Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Hi John,
I am not sure where I am right now. To be more precise, I am not sure where I will be while you are reading this. We are halfway through our trip to Cuba, so we're probably on the road, or in a bar, or - well never mind.
To get back to the newsletter, it's full of the usual hints and tips, so forgive me if the opening section is shorter than usual.
As always, I welcome your feedback! |
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| | The MediaMaestro is Pointless star Richard Osman. Not only is he a superb co-host of the game show, but he is also a loyal Fulham fan - not many of us about.
He gets the award for running a World Cup of Biscuits competition in aid of Red Nose Day, and is locked in a heated Twitter campaign as to whether the chocolate orange treats should be in the running or not. It's a lively issue. He has pinned his colours to the mast and said that a Jaffa cake is definitely a biscuit.
Of his reasoning as to why he considers the popular McVitie's product a biscuit, he said: "No one will ever, ever offer you a slice of Jaffa Cake. If you turned up at your nan's house and she offered you a slice of Jaffa Cake you'd be very, very surprised. The EU said a biscuit when it's stale goes soft, and a cake goes hard, which is why they say Jaffa Cakes aren't a biscuit, but my personal opinion is, if you are leaving Jaffa Cakes long enough to go stale then I'm not interested in your opinion in biscuits.They never go stale in my house.You buy them in packets with other biscuits on the biscuit aisle, it's a biscuit and in my mind, biscuit means biscuit."
I'm not going to argue! |
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The MediaMug is Kelsy Karter.
The singer who caused a stir after appearing to get a tattoo of Harry Styles on her cheek has revealed it was all a fake to promote her new single. She is a big fan of the former One Direction star, and shared pictures of the provocative artwork on Instagram on Tuesday, shocking her followers.
One photograph on her profile showed the artwork on her reddened cheek, along with the caption: "mama, look what i made me do."
The 24-year-old, a recording artist based in LA, has previously said she was desperate to work with Styles. The tattoo recreates a promotional shot taken for Styles' eponymous 2017 album, where the singer posed with wet hair while wearing a blue velvet suit. The post got nearly 60,000 likes.
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Speaking Tip - Are you suffering from TMI? |
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Here's a speaking ailment I suspect you don't want to catch. TMI. Too Much Information. It might appear to be a good problem to have, especially if you are being paid to deliver your knowledge. However, it is not at all helpful to your audience to overwhelm them with facts and figures that they have little time to absorb, let alone use. I see the TMI phenomenon often at events all around the world. Some speakers fear that they are not getting enough information across, so pack their speeches with detailed evidence to back up their messages (yes, they deliver a whole bunch of different messages too).
The symptoms of TMI can also be observed in the audience, by watching people getting increasingly frustrated, and saying to each other "Did you get that?" There are several possible causes. Firstly, the speaker may be rushing through their material in order to finish on time. That's never going to work, since the audience will feel cheated. Secondly, there may be way too much information on the slides, accompanied by the speaker saying "You probably can't see the detail on this slide, so I will talk you through it". (Oh dear).
In most cases, however, it's simply a case of trying to deliver too many messages in one speech. Here's my rule of thumb; one speech, one message. That's it. It's simple, clear and prevents any confusion. The thing is, a week or two later, people in your audience will remember just the one thing that made the greatest impression on them.
So the cure for TMI is obvious and simple. Focus on one message only, and provide plenty of time for your audience to understand it. |
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Media Tip - Get your point across |
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When you are being interviewed, you need to get your point across. You need to do it with politeness and clarity. You should never lose your temper, complain or raise your voice. If you do, you have already lost the argument. Sometimes you may be in a panel debate, or with another interviewee who dominates the discussion, leaving you unable to deliver your message. If you find yourself on a media panel, here are some tips that should help you to get attention.
- Always have a pen and paper handy to jot down points you wish to respond to
- Treat each answer as a "mini-speech" with an opening, closing and one strong point
- Develop an "informal conversational" style
- If there is an audience, feel free to play to them and react to them
- Never interrupt. If you are interrupted, pause and then say "If I may continue"
- Never insult another panel member, but argue with their stance if you wish
- Have a prepared final statement ready
Maybe I should send this ezine to anyone who appears on BBC Question Time
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Social Media Tip - Why social media works for small businesses |
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There's a lot of chatter about big corporations and celebrities using social media. However, I think the firms that stand to benefit the most from social media are small businesses, which may well be family-run.
Firstly, small companies have the personal touch. The founders probably still run the business, and they know lots of the suppliers and customers personally. This kind of interaction is perfect for social media, both in terms of connecting with individuals, and telling stories to which people relate.
Secondly, small companies like to experiment with new ideas, and tend to be much more flexible and responsive to customer needs. For example, a Facebook group can be set up to discuss new products and services, which could lead to product launches in a matter of weeks rather than months.
Thirdly, small firms tend to include enthusiasts who are happy to talk about what they do. Twitter fits the bill perfectly for someone who simply wants to share their enthusiasm for their job with the outside world. If you're in a small company, social media can increase loyalty and give a huge boost to your sales (of course, it will also work in large companies, but we'll talk about that another time). |
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Do you need to speak at a special occasion? |
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I can help. Just click the link |
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