The Media Coach

Hi John,

Nothing lasts forever does it? Not even a newsletter that's been running since 2003.

The first edition of this newsletter was on 24th October 2003. Next month, after exactly 21 years, on 24th October 2024, I will write the final edition, to arrive in your inbox at 6am the following morning.

To be honest, I didn't think it would last more than a year or two. But thanks to you, loyal reader, it lasted for over a thousand weekly editions. I'm very grateful for your support.

By the way, I'm not retiring, nor is there any health-related reason for concluding this missive. I'll still be publishing a regular newsletter on LinkedIn, a weekly web radio show, and a constant stream of social media posts.

It's simply that we've decided to take life a bit easier, wind up our limited company and work with clients on a sole trader basis, so we're ending most of our business-related activities. Over the next few weeks I'll be letting you know how you can keep in touch, but I wanted to give you a heads-up as soon as we made the decision.

Thanks again for your interest in this little billet-doux. Seven more issues to go!

It's always a pleasure when someone you know personally performs brilliantly. Congratulations to Claire Cashmore on winning the silver medal in the Women's PTS5 Triathalon in the Paris Paralympics.

She'd done an amazing job after switching sports from swimming (where she won eight Paralympic medals including gold) to Para Triathalon.

Claire will be a guest on an upcoming edition of my web radio show.

For the avoidance of doubt, I'd just like to point out that my brother Colin and I won't be putting the band back together and charging an outrageous ticket price. Solo bookings are of course available.

My guest in the radio show this week is Laura Laker.

She is a freelance journalist specialising in cycling and urban transport.

She has written for a variety of news and specialist publications, from the Guardian, to Good Housekeeping, to bikebiz, and Total Women's Cycling.

She also appears on Sky News from time to time to discuss cycling issues, and occasionally chairs panel debates.

Hear our fascinating chat in the in the radio show

Go to the MediaCoach Show

Follow me on X (Twitter)

And there's a terrific song by Simon Stanley Ward

The MediaMug of the week goes to the President of Venezuela, Nicholas Maduro.

He called a press conference to announce that Christmas would begin on October the first.

Venezuela has been gripped by protests over July's contested presidential election, which saw Mr Maduro re-elected for a third term despite global scepticism over the results.

But despite the arrests of thousands of his critics, the former bus driver-turned-politician seems to have been focusing on something else entirely: Christmas.

Ho Ho Ho.

Screenwriters often talk about "delivering the promise of the premise". In other words, the film has to provide the audience with the resolution to the problem that's stated early on. it's the same with speeches. When you begin a speech, you give the audience a good idea what it will be about. That's the premise.

It needs to be simple and easily understood. To take an example from a film, a premise could be "A small town is terrorised by a huge shark" The promise is that something will happen in the film to remove the threat. That's exactly what happens, though a lot of other stuff happens too.

When you set out the premise of your speech, you also make a promise to your audience. In return for their attention, you will provide them with new ideas, a new way of doing things, or some great laughs. A speech that fails to deliver on this initial promise is simply a waste of time for everyone.

When preparing a speech, write down what the premise is (what it is about), and the promise you are making to the audience (what they will get from it). Make sure that at every stage, you are working towards fulfilling that promise.

The best speeches, however, don't just fulfil the promise of the premise. They exceed it. That's when you know you've done a great job.

It's tough being a reporter waiting for visiting dignitary or royal person to arrive at an airport. They sometimes have to do what is known as the "airport fill", standing on a windswept runway, scanning the grey skies for the faintest glimpse of an incoming plane, while filling the airwaves with vaguely interesting content.

You won't ever have to do that, but you could wind up in an interview that runs much longer than expected, perhaps because the next guest hasn't turned up.

So how do you cope if you've prepared for a three minute interview that becomes a ten-minute one? Firstly, relax. The fact that you have more air time is a good thing. It's likely that the interviewer will be far more concerned than you are, and if you are able to help them fill time, they will ask easier and easier questions.

A second tactic to prolong an interview is to tell a story. Of course, it should be a story that you have used before, know well, and has a relevant point. If you've been following my musings for a while, you will know exactly what I mean.

Thirdly, make sure you deliver your core message once more at the end of the interview, however long it turns out to be. There's no harm in mentioning it several times throughout as well. If you can help the interviewer and the producer to do an "airport fill" style of interview, they will be extremely grateful.

I've been chatting to plenty of people about social media over the years. It is almost thirty years since I was in charge of launching an early online social network (Which? Online), and the same questions keep cropping up. Here are three that I hear most often, and my responses to them.

1) I don't have time. You don't have to do everything at once. You can focus on one social network at a time. Sending a tweet takes only a minute. If you become a slave to social media, then it's time to cut back. As little as 15 minutes a day will pay dividends, provided you keep posting regularly.

2) No-one is following me. Don't panic. Build your connections gradually. If you post interesting comments, the followers will come. Join conversations and comment on other people's ideas (don't be too negative). Forward or re-tweet comments that you think are useful. It's not about the numbers, it's about the quality of engagement.

3) People may say bad things about me. That happens offline too. The good thing about social media is that you are more likely to know about it. If you see a negative comment on your blog or Facebook page, decide whether it is worth responding. If it is a legitimate complaint, thank them for raising it and take action. Don't get into a fight you can't win, though. It's better to leave it alone, and let others come to your defence.

Fred Astaire called this the best dance routine ever (this is for you Steve Catchick)

You know I can help. 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."