Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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I'm a serial volunteer. I volunteered at the Olympics in 2012, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, and many sporting events and concerts since. I also volunteer for two or three days a month in QEII Olympic Park as a "Park Champion" welcoming visitors and answering their questions. This summer, I've also become a member of Team London, volunteering for Sadiq Khan at various tourist sites around the city.
It's a very rewarding role, and we handle hundreds of queries a day at each site. Some of them can be rather odd. Last week in Trafalgar Square, we were positioned at the base of Nelson's Column. During the day, we had half a dozen questions from people asking for directions to Trafalgar Square, and two people asking where Nelson's Column could be found.
However, there is one question I'd like to ask you. A lovely man came up to us and asked us about our role as volunteers. He took pictures of us, and a video for his Instagram feed. As he finished, there was a queue of people asking to have selfies with him, which he agreed to happily. Apparently he is an actor and film director, but we didn't find out who he was. Do you have any idea? I'd love to know. Ta. |
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My good friend Diane DiResta teaches many high-level executives how to communicate effectively. Based in New York, she's a trusted advisor to many high-profile US business leaders and celebrities. I was lucky enough to speak to her recently, and you can hear her tips in the Media Coach Radio Show.
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The MediaMaestro is, for the first and probably only time, a pedestrian crossing. It's probably the most well-known one in the world, and is adjacent to the Abbey Road studios, where 50 years ago, The Beatles were pictured walking across it.
The iconic image, which I can't show because of copyright restrictions, features the fab four in various outfits, which also provided "evidence" for the theory that Paul McCartney had died and been replaced by a look-alike.
The crossing attracts enormous crowds of people, but they don't seem to mind. There are people there every hour of every day having their photos taken in tribute to their heroes.
The image was taken by the late Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan who stood on a ladder into the middle of the street while a policeman blocked the traffic. The whole thing was done in roughly 10 minutes.
It's a road to avoid driving down, by the way. I once got stuck there for 30 minutes as an interminable queue of people stood for photos. |
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The MediaMug is WhatsApp.
A team from cybersecurity firm Checkpoint has demonstrated how a newly released tool can be used to alter the text within quoted messages, making it look as if a person had said something they did not. It is literally putting words in someone's mouth.
Researcher Oded Vanunu told the BBC the tool made it possible for “malicious actors” to manipulate conversations on the platform.The tool was demonstrated at Black Hat, a cyber-security conference in Las Vegas, as a follow up to a research paper published by Checkpoint last year.
“It’s a vulnerability that allows a malicious user to create fake news and create fraud,” Mr Vanunu explained.The tool makes it possible to manipulate WhatsApp’s quoting feature to make it look like someone had written something they had not.
“You can completely change what someone says,” Mr Vanunu said. "You can completely manipulate every character in the quote.” The tool also allows an attacker to change how the sender of the message is identified, making it possible to attribute a comment to a different source.
Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, has declined to comment.
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Speaking Tip - Easy Targets |
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Often, speeches include little jibes at groups or individuals, which can generate relaxing laughter if they aren't too cruel. Of course, you need to be very careful about choosing your targets. It may be tempting to poke gentle fun at your audience. The late Bob Monkhouse delivered a great example of this when asked to speak to an audience composed almost entirely of owners of small grocery shops. He opened with this line "You all look well. It's reassuring to see how healthy six hundred people can be despite living on a diet solely composed of food past its sell-by date".
Sometimes the senior staff or executives may be a target. On some occasions I've been asked to mention them by name in after-dinner speeches. This requires great tact and care. On the one hand, the organisers expect, and indeed require, you to make fun of a named individual. On the other hand, you don't want to upset a senior member of staff (especially if they work in the finance department). I always make the effort to get to chat to the potential "victim" beforehand, to check that they will be relaxed about being mentioned. More often than not, they are flattered, but just in case, I always re-confirm with the organisers if I have any doubts.
But the easiest target of all, of course, is you. Self-mockery is a great technique, and offends no-one. It's the opposite of being pompous and self-important, and if you do it well, the audience will love you. |
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Media Tip - Ten tips for writing articles |
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Articles (and here I include social media posts too) written by an expert (that's you) are a great way of raising your profile. Here are a few tips to make your article-writing more productive and even a bit easier.
- Concentrate on only one idea for each article
- Have a catchy or punning headline, such as "An Ex-Burt writes.."
- Don't expect to get paid very often (if ever)
- Always include contact details at the end, and ask that they be included as your "payback" (a clickable link if online)
- Have another idea or two ready when they contact you and say "thanks for the article"
- Write as quickly as possible, just as you speak, and then go back to edit the whole thing
- You can submit/post the same article to several different places - maybe with slight tweaks, maybe "as is"
- You don't have to write a lot - 250 words is fine
- Include a brief bio explaining why you are the expert
- Using the "10 tips" or "Seven secrets" format as a structure makes writing easier (see what I mean?)
In addition, include a copyright notice or allow people to re-use it if they give you credit (see the bottom of this newsletter).
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Social Media Tip - Message over-rides channel |
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Some people are so beguiled by a new piece of social media technology that they overlook the message they are using it to deliver. Of course, finding more efficient ways to deliver our points is always a sensible quest, but we must never forget that social media, and social networks, are tools, not an end in themselves.
Permit me to take this a stage further. If you have a powerful, timely message, it will be heard regardless of the methods you employ initially. You may decide to run a YouTube campaign to promote your latest book. People may start talking about it on Facebook, which attracts the attention of broadcast media, such as TV and radio. Before you know it, you have a wider audience using channels you hadn't planned to use that in the media that you had carefully planned for.
That's why, in my opinion, all campaigns should start with the core message, and then seek the best way of delivering it. You should also be prepared to switch your media focus at short notice. It's not about the medium, it's about the message. Maybe that's not the way Marshall McLuhan would have seen it, but it's my take.
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I've been re-watching the wonderful series W1A, where the BBC spoofs itself.
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I will keep you confident and on-message if you are on TV or radio.
Just click the link. |
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