Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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On Monday, June 1st, my mother, June, would have been 100 years old, so I thought I'd dedicate this issue to her. She didn't quite make it to her 100th birthday, but lasted well into her 90s, only giving up her weekly bike ride to the shops in her final couple of years.
She raised my brother Colin and I on her own, after our father sadly died of a heart attack in 1961. Though we didn't have much, we never felt hard done by, as she was the happiest of souls, and always had the knack of making us laugh, even when things were a bit rough.
I hope that Colin and I did her proud. She was certainly proud of us.
Thanks, Mum x |
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Sometimes one story dominates the news agenda, even at a time when a pandemic seems to be the only story in town.
Some people think we should no longer be talking about it. Some think it's vital to consider all of the issues raised by it.
So here's my verdict on it.
I think it's a good thing that Fraggle Rock is back on TV after an absence of 33 years.
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The book launch this week was a tremendous success, and I was lucky to grab a few words with Andy to discuss the global impact.
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The MediaMaestro is New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
She was speaking to a morning news programme from Parliament in Wellington when a magnitude-5.8 earthquake struck just before 8 a.m.
“We’re just having a bit of an earthquake here, Ryan, quite a decent shake,” she said, interrupting the interview but smiling and holding steady in front of the camera and appearing unruffled.
She warned the host, Ryan Bridge, not to worry “if you see things moving behind me,” because the building she was in “moves a little more than most.”
When the shaking stopped, she calmly continued the interview. Can we borrow her please? |
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The MediaMug is yet again President Donald Trump.
He has been upset by the action of Twitter in fact-checking his tweet about mail-in ballots, and including a tag that his comment is not accurate.
He has responded by saying he will sign an executive order redefining the legal protections given to social-media platforms.
It means platforms such as Facebook and Twitter could be sued if they are judged to "deceptively" block posts.
The draft of the executive order says social networks are engaged in "selective censorship".
However, some Conservative commentators in the USA fear that the President's action may be counter-productive. We shall see.
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Speaking Tip - The Seven Deadly Assumptions of Remote Speaking |
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There are many ways make your remote presentation better, and I share my tips with you regularly, From time to time (this time to be precise), I like to recommend what NOT to do when you're presenting remotely. So here are my seven deadly assumptions to be avoided by all speakers.
1) One speech fits all. No it doesn't. Every audience is different, and even if you are telling them the same story, you need to consider their interests and background.
2) More is better. Trying to pack in a huge amount of information is counter-productive. It's far better to focus on the key message that will be of most benefit.
3) You're on-screen to impress. Your sparkling wit and well-crafted visuals may be impressive, but that's not the reason you're there. It's about serving the needs of the audience.
4) You don't always need to prepare. You should prepare for every speech. You're online to deliver your best performance, every time.
5) You're there to speak, they're there to listen. Not any more. Audiences are much keener to interact, whether via chat or by social media. You need to be ready to engage with them.
6) You're not expected to be online for the whole event. Just being there for a few minutes before and after your speech is short-changing an audience. They and you will benefit from a longer stay.
7) You're the most important person on the screen. You know this isn't true. The only successful speech is one that the audience benefited from. That makes them the focus of attention. |
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Media Tip - How a journalist reads your media release |
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Media releases, or press releases as we used to call them, are still a valuable tool in your publicity armoury. It's very useful to know how they are read by your targets - journalists - in order to make sure they are as effective as possible.
Here's how a typical release is studied:
- Scan the headline. Discard if boring.
- Read the standfirst. Discard if dull.
- Scan the first paragraph. Discard if un-engaging.
- Do the "so what"? test. Discard if it fails.
- See what it's about. Discard if there's no place for it.
- Look for contact details. Discard if none.
- Call or email the sender. If no response, ignore it.
- If contact is made, discuss using the release.
Your media release has to pass a series of tests to have any chance of being used. it's no use having a great release with a dull headline, or a great story not summarised well in the standfirst (initial summary, usually in bold type). In addition, you need to be contactable. It's rare that a release is used without the sender being spoken to.
So, whenever you prepare a media release, put your reporter's hat on and go through the steps. Only send the release if you think it will pass every test. |
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Social Media Tip - Keep on running |
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Distance runners know that there are no prizes for sprinting round the first couple of laps.
Running out of steam is not a winning strategy. Online, people run out of steam all the time - short busts of activity followed by complete silence.
So here are some tactics to make sure you cross the finish line, whether online or on the track:
- Pick a lane and stay in it - stick to a topic and make it yours
- Post often, even if it is only a brief comment
- Repost articles from other specialists, with a brief comment
- Always ask for other comments to encourage discussion
- Mix your posts - text, images and videos
- Keep going when others give up
- Always aim to offer value
- Don't be opinionated, but have an opinion
- Keep up to date on your topic
- Keep going!
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Need some remote speaking tips ? |
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A remote event to plan? I can help.
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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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