Building and Protecting your Reputation |
|
Hi John,
Firstly, congratulations to Roger Deakins who duly won the Oscar for best cinematography, for his work on the epic drama 1917.
As you know, I've been championing his cause, despite having no influence over the Academy judges whatsoever.
Now he's won the awards, I will keep quiet about him for a while. However, it's worth having a look at how he did it, by watching the video below. Absolutely remarkable. |
|
Meanwhile, in the world of politics, a drama has been playing out in what was expected to be a fairly pedestrian Cabinet reshuffle. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, decided to resign after being told to sack all of his team of advisors.
As he said in a subsequent interview “I was unable to accept those conditions and I do not believe any self-respecting minister would accept those conditions.”
When asked whether the conditions were put forward by Dominic Cummings, the Prime Ministers' senior advisor, he said they were imposed “by the prime minister”. He added: “My successor has my full support as does the prime minister.” Sometimes in media interviews it's what you don't say that is the real story. |
|
Heather Wright has made it her mission to learn as much as she can about the psychology of influence and how to use it to everyone’s advantage and then convert it to usable, teachable material to change the lives of others.
There's also a great tune from a remarkable duo with an astonishing story - Son of Town Hall |
|
The MediaMaestro is Rick Moranis, the Canadian actor and comic who made a high-profile screen career in the 1980s and 90s playing bespectacled nerds in a string of films such as Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors and Spaceballs. He is to return to the screen after a 23-year break after agreeing to act in a reboot of the science-fiction comedy Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
In 2013, he said “I took a break because I was a single parent, and it got too hard flying around and looking after the kids, and the break got longer and longer and I didn’t miss what I had been doing.”
Josh Gad, who is set to play Rick's son in the reboot, titled Shrunk, also tweeted to confirm the news: "To say it is a dream come true to once again see Rick Moranis on the big screen is the understatement of the decade. But to say, I get an up seat view of him returning to play one of his most iconic roles is the understatement of the Century. Welcome back hero!"
|
|
The MediaMug is Aviva, which has apologised after emailing thousands of customers and mistakenly calling them Michael.
The insurance company said it was caused by a "temporary technical error" in its "mailing template". Seeking to reassure recipients, it said the blanket use of Michael was the "only error in the email".
It added: "There was no issue with personal data; the remainder of the email and its content was correct."
A few Michaels commented on the blunder on social media.
One accidental Michael, a life insurance customer whose real name is Andrew, said he was worried that the mistake may have signalled other errors "The irony is I hadn't noticed the original 'Michael' email, it was this follow up that caught my eye," he said.
Another joked: "Lucky them - I can't even get some people to call me Michael [instead of Mike]."
|
|
Speaking Tip - Can you see and hear me at the back? |
|
It's rather obvious that your audience has come to see and hear you. However, some speakers seem to go out of their way to avoid being heard or seen. Here's what mean:
1) Staying on stage The stage is there for a purpose. It's so the entire audience can see you. In a small room, with a few rows of chairs it's OK to stay at ground level. If a stage has been provided, it's for you to use. Stepping off-stage into the audience creates problems. The people at the back will lose sight of you. As you walk past the front rows, people have to turn round in their seats to see you. Neither is desirable.
2) Staying in the light Spotlights have a purpose too, especially if your image is being projected onto large screens. Wandering to a dark part of the stage, or standing in front of a screen will make it hard for the audience to see you clearly. During your rehearsal, note where the light falls on the stage, and stay there.
3) Using a microphone. I've seen speakers reject the use of a microphone, claiming that their voices are loud enough to carry to the back of the room. That may be true, but the point of a microphone and speakers is to make it easy for everyone to hear. If a mic is provided, my advice is to use it.
|
|
Media Tip - On-air brevity, Online detail |
|
Sometimes a media interview lasts less than sixty seconds, especially if it is squeezed in before a news bulletin. There's obviously very little information you can deliver in that short time.
Sometimes, it's good enough to simply deliver a strong message. However, there will be times when you have a great deal more that you want your audience to hear.
It's easy to provide more information online. You can include details, links, videos and opportunities for feedback. The trick is to be able to deliver a link to your site during a very brief interview. The first objective is to get a message across and to get the attention of your audience. That's always a priority in any interview. Your second objective, to direct people to more information online, can be achieved in one of a number of ways.
The best way to direct people to your site is to have the interviewer mention it, ideally at the end of the interview. If you have time to ask for this in advance, they may agree. If not, then mention it yourself in your final answer, and they will probably repeat it. If you have to mention the link yourself, ensure that it is as brief and memorable as possible. Don't say "WWW", as that is a distraction. Instead, give the briefest possible link, and if you can't, say "you can Google the phrase" and deliver a key phrase that will bring up the link on the first page of the search results.
Obviously, this takes preparation and planning. But that's what you do before every media interview. |
|
Social Media Tip - We're all journalists |
|
Recent court cases have demonstrated the dangers of posting information on social networks. You can be held liable for anything you say, especially about another person, or if you breach discrimination laws. In short, we're all publishers these days. Journalists understand the rules of publishing, and what you can and cannot say. Additionally, there is a journalistic code of conduct which guides behaviour.
Here are some key elements of the code of conduct that journalists abide by, which are a useful guide to social media postings too:
- Differentiate between fact and opinion
- Avoid plagiarism
- Strive to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair
- Produce no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination
- Do nothing to intrude into anybody's private life, grief or distress
In short, you need to be aware that when you are posting comments on social networks, even in closed groups, you are publishing information, and you need to consider the potential impact of your words. You can still be opinionated, controversial and challenging (in fact this will make your comments more widely read), but you must also remember your responsibilities. Not only are we all publishers, we're all journalists too.
|
|
The Daily Telegraph regularly compiles a selection of the most dreadful tourist photo cliches. How many have you taken? Watch and wince. |
|
Need to deal with a crisis? |
|
Get in touch and we'll chat.
|
|
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." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
