Hi John,

A very Happy Christmas to you and your loved ones.

As I mentioned last week, I had a significant birthday last weekend. The plans that Heather had made for me didn't quite work, but we had a fantastic time in my home city, and we've postponed the overseas celebrations for a few months.

We met some lovely people - Renata who looked after us in the German Gymnasium (a terrific restaurant pictured left), some people on a spiritual pilgrimage (at the memorial to my six-greats aunt Mary Shelly in Old St Pancras churchyard, Colin the hat man (in Spitalfields market) and Olga the wine bar manager just around the corner.

It allowed us to reflect that life is all about the people you meet as well as the places you go.

A thought for you. Now is the time when we think about targets for 2023, how to fill the diary etc, etc..

So here's what I do first. I fill in a bunch of dates when I don't do any work. They include holidays, family time, music gigs, time with friends, time on my own and time with no plan at all. As far as possible, I turn down any requests for work on those days.

The work has to fit around the important stuff in life. Of course, I enjoy my work, but work is not what life is really about. What do you put in your diary first?

This is the last ezine of 2022 - like you, I will be taking a rest next week. See you in 2023!

It's a Christmas double helping of interviews this week.

First up is a returning guest, Chris Amoo, who is part of a band called The Real Thing. They had hits with with "You to Me Are Everything", "Can't Get By Without You", and "Can You Feel the Force?"



They are back on stage in the new year at the London Palladium (I'll be there), but before that will appear on the Jools Holland Hogmanay Show on New Year's Eve. Look out for them!

And joining from Nashville is singer/songwriter Robby Johnson.

He burst into country music with his hit, South of Me. It was the first single from his debut album Don’t Look Back, which hit the Top 20 at country radio, and landed him a performance on the Late Show with David Letterman.

He has come a long way as a songwriter since that 2016 debut. In addition to his previous Christmas recordings and debut album, he released a second album, Alive Right Now, opened for Keith Urban, and embarked on a headlining tour.

Listen to the interviews in the Media Coach Radio Show.

And there are brand-new Christmas songs from both The Real Thing and Robby Johnson

Go to the iTunes Archive of the MediaCoach Show

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The MediaMug this week is outspoken columnist Jeremy Clarkson, who wrote the most complained about column ever in The Sun last week.

As you'll no doubt know, he was ranting about Meghan Markle. I won't even repeat what he suggested should happen to her, since the story has already gone around the world several times.

Clarkson responded to the backlash with a statement. He said: "Oh dear. I've rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people. I'm horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future."

However, this has been criticised for not including an apology. I don't think we've heard the last of this.

There are myths in every profession. Here's my take on some of them from the second-oldest profession in the world:

1) If you know your stuff, you can wing it.

No professional speaker would ever go on stage unprepared. They may look as though they are ad-libbing, but a lot of work has gone into creating that impression. A speech needs to be carefully crafted, with a great opening and closing line and a strong message. That takes work. Every great speech has probably gone through dozens of re-writes and rehearsals. Never, ever, go on stage and try to make up a speech on the spot.

2) You need to know more than your audience.

This is one of the greatest concerns of inexperienced speakers, and they will avoid speaking to any audience where other experts may be present. It's rare that a speaker will know more about their topic than every member of an audience, and that's not what it's about. You're there to deliver your take on a topic, not to demonstrate your encyclopaedic knowledge. No-one else can do that but you.

3. If you have great slides, they'll carry you through.

If you use slides, great ones will help, but they won't outweigh poor delivery. You need to be able to engage and entertain regardless of the quality of your visual aids. Similarly, a great presentation style won't compensate for awful slides. Everything you do must be good.

What speaking myths do you perceive?

"is my two front teeth" as the old Music Hall song goes. OK, you are too young to remember the ditty, so take my word for it. However, if you asked a TV or radio producer what they want for Christmas, the response will very likely be "a guest to talk to".

Over the Christmas and New Year period, the media still operates, but guests are hard to find. It is often the easiest time to get on air, and because the audiences tend to be large, it can be a very good time too.

So, if you receive a call from a journalist, asking if you might be available for a chat in the next few days, say "yes" - even if it means missing a couple of hours dozing on the sofa in front of a repeat of that comedy show that you never really liked anyway.

Remember the last-minute rules of media preparation:

• Check out what others have said on the topic
• Decide on your position
• Have a great example
• Decide on your core message
• Have fun!

Social media is a con. In fact it's at least three cons; Conversation, Content and Consistency.

Conversation - You need to get involved. It's no use simply posting messages saying how wonderful your company is, or what an interesting blog you have just written. You need to respond to questions, add to debates, and offer a point of view on issues. That's what engages people. Don't be scared of getting into a debate and then leaving it again, since it may run for days or weeks. Simply add to the debate while you are there.

Content - You need to offer something useful and of interest. This may seem contrary to what I said above (I'm even debating with myself here), but if you post an interesting and valuable article, other people will publicise it for you. Your comments on other people's blogs may also offer useful content, so don't simply say "I agree" or "This is rubbish".

Consistency - you need to make regular appearances. That does not mean every day, and certainly not every hour. However, if you only appear once or twice a month, post a ton of material and then disappear again, you won't attract many friends. Small, regular postings seem to be much more effective than rare long ones. Little and often - that's the way.

Of course, there is also Connecting, Confidence, Consideration, Congratulating, etc.     

The singing legend that is John Daker, this time with helpful subtitles.

If you're looking for a speaker, just get in touch.