a time warp - it was actually the 7th.
Anyway. back to the present. I had a very enjoyable evening last Saturday watching the magnificent Rod Stewart in Wolverhampton. Rod's voice has lost none of it's power and the two-hour show that he put on was one of the best music events I've been to in years.
Not only that, he started on time, predicted that they would play twenty-five songs, had the audience on their feet much of the time, and finished exactly on time, even after two encores. That's how a professional does it. |
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And permit me to take a moment to send good wishes for a speedy recovery to someone I regard as a permanent media maestro - music presenter "Whispering" Bob Harris, who is recovering from a heart operation. I wish him well, and it reminds me to tell you that he appears as himself in a cameo role in the wonderful film Wild Rose - which I urge you to go and see.
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Tim Drake has written a superb book called Generation Cherry. In it, he talks about how people made redundant or who reach retirement can have a second bite of the cherry. He shows how Earning, Learning, Giving and Re-Charging are key to the success of Generation Cherry and shows how and why retirement and redundancy can be the beginning of the best years of your life. It's a superb read, and I chatted to Tim about it recently, as you can hear in the Media Coach Radio Show.
There's also a superb tune from East London Troubadour Mick Terry.
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The MediaMaestro is former host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart. He has always been a fighter for the underdog, and has been supporting the cause of the 9/11 first responders and their struggle to get health care and support for illnesses caused by their exposure to dust and chemicals on that fateful day.
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The MediaMug trophy goes to a tree. I know, it's the first time a plant has won it. French President Emmanuel Macron gave the young oak to US President Donald Trump during a state visit to Washington DC in April last year.
Many photos were published of them planting the tree with gold shovels while their wives watched. The tree came from Belleau Wood in northern France where almost 2,000 Americans died in June 1918, near the end of World War One.
Mr Macron had said that the tree and its poignant origins would be "a reminder at the White House of these ties that bind us".
But the tree was removed the next day after it was discovered it hadn't been through quarantine. News came this week that the tree had died before it could be replanted.
Make up your own tree puns - wood you believe it, it was probably pining, etc. All old chestnuts.... |
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Speaking Tip - Pitch your product well |
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So how should a good product launch work? I've seen good, bad and indifferent ones over the years, but I remember only the really great and the truly awful. That's because they both shared the characteristic of having something so unusual that it stuck in my brain. In the case of the good ones, that was intentional, but for the bad ones, it was some form of unwanted disaster.
There's no great secret to a good launch presentation, since you simply have to follow the rules for delivering a good speech: - Understand your audience
- Tell them something they are interested in
- Show them the value
- Keep it simple
- Keep it brief
If you're using any form of technology, whether it's video, slides, autocue or even a microphone, you must have some form of backup, and you need to plan what to do if a failure occurs. It's really very easy to have a fallback position - a hard copy of the script, descriptions rather than images, and even raising your voice if the microphone fails. The important thing is to think about it in advance.
However good your product, the performance and presentation is what matters. A great presentation can boost an average product, but poor delivery can kill a brilliant one. Here's the key test. Would people in your audience want to tell their friends what you just told them? That's what you must keep in mind at all times. |
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Media Tip - Why?, Why? Why? |
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These are the questions you should ask yourself before a media interview: Why me? Why now? Why this topic? If you prepare answers to those three questions (remembering to mention your core message), you'll do well.
1) Why me? The obvious answer is because you're an expert. But there may be other reasons. You could be a witness to something. You may have been accused of something. You may be representing an organisation that is suspected of behaving badly. It's important that you establish why you are in the firing line, rather than the CEO (unless you are the CEO). Knowing why you're there helps to give you confidence, and will also provide you with the angle you should take.
2) Why now? Again, the answer may be obvious, since it will often be in the aftermath of some news-worthy event. However, it could be an anniversary, a prelude to an expected event or something seasonal. There will have been a reason why the call came in from a reporter at the time it did. You need to know what that was.
3) Why this topic? A note of caution here. An interview may have been set up to discuss an issue which then becomes less important due to another event. If you're on your way to an interview and news breaks that you should be aware of, make sure you are properly briefed before you go on air. Never say "I'm not here to talk about that" It's not your call.
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Social Media Tip - RSVP every time |
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People love to be thanked. I know I do, and so do you. I try to respond to every message on social media that mentions me by name, or that asks me a question. I'm sure I miss some, but I think I reply to the vast majority of them.
Social media is a community-based activity. Those that thrive are active members, and are seen as both helpful and responsive. Alas, there are too many who simply schedule and send automated Tweets and even Facebook posts without taking any notice of the response. That's plain rude in my opinion, and why would you ever do business with someone with bad manners?
You don't have to respond immediately, since that would mean listening for alerts all the time. A reply within 24 hours is fine, but if you are at your keyboard when a post appears, why not acknowledge it there and then? It's amazing how much goodwill a simple thank you can generate.
Even negative comments (or perhaps especially negative comments) deserve a response. You can often turn a critic into a fan by having a brief online conversation. |
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I note that comedian Jo Brand is being criticised for an offensive remark. Clearly the complainers have never heard Frankie Boyle (viewer discretion advised) |
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I can help. Just click the link |
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