Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Hi John,
We all want to know how long this will last, and of course, no-one can tell us. However, for those of us in the speaking profession (in fact for all performers), some clues are emerging.
It doesn't look as though we're going to be getting back on stage for a while. As a recent article in The Event Manager Blog points out: "Microsoft have announced plans to suspend all live events until July 2021. Facebook joined the strategy by announcing the cancellation of all meetings above 50 attendees until June 2021."
They're taking a lead that I suspect many others will follow. This is not temporary. It looks as though there will be very few events this year, if any, where crowds of more than a few dozen are allowed to attend.
Though that sounds drastic and a bit scary, there is an upside. Organisations can start to plan for at least twelve to eighteen months of using remote systems to meet, talk and exchange ideas. |
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As a reminder (and thanks if you're also a subscriber to it), I also produce a weekly video with media and speaking tips. I've just switched the format to include tips for a book to read, a speech to watch, and a general piece of advice. If you don't already receive it and would like to, just drop me a line. Episode three is below. |
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Neil Mullarkey is a comedy legend. In the mid-1980s, he teamed up with Mike Myers as 'Mullarkey and Myers'.He is a founder member of The Comedy Store Players, and still appears with them regularly at London's Comedy Store
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The MediaMaestros are the BBC educators, including Sir David Attenborough, Danny Dyer and Jodie Whittaker, who are among the celebrity supply teachers who will be helping the BBC educate the nation's schoolchildren during the coronavirus lockdown.
Footballer Sergio Aguero, Ed Balls and Professor Brian Cox are also involved in the virtual learning initiative.
Launched on the day children were due to return to school, the scheme offers 14 weeks of curriculum-based learning.
The programme is the biggest education offering in the BBC's history "We said the BBC would be there for people through this crisis and we meant it," said Alice Webb, director of BBC Children's and Education."We're proud that the BBC can bring together so many people to offer such a wide-ranging package of support to help children and parents right across the UK at such a challenging time."
The lessons include: - Manchester City footballer Sergio Aguero, who will help youngsters learn to count in Spanish
- Sir David Attenborough, who will look at geography topics such as oceans and mapping the world
- Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls, who will deliver a maths class for 11 to 14-year-olds
- Professor Brian Cox, who will teach science topics such as force, the solar system and gravity
- EastEnders actor Danny Dyer, who will give a history class for five to seven-year-olds on Henry VIII
Good job! |
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The MediaMug is Michael O'Leary. The boss of Ryanair says the airline will not resume flights if it has to keep middle seats empty to fight Covid-19, calling the idea "idiotic". Michael O'Leary said he was hopeful 80% of flights could resume by October if travel restrictions are eased in July.
But he said empty seats did not ensure safe social distancing and were financially unviable.
He added that if the Irish government imposed the rule, it would have to pay for the middle seat "or we won't fly".
Emirates, EasyJet and Delta in the US have all said they plan to keep middle seats empty and some think governments will make it a rule. But Mr O'Leary told the Financial Times the idea was "idiotic" as it did not ensure a safe 2 metre distance between passengers.
I wonder if he's serious, or if it's another of his PR stunts? |
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Speaking Tip - Get to the point early and often |
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Though you may be fascinated by every minute detail of your stories, there's a good chance that your audience may have a lower threshold of boredom than you. It's a cardinal sin to deliver a speech that induces yawns in your audience.
So you need to get to the point quickly. But hang on, if you get to the point early in your story, what reason is there to continue, you may ask? Good question, say I.
A great story doesn't make a point just once. it makes a point several times, and reinforces the message you want to deliver. As Winston Churchill put it “If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack."
You don't have to use exactly the same phrase each time, and in fact it helps if you provide a little variety. However, several repetitions of a phrase will help to really embed your message. A sign that it has worked is when you reach the end of your story, and you are about to make the point for the last time, just saying the first word will have the audience repeating it with you.
So get to the point early, get there often, and leave the audience in no doubt what you re talking about. |
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Media Tip - The eyes have it |
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How you look, at least above the waist, is important now that we're all talking into cameras on our desks, or possibly into laptops perched on a pile of books on a stool.
And it's not just how you look to others that matters, though your appearance does say something about you, It's also how you look at others through that tiny camera lens.
The technique of using live online video is identical to that for doing down-the-line media interviews which is something I've been teaching clients for years on my media coaching courses.
Simply put, you need to look at the camera, or rather through the camera, at a person somewhere beyond the lens. I use the singular "person" for a good reason. In order to create the impression that you are talking personally to everyone who is watching, you need to have just one person in your mind's eye. Ideally, that is someone you know and love, so that you will talk in a friendly manner.
Remember to also use singular language - never - 'How many of you have?" but always "Have you ever?".
The great temptation is to look at the screen, especially if there is a face looking at you. Practice keeping your eye on the camera and just listening to their voice. it will make a huge difference to how people perceive you. |
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Social Media Tip - Facebook Live Dos and Don'ts |
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Live videos are becoming more common on social media, and you may have already delivered some yourself. Here are a few dos and don'ts:
Do: - Deliver what you promise in the publicity for your broadcast
- Keep the information relevant and concise
- Make sure your technology has been tested
- Rehearse before you go live
- Smile and be energetic
- Analyse your results
Don't - Spend the first five minutes welcoming people by name
- Get distracted by comments or questions
- Focus everything on selling
- Complain about anyone else
- Hold your camera at arms length so that it wobbles
- Broadcast when no-one is watching
Good luck! |
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Need some remote speaking tips ? |
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Get in touch and we'll chat.
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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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