Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Hi John,
Yes, a new header picture, from last Saturday when I delivered the closing keynote at the German Speakers Association Convention in Frankfurt. It went rather well, and I enjoyed it. The only slight problem was when I slipped in a joke on the spur of the moment. I showed a picture of my mum and dad, who were ballroom dancing champions of London in 1946. I mentioned that they met i an air-raid shelter in 1942, so I'd like to thank the grandparents of the audience for existing. No-one made a sound. Not a laugh, not a heckle. Nothing. So I ad-libbed "Too soon?". "Ja!" they said in unison, which did get a laugh. I forgot the advice of philosopher Mr Basil Fawlty.
Today, I'm in Utrecht, delivering a speech without the aid of an interpreter. I don't speak Dutch, but everyone in The Netherlands seems to understand English, which is just as well.
I was asked by my German friends to do a short video explaining Brexit. I recorded it on Monday, but by Tuesday it was out of date. So I recorded a new one. Unfortunately by Wednesday... |
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There are just two places left on my speaker coaching programme for 2020. Details are here. If you wish to have a chat about it, drop me a line. But be quick! |
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While I was in Frankfurt last week, I heard a speech from a remarkable young man. Felix Finkbeiner is a German environmentalist and the founder of the international tree-planting and environmental advocacy organisation Plant-for-the-Planet. He's only twenty-one, and has already caused over thirteen billion trees to be planted. His target is a trillion (a million million) trees. He could be the saviour of our planet, and you can help him, as he explains in the Media Coach Radio Show.
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The MediaMaestro is Staci Lam, a 9th grade English teacher in Elkton, Maryland, who recently went viral for performing some serious decorative magic on her high school English and language arts classroom. She essentially transformed the space into real-life Hogwarts.
“Harry Potter is the book that made me become a reader,” Lamb told Best Life. “I remember waiting in the midnight lines just to get the next book. That’s the feeling I want my students to have when we read books and when they come to my room.”
It took Lamb about a month to get everything set up just right, and she used her own creative and financial resources to do it.
But the reactions of her students made it well worth all that time and energy. “The kids love it, especially the lighting,” she said. “They appreciate the time I put in, and they know I love what I do every day.” Well done to her. |
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The MediaMug is TV presenter Richard Madeley. The veteran host has a certain old-fashioned style, which many people have compared to the fictional Alan Partridge. A compilation of some of his clips suggests it's not a bad link.
Here are are a few examples: - (to a female co-presenter) "Haven't you lost some weight?"
- "I smelled Dolly Parton before I saw her"
- "I can't remember the last time I wore underpants"
- "I carry salt in my bag in case I get served under-salted soup"
You really couldn't make it up.
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Speaking Tip - Gladstone's rules |
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Professional speaking is not new. I sometimes refer to it as the "second oldest profession in the world". William Ewart Gladstone, former Liberal Prime Minister of Britain, developed six rules for speaking over a hundred years ago.
- simple words
- short sentences
- distinct diction
- testing your arguments beforehand
- knowledge of subject
- watching your audience
Nothing much changes, eh? The first three rules are pretty obvious. They are all about making yourself understood. However, the fourth rule, about testing your arguments in advance, may be a surprise. The point here is that you need to be able to convince people that your point of view is valid, even if they don't agree with you. Running through your speech with a colleague will help to determine if it all makes sense.
The fifth rule, "knowing your stuff" also seems obvious, though it's surprising how many speakers try to present material that they don't fully understand. That's the danger of delivering material prepared by someone else - you need to be an expert in the same topic.
Lastly, "watching your audience". That's going to be tough if you're watching your notes. You need to get your head up and look into their eyes. It's only when you connect with your audience that you know whether your message is getting across. That's what it's about. Oh - one more thing. Queen Victoria once said of Gladstone "He always addresses me as if I were a public meeting". Perhaps he couldn't switch off. |
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Media Tip - Ten people you meet in the media |
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A couple of months ago, I was sitting in the newsroom at Sky News's studios in London, waiting to go live on the four o'clock news to talk about reputation management. It occurred to me that although I spend half my life in studios (or so it seems), many people will visit a TV or radio studio much less often. So I thought I'd make a few notes about who does what.
Yes, I know, I ripped-off the title from a best-selling book I've never actually read. That's the journalist in me. Anyway, I thought I'd try to present a summary of ten important media roles that can confuse people, so here goes:
- The editor's decision is final. Go to them if you want something done, or seek redress.
- The leader writer is often anonymous, and seeks to summarise a newspaper's views.
- The specialist correspondent is your friend, so find out their interests and talk to them.
- The staff reporter is a fixture - be nice to them too, and remember their name
- The researcher may be a reporter or editor one day. Never patronise them.
- Presenters are not usually experts, but don't underestimate them.
- Technicians will help you if you are nice to them
- Producers are often on the way to becoming editors, and have a lot of power over how you appear
- The floor manager must be obeyed at all times.
- As a last resort, keep in touch with a good lawyer.
So, in summary, my advice is "be nice", whether you're dealing with media folk or not. |
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Social Media Tip - I beg to differ |
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People don't get famous by agreeing with everyone around the world. Controversy sells. It's the same online as offline. When you make a blog posting, or put a comment on your favourite social network, consider how you might challenge conventional wisdom and take a contrary view, You should be able to back up your opinion with some evidence, otherwise people will see it as fake.
You should use a headline or title of your piece to attract attention by stating your view. A question is a good way to do it, since that creates interest to see how you have answered. Whatever title you use, you must follow through with good content that makes your case. A cracking headline over a mundane article is cheating your readers. Consistency is also important. Once you become known for a certain point of view, people will seek out your articles, either to agree or complain. You also need to believe in what you write, since insincerity is also obvious. There are over a billion postings on Facebook every day, so how will you make yours stand out?
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Did you or did you not....? |
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Nervous about unexpected questions in a media interview? I can help.
Just click the link. |
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The information in this ezine may be freely re-used in any online or offline publication, provided it is accompanied by the following credit line - "This information was written by Alan Stevens, and originally appeared in "The MediaCoach", his free weekly ezine, available at www.mediacoach.co.uk." |
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