Hi John,

As you know, I love music, and I'm often at gigs.

Sometimes the gigs are so good that I want to let you know, so that you could catch the performers next time they're in your area.

Last week we saw two great shows - Jessica Lee Morgan and Chris Thomas (along with brilliant guitarist Paul Cuddeford) put on a show called "Those were the days", featuring songs by women artists in the 60s and 70s, including the show's title song by Jessica's mother, Mary Hopkin.

We also saw a show from a unique duo called Son of Town Hall - both theatrical and beautifully melodic. They're just embarking on a US tour and will be back in Europe next year.

Try to get to see one or both of them if you can.

And still on the topic of music (when I get on a roll I'm hard to stop), the UK's Official Chart Company has released a list of the most streamed songs for every year from 1952 to 2022.

Of course, the obvious thing to do is to see what was most popular from the year you were born. Luckily, my birth year of 1952 just sneaks into the list with Singin' in the Rain. Not a bad pick. (And no, you didn't miss my 70th birthday - that's next month).

A few surprised me - 1982 gives us Africa by Toto and 2001 provides How you remind me by Nickelback, but there's no accounting for taste, eh?

Thinking of working with me as your speaking coach? Here's what someone I've worked with, Brian Downes, says.

"I have had Alan as my coach for the last year and it has been an extremely worthwhile investment in myself and my business. Alan's vast experience, expertise and willingness to give difficult feedback in a constructive manner is outstanding.

I have learned a huge amount in working with Alan. It has been a pleasure to get to know him and be the beneficiary of his coaching. I can highly recommend him as a coach for anyone that is looking to grow their speaking/presenting skills and business.!"

If you'd like to speak at the highest level, like Brian let's have a chat. 

My coaching programme still has a couple of places open

Marie Hopkinson is a singer-songwriter from Perth, Australia. She's also a multi-instrumentalist.

In the past twelve months, Marie has been building a rapidly growing social media audience, and worldwide awareness of her music is growing quickly. Marie’s facebook following has over 11,000 fans, and a growing awareness on Spotify.

I spoke to Marie about her career and use of social media, as you can hear in the Media Coach Radio Show.

And there's a wonderful song from Marie too.

The MediaMug is the MP and former health minister Matt Hancock, who announced this week his intention to take part in "I'm a Celebrity, get me out of here" in the Australian jungle.

Mr Hancock is receiving a reported £400,000 for his time in the bush, and will obviously not be doing any constituency work for a while.

His actions have led to him losing the Conservative Party whip, effectively making him an independent MP, and have also been criticised by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.

I think we can guess who will be doing most of the bush tucker trials.

If you have to host an event, you may think that there isn't too much to worry about. Introduce the speakers, tell the audience about the fire exits, and make sure that the lunch break starts on time. How hard can that be? Provided every single thing runs smoothly, it isn't too hard at all. However, in thirty-five years of speaking, I have never been to an event where every single thing goes according to plan.

That's why being an event host takes preparation, careful monitoring, and the ability to react quickly. The aim is to ensure that the audience doesn't notice anything wrong. Here are a few tips if you ever find yourself in charge of the microphone -

• Do your research - learn about the audience, venue and speakers as early as you can
• Visit the venue in advance (the day before,or at least two hours before the event starts)
• Talk to the organiser and the technicians
• Have a technical rehearsal, and ensure you know how the microphones work
• Meet the speakers as they arrive, and ask how they wish to be introduced
• Make sure you know how to pronounce names - write simple notes to help you
• Keep an eye on the time, and be firm with speakers
• Don't forget to thank everyone, including the event organisers, speakers, sponsors and venue
• Finish on time (or even better, one minute early)



Of course, you could always employ a professional event host.

There are things you should never, ever do when working with reporters. Here are ten things to avoid.

1. Don't ask to see the piece before it's published. Once you've given the interview, it's over to them.
2. Don't ask whether the story will be used. It's down to the editor, not the reporter.
3. Don't say anything that you don't want to be quoted on.
4. Don't contact the reporter to congratulate them on the piece. They will think it may have been biased in your favour.
5. Don't complain about the headline. That's down to the sub-editor.
6. Don't ramble. Keep to the point, and be concise.
7. Don't keep avoiding a question. The reporter will assume you have something to hide.
8. Don't get angry. It won't do any good.
9. Don't say 'no comment'. That allows the reporter to say "There was no denial of the allegations"
10. Don't tell the reporter how to do their job. Obviously!

Back in the day, the word was not Wifi, but Hifi, when many people used to buy their sound systems in separate parts - record deck, speakers and amplifier. There was considerable kudos in having large speakers and powerful amplifiers. However the most powerful amplifier would be dwarfed by the biggest amplifier available today - the Internet.

If people see a message as interesting, funny or disastrous, they pass it on. The multiplier effect of that can put that message in front of millions of people in a matter of minutes. That's not a problem if the message is in your favour, but if it's critical, it can be a disaster.

The actions of just about every MediaMug I've mentioned these past nineteen years have gone viral. People love to share bad news, especially if it makes them smile. How does this affect your social media strategy?

Simply be aware that every message you post could be amplified. You can't post something on Twitter or Facebook for a tiny audience. It only takes one person to re-post it outside a community, and the fire is lit.

The Internet goes to way more than eleven.

People loved the sitcom Friends, partly because the script was so tight. But not always...