Hi John,

A very Happy New Year to you and yours from me and my family.

May you have an even better year than 2022.

One thing that I think we've all learned over the past few years is how to be flexible and cope with uncertainty, but a little more certainty this year wouldn't go amiss.

We took a trip to St Pancras Old Churchyard to take a look at a memorial to one of my ancestors (more of that at another time).

While we were there, we took a photo of the Hardy Tree - an old ash tree surrounded by gravestones that were supposed to have been placed there under the directions of the novelist when he was a young man working as an engineer.

A few days after we were there, the ancient tree fell down - leaving us with probably the last-ever picture of it.

Since then, our friends have asked us not to take any pictures of them.

I've opened up two more places on my speaker coaching programme for 2023.

You receive two one-to-one sessions a month, extra ad-hoc advice and help in between, a signed copy of The Exceptional Speaker and a guarantee that you'll have a world-class speech.

If you'd like to speak at the highest level, get more gigs and earn higher fees, let's have a chat.

My coaching programme

The passing of author Fay Weldon gives me an opportunity to replay an interview with her and her friend Gina Barecca that I recorded some years ago at the University of Sussex.

I remember the time well - Ms Weldon had invited me down to interview her and I found myself in a room of women students from a literature course. One called for a vote to see if a man (me) would be allowed to stay in the room. The vote went against me, so I sat in the corridor for an hour before I was allowed back in to do the interview. An interesting experience!



Listen to our chat in the Media Coach Radio Show.

And there's a terrific song from award-winning blues band When Rivers Meet, who just announced a headline tour this year.

The MediaMug this week is footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

He had a slip of the tongue at his official unveiling as Al Nassr's star signing on Tuesday.



The Portugal captain mistook Saudi Arabia for South Africa during his first press conference for his new team, despite the words "Saudi Arabia" all round him.

Ronaldo joined Al Nassr on a free transfer after leaving Manchester United.

He is reportedly set to receive the biggest football salary in history.

Let's hope he figures out exactly where he is supposed to be playing.

The closing line of your speech may be the one thing that members of your audience remember as they leave the hall. It's critically important that you deliver it well, and that the content is spot-on. Ideally, it should mirror your opening line, and provide exactly what you promised at the start of your speech.

What are the essential elements of a good close?. I think they include some or most of these:

• Indicate that you are about to finish ("and in conclusion")
• Re-state your core message
• Refer back to the start of your speech
• Use the word "you"
• Call your audience to action
• Deliver a ringing phrase
• Use an analogy ("just as Churchill said")
• Use a quote
• Say simply "Thank you"
• Stay on stage and take the applause

Here's how Winston Churchill did it on June 18th 1940: "But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'"

These days, news, like rust, never sleeps. There was a time when you could plan your contact with the media several hours ahead, or even days ahead for a weekly publication. That was then. Even daily newspapers have websites that are updated every minute, and both radio and television news channels are on air 24/7

Here are ten things to remember about rolling news. Prince Harry should note number 6.

1. There is never "dead time" on news channels
2. There are news updates every minute
3. All media outlets monitor each others news feeds
4. Breaking news moves from one channel to another very fast
5. Everyone is looking for a new angle
6. There are no embargos
7. There is no exclusivity
8. If your name features prominently in a story, you will receive calls from everywhere
9. There is nowhere to hide
10. There's nothing as old as yesterday's news

You don't have to make yourself available for interview at any time - that's what pre-recorded interviews are for. However, you do need to monitor alerts and be media-ready at all times, because if you miss your opportunity, someone else may step in.     

For good or bad, people form an impression of us on social media from the picture we display. It lives with every post we make, and if we are only connected online to someone, it's probably how they always think of us. I've been looking at some of the images used by my online contacts, and I offer these observations. 

1) The "not just me" shot There may be two, three, or an entire crowd of people shown. I don't know who I'm talking to. Who are those other people? There seem to be two basic types of this shot. The first is with a loved one. That's nice if you're running a dating site. If it's a business, is that your business partner? The second type is with a celebrity. Alas, not everyone will recognise the "celeb", so they're left wondering which one is you. 

2) The "cropped from a party" shot This simply says to me "I can't be bothered to get a professional photo done". If that's the case, I wonder how you might handle my business? Would you rather be out partying? 

3) The "over the hills and faraway" shot I'm sure you're in the picture somewhere, but I can't tell if that's you or a lamp-post.

4) The "it's not me" shot It's nice to pay a tribute to someone you admire by using their image, but it makes me a bit suspicious about why you don't want to be seen.

If you're on social media and want to look businesslike, get a proper photo taken. Let us see a bit about you. People do business with people. We want to know which one is you.

Here's a bit of Tommy Cooper to start the year off with a smile.

If you're looking for a speaker this year, just get in touch. I now have all inclusive pricing.