The Media Coach

Hi John,

I've been volunteering this week at Queen's Club for the Cinch Tennis Championships.

It's been good to see summer at last. Of course, I can't indulge, but I've seen industrial amounts of Pimms being consumed. Though I haven't seen much of the tennis, it's been a fantastic experience so far. From a home point of view, there's been disappointment for Andy Murray, but joy for Jack Draper and Billy Harris.

It's my last day there today as I'm off to work at a Foo Fighters' concert on Saturday. I was trying to find a segue between the two, but I'm afraid I've failed!

I couldn't let the moment pass without saying a fond farewell to the great actor Donald Sutherland who died yesterday at the age of 88.

He became an icon with such films as “The Dirty Dozen,” “MASH,” “Klute” and “Don’t Look Now,” and subsequently enjoyed a prolific and wide-ranging career in films including “Ordinary People,” “Without Limits” and the “Hunger Games” films.

He was an amazing presence on screen, and will be much missed. Condolences to his family and friends.

A reminder that The Exceptional Speaker Masterclass will be an in-person day in Central London on Tuesday 23rd July from 9.30am to 4pm.

Learn how to plan, structure and deliver sensational speeches with energy and passion.

Practical, informative and life changing.

£247 (no VAT), including a signed copy of The Exceptional Speaker, all refreshments and lunch.

If you sign up for my 6 or 12 month coaching programme, the day is free.

Get in touch now to book your place.

My guest in the radio show this week is Dr Elmar Jung.

He has been an advocate for holistic integrative dentistry ever since leaving Dental school nearly 35 years ago.

Early on, Elmar realized that treating symptoms is the most common approach that dentists and doctors take to tackle illnesses. Convinced that there must be more, he embarked on a remarkable journey to explore complementary diagnostic and treatment methods which offer a whole-person approach.

Prior to moving to the UK to work with Drs Graeme & Lilian Munro-Hall, the UK’s pioneers in holistic dentistry, he ran two successful holistic practices in Germany and also worked at the prestigious Paracelsus-Clinic in Switzerland.

In 2012 he published his first book “Weapons of Plaque Destruction” together with Graeme Dinnen, on how to cure and prevent Gum Disease and Tooth Decay with an easy-to-learn blotting technique and a genius little toothbrush, the Blotting Brush.

Hear our fascinating chat in the in the radio show

Go to the MediaCoach Show

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And there's a great song from Marie Hopkinson.

The MediaMug of the week goes to Craig Williams, a Tory candidate and parliamentary aide to the prime minister.

He is alleged to have placed a £100 bet on the timing of the poll just days before Rishi Sunak went public and called the vote. He’s apologised for a “huge error of judgment” and admitted he had a “flutter” on the election.

He's being investigated by the Gambling Commission, and has refused to answer media questions about whether he knew the date of the election when he placed his bet.

The outcome is yet to be revealed, but it was an incredibly stupid thing to do, even if he had no knowledge of the date.

In many professions, betting on an issue related to your role is a sacking offence, whether you knew the result in advance or not. I suspect he may not be a Tory candidate much longer, though his name will stay on the ballot paper.

Your job, as a speaker, is to find common ground with your audience, and then gently lead them to pastures new. As we all know, the best way to do that is by telling stories. There's a temptation, is these days of sound bites and instant news, to try to tell a story as quickly as possible, so as not to bore the audience. However, that doesn't always work. It's the detail in stories that people find engaging. It's the evocation of sights, sounds and even smells that they can imagine, that make their connection with you very strong.

Although your audience won't have had the same experiences as you (or there would be no point telling the story), they will be able to identify with elements of it. For example, you might start by describing your feelings before an important pitch meeting, and how you suddenly felt like you were back at school, standing outside the exam room waiting for the doors to open. Although your audience may never have pitched for a million-pound contract, they've all sat an exam, and will be able to remember exactly how they felt.

Some speakers introduce these common elements by saying "you know how you feel when.....", but I don't think that's necessary. If you tell the story exactly as it happened to you, describing your feelings and emotions at the time, they will identify with you. You will learn the phrases and analogies that work well, and also discover what will touch different audiences.



Aim to include three or four common experiences in every speech, and you will take your audience on a journey with you.

As I've mentioned many times, delivering a media message is the reason for giving media interviews, If you're well trained and prepared, it should be easy to bridge from the question to the message you want to deliver in a calm and respectful manner. However, even the most skilled interviewees can get in trouble sometimes. Here are three tricky situations, and how to get yourself out of them.

1) The aggressive interviewer. Don't fall for this tactic. If an interviewer becomes aggressive or angry, never respond with anger. Stay calm and answer in your normal way. The more aggressive they become, the calmer you should be. The tactic is designed to irritate you, so simply ignore it, and remain in control. Repeat your message, calmly and confidently.

2) The long preamble Sometimes a reporter may deliver a long and complex statement before asking you a question. The statement may contain untruths or opinions. Listen carefully, but do not nod your head to show you are listening, since it may look as though you are agreeing. When you answer, deal first with any inaccuracies or opinions in the question. Do not repeat them, but simply say "I'd like to correct what you said" before making a positive statement.

3) The closing quip An interviewer may try to have the last word, making a statement that misrepresents your position, or is simply untrue. They will assume that you won't respond. However, you should respond, every time. Even if there are only two or three seconds left, you still have time for a comment such as "That's simply not the case, and you know it". Never leave a critical statement unchallenged at the end of an interview.

It doesn't matter what social media you use for business, you will get the best from them if you behave well, and help others. Here are a few rules that I abide by. I hope they help you too.

The late Victoria Wood was a wonderful observer of life.

Investing in a one-day course could save you a fortune one day. Just get in touch. 07986 852621

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."