Hi John,

The dust has settled on the awards season with the Oscars last weekend in Hollywood. Plenty has been written about the winners, the MC and the speeches that were made, so I'm not going to go over them.

Instead, I'm going to mention one of the awards that prompted a lovely moment on the night. The best short film went to An Irish Goodbye.

Shot entirely on location in Northern Ireland, it's a black comedy following the story of two estranged brothers coming to terms with the death of their mother.

Its co-directors led a chorus of Happy Birthday for the film’s star James Martin after it was announced as the winner at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Well done to them.

And as I predicted on social media last week, Gary Lineker has been re-instated as the host of Match of the Day on the BBC.

It was obvious as soon as his colleagues staged a walk-out that the BBC had made an error of judgement.

I hope that the rules on the use of social media by BBC staff can be clarified soon enough to prevent any repeat of this sorry business.

My radio guest this week is someone I've known for a while through the professional speaking community.

Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator and Body Language Expert, has studied and practiced negotiation tactics and strategies for more than 30 years. He’s spent over 20 years studying the way body language can affect negotiation outcomes.

As Greg says "we're always negotiating" and his expertise is immense. He shared some of his tips in a fascinating interview.

Listen to my chat with Greg in the Media Coach Radio Show.

And there's a terrific song from Rob Corcoran.

The MediaMug this week is Aimen Halim of Illinois. He is suing the restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings for "false and deceptive marketing" after claiming their "boneless wings" are actually just chicken nuggets.

His lawsuit states: "Unbeknownst to Plaintiff and other consumers, the Products are not wings at all, but instead, slices of chicken breast meat deep-fried like wings. Indeed, the Products are more akin, in composition, to a chicken nugget rather than a chicken wing.

Had Plaintiff and other consumers known that the Products are not actually chicken wings, they would have paid less for them, or would not have purchased them at all. Therefore, Plaintiff and consumers have suffered injury in fact, as a result of Defendants' deceptive practices."

I'm not making that up.

In response, the restaurant said "It's true. Our boneless wings are all white meat chicken. Our hamburgers contain no ham. Our buffalo wings are 0% buffalo."

Of all the feedback that I hear about speakers, the most critical emerges from the conference circuit. There are, of course, some brilliant conference speakers (including you), but there is also a huge army of ne'er-do-wells who trudge from platform to platform, curing any semblance of insomnia in all but a few of their audience members.

It shouldn't be like this. You would never bore an audience, so why should you have to listen to terminally dull speeches? I believe that often it is down to speaker and topic selection. It's tough for a speaker to connect with an audience that does not care about their topic. However, the responsibility lies not just with the conference organiser. If you are asked to speak on a topic which is not part of your core expertise, you should politely decline and recommend someone else. That's what professionals do.

It's tough to turn down a gig, particularly a well-paid one. But it will benefit you in the long run. People want to book speakers with specialist expertise. Generalists, (or worse, people with little knowledge) will receive fewer enquiries, and fewer bookings.

Here are a few tips about conference speaking that will make it likely you are asked back:



• Work with the organiser to deliver what they need
• Research the audience to find out their interests
• Keep the number of slides low, and favour images, not text
• Be entertaining as well as informative
• Listen to the earlier speakers, and back-refer
• Stay around for a few hours after your speech to chat to delegates
• Leave something behind - a fact sheet or the slides of your talk
• Ask for feedback (and take note)

Let's delve a little bit deeper into why David Attenborough is so good at what he does.

1) Simplicity, without condescension It's about using a simple vocabulary, yet explaining something new in a fascinating way. When you're in a TV interview, you're there to inform, not to impress. Communication is more important than demonstrating your vast expertise.

2) A genuine interest in the topic There's no doubt that David is an enthusiast for his subject. He'd hardly have pursued it so long if not. The important thing is to show that enthusiasm without appearing to be obsessive. He hits the mark perfectly. If you aren't enthusiastic about your topic, or at the very least interested in it, viewers will notice.

3) Humility One of the most endearing features about David is that he has retained both his sense of wonder and his humility. He never comes across as superior or all-knowing. He's clearly still learning, and is amazed by what he finds. It's a very important characteristic to remember, especially when being interviewed about a crisis. Always remain humble.

4) Planning None of the spectacular scenes in his documentaries just appear. They are filmed after long days of careful planning and patience. It's the same with interviews. You must plan, and you must be patient for your opportunity to make your point. 

There are no rules for social media, simply different ways to succeed. Some people go for big numbers, others for strong connections. Some people just broadcast, others only converse. Allow me to share with you what works for me. Some or all of it may work for you too.

1) Originality. I believe in writing everything from scratch. If I quote any source, I always make it very clear, and acknowledge the originator (or at least where I first saw it). I can't see the point of simply posting a video or article with the comment "Seen this?"

2) Relevance. Whenever I speak or write, I aim to provide something valuable and relevant for my audience. From my viewpoint, expertise in a topic only has real value when it is passed on and made use of.



3) Presence. With very few exceptions, my messages on social media are typed by me at the time. (The exceptions are notifications that this email, or the radio show have just been made live). Social media is about having conversations, and you can't do that if you're not there.

OK, one more thing about awards. Here's my favourite presenter's speech. It's perfect.

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