| Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Remarkably, and tragically, the news agenda has shifted away from the pandemic to the reaction to the death of George Floyd.
if you watched the video of the incident, I'm sure it will be something that you will find hard to forget. The power of social media takes this kind of thing into our living rooms in a way that used to be the exclusive preserve of broadcast news.
Alas, in some cases the protests have turned to violence. That, in turn, becomes the story. People have died as a result. It's one tragedy followed by another.
The reaction of politicians has been interesting to see and hear. I'm not going to make a political comment, but I'm taking notes for future examples of good and bad communication. |
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Depending on where you are, lockdown is being eased in different ways.
I've been involved in a number of debates about when live events, especially conferences and conventions, are likely to restart. Of course, I have no idea and nor does anyone else. However, I do recognise that there are many people who are becoming used to the idea of remote speaking, and are seeing the advantages of a remote event, such as:
A greatly-reduced carbon footprint Short-notice events, organised in a few days Presenters who can appear in several continents on the same day Increased audience size Greater audience participation
I'd be interested to hear of any other ways that you think remote events can be even better than in-person events. |
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Penny Pullan is an expert in virtual leadership, and has worked virtually since 2001 helping multinational organisations to develop their virtual leadership and remote teams.
She wrote the book on it - Virtual Leadership - in 2016, long before the virus that forced us all to go online. I spoke to her about her unique expertise, as you can hear in The Media Coach Radio Show.
There's also a fantastic song from The Dustbowl Revival |
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The MediaMaestro is Christo Javacheff, the artist who wrapped the world
Known just as "Christo", he produced monumental installations, covering huge objects in miles of fabric and rope.
He wrapped enormous buildings, avenues of trees, entire coastlines and island chains. Each one cost millions with official permission almost impossible to get. Yet, when finally completed, they were gone again in a matter of weeks.
He worked closely with his wife, Jeanne-Claude. In 1969, they wrapped more than 2km of coastline in Little Bay, Australia. In places, the cliffs soared to more than 26m high. It took an hour to walk from one end of the installation to the other.
Next, they created a fabric fence in California - nearly 40km long and 6m high. Nine lawyers were hired to persuade dozens of local farmers to give their blessing.
He challenged the idea that sculpture has be something fixed and permanent. He deliberately blurred the line between art and its natural environment. And he did it on a truly epic scale.
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The MediaMug is a chap known as Steven S, who shared a picture of his spaghetti carbonara to the Facebook group Rate my plate.
Rate My Plate is a community where people share pictures of their weird and wonderful creations, which, most of the time are completely slated by these harsh amateur food critics.
According to one group member: "Carbonara is generally comprised of pancetta, egg yolks, heavy cream, garlic, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. A hard Italian cheese is also added during the cooking process with sharp Pecorino Romano being the first choice but salty and mellower parmesan filling in whenever necessary."
Steven's however, is very different, and is made up of tinned spaghetti, a slice of American-style cheese and a chopped up frankfurter.
Steven's post has received nearly 4,000 likes and 7,800 comments from foodies who couldn't hold back their disgust. So at least he provoked a reaction. |
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| Speaking Tip - No need to apologise |
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I've seen far too many speakers who make self-denigrating opening remarks. OK, the best person to tell a story against is yourself, but don't do it right at the start of your speech.
Worst of all, in my view, is the person who appears looking hunched and nervous, fumbles with their script, and then says "I'm not very good at this, and my speech isn't very well prepared"
Some speakers go on to apologise for everything - the online connection, the sound, the delay in the programme, the weather, etc, etc. There's no need. None of them are your responsibility, and by drawing attention to them, you're only distracting people from your message. You need to just get on with it.
As for your fears, we know you're nervous. We know you may not feel too confident. But we want you to do well. If you appear in front of us and start off by apologising, we'll expect the worst, and that will probably be our perception.
So, take a few deep breaths, start with your head held high and smile. It doesn't matter if you are feeling worried. We understand. The important thing is to do your best, and the audience will support you. If you lower our expectations by hand-wringing like Uriah Heep (no, the one in David Copperfield, not the elderly rock band), than things will only deteriorate.
Chin up! |
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| Media Tip - Always move forward, never back |
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When you are being interviewed on TV or radio, you should be aware that your viewers and listeners may not be paying attention throughout. They may have the radio on in the car, or while they preparing a meal. They may just have switched on the TV, or their attention may have been elsewhere, when something you say suddenly catches their interest.
However repetitive the question, you must resist the temptation to begin an answer with a weary "As I have already said", or "As I said a few minutes ago". It doesn't matter if you are being asked a similar question, or you feel that you have already given an answer. Always move forward as though you had never mentioned the point before.
There are several issues with back-references. Firstly, it makes you sound a little irritated if you say that you've already mentioned something. Secondly, repetition is a great way to reinforce a message, so it's helpful to be asked again. Thirdly, it allows you to restate your message in a slightly different way, potentially engaging more people.
Always take the opportunity to move forward, recap the main points of your argument, and restate your core message. Be concise and positive. Most importantly of all, if you avoid any back references, your answer can stand alone as a sound bite. That's what you want, so that your message can be replayed many times after the interview is over.
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| Social Media Tip - Brewery towers and blogs |
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The 45-minute brewery tour at De Halve Maan in Bruges is a masterclass in communication. The tour guide not only shows and tells how beer is made, but illustrates every step on the way with memorable stories or phrases. The tour includes a trip to the top of the brewery tower, which used to be a feature of every brewing operation. The principle was simple - allowing gravity to do the work moving the water, grain, hops and yeast from one stage of the process to the next.
The principle can be use for any type of social media. Let's take blogs for example. There's a process by which they become read, liked, shared and quoted. If you can place them in a position so that the process moves under its own momentum, you can (almost) sit back and watch your blogging influence grow.
I say "almost" because just like producing a superb ale, the brewer has to watch carefully and take action from time to time. In the same way, you need to look out for comments, questions and challenges, and deal with them quickly and efficiently.
When you write your blog, place it in a prominent position on a site like LinkedIn, give it a great headline and mention it widely on other social media channels. Ask questions within it. Ask people to share if they agree (or disagree). You'll find that just like the brew moving down the tower, your blog will become more and more valuable.
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| Need some remote speaking tips ? |
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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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