Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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Hi John,
I'm sure you've heard enough about - you know, that thing, so this ezine is a B-free zone this week.
Instead, let me mention the contents of my email inbox. I'm sure that like me, you lose count of the spam emails that promise unlimited riches from the estate of a complete stranger, or offer a lucrative speaking engagement at full fee with a client who just needs from you "the cost of a working visa". They are what the delete button is there for. Sometimes, their weirdly contorted grammar actually becomes a thing of beauty, as in these quotes from an email that arrived this week: "Please would you provide me with a remittance, in order for me to dovetail the pronouncing." and my favourite phrase: "If you need any application of bills please do not nibble to contact us." Perhaps I will.
Incidentally, if you are a fan of Ricky Gervais, don't miss his new series on Netflix, After Life. It is one of the funniest, saddest and most poignant shows I have seen in years. It will win awards, and I think is his best work since The Office.
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A statue of Becks has been commissioned, and is going to be placed in front of the LA Galaxy stadium where he played out the last years of his football career. However, when he went to see a preview, the statue he saw was an utterly terrible caricature. He held it together very well before the reveal, when more than a few swear words emerged.
In the end, he took it all in fun, and he is well deserving of the MediaMaestro award this week. |
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Anyway, back to the MediaMug. Jeremy nominated the chief executive of Volkswagen, Herbert Diess, for an unforgivable gaffe, especially given the origins of VW.
He used the line "Ebit macht frei" at a company event on Tuesday.The phrase echoes the maxim "Arbeit Macht Frei" - meaning "work sets you free" - which was famously emblazoned in wrought-iron on the gates of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
In a statement, Mr Diess said he was sorry for what he described as "definitely an unfortunate choice of words". He explained that he was referring to the freedom afforded to VW brands in strong financial health, and added: "At no time was it my intention for this statement to be placed in a false context. At the time, I simply did not think of this possibility."
Volkswagen was founded in 1937, as part of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's vision to enable German families to own their first car. During World War Two, the firm manufactured vehicles for the German army, using more than 15,000 slave labourers from nearby concentration camps. I'm sure Herr Diess will be more careful in future. |
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Speaking Tip - A few words at dinner? |
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Many organisations like to have speakers at evening "dos", where everyone has a good dinner, ample liquid refreshment, and then settles down to be entertained. If, like me, you're a professional speaker, you won't need the following advice (I hope). But if you find yourself having to "say a few words" to your colleagues at such an event - or if you are invited in, but have never spoken in this circumstance before, here are a few of my top tips.
- Find a few minutes on your own to plan your opening and closing lines
- Never apologise or tell them that you are nervous
- Help them to feel part of a special group, by making an "insider" reference
- Find out what really annoys them - and make a funny remark about it
- If you pick someone to attack strongly, make it yourself. Self -deprecating humour always goes down well
- If you can find a relevant running gag, use it. You'll get more laughs every time
- If you want to have a little "dig" at someone, talk to them beforehand, and make sure that they are happy about it
- Never, ever, try to tell someone else's joke
- Close by thanking them and telling them what a great audience they are
Lastly, it's perfectly OK to use a few notes to remind you of your points. No-one will mind. Ah - one more thing - no alcohol or coffee until you've finished. Then you deserve a drink.
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Media Tip - They didn't give me enough time! |
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Alas, I've heard that phrase many times over the years, as people emerge from a radio or TV interview. Remarkably, it often comes from the lips of people who consider themselves to be great communicators.
Of course, it isn't true. You always have time to make your point on radio or TV, but you have to be concise. You have to prepare a phrase well before the interview, and find a way of delivering it. I've talked about your core message many times, but I cannot over-stress its importance. However good you are, you should never try to "wing it" without any forethought. You may get away with it, but you probably won't deliver that memorable message.
Always go into an interview with a short, pithy phrase that you can deliver in less than ten seconds. If you find yourself with plenty of time, simply use the phrase several times in your answers. Make certain that you deliver it in your final response.
When the interviewer says "I must ask you to be very brief, we have only a few seconds before the news", most interviewees either clam up, or deliver a response that gets cut off. What a waste. With your expertise and preparation, you'll still have plenty of time to get your message across. |
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Social Media Tip - Don't worry about the numbers |
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Once upon a time, in the early days of social media, people used to brag about the numbers of followers and friends they had, as well as the rate at which the numbers were increasing. It was a bit like the 1980s when everyone compared the increase in value of their houses: "We had our place valued last week and it had doubled in the last three months". Both the social media and housing conversations were equally pointless.
These days, people are a little more relaxed about numbers, especially when it's clear that some folk have paid for a system that generates followers automatically. The problem is, these followers are completely random, and are unlikely to have any interest at all in your services.
If you're a celebrity with tens of millions of followers, the numbers do matter, since you can influence millions of people with a single tweet, and they are probably people who have chosen to follow, because they like and respect you.
For the rest of us mere mortals, it's not about the numbers, it's about the impact on our businesses. Asking (or telling) someone about numbers of followers provides little insight into their influence. The outcome is the important thing. If you're having conversations with potential customers, and even better receiving business from them, it doesn't matter if you have a hundred or a hundred thousand connections. Don't worry about the numbers, but concern yourself with the results.
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I can help. Just click the link |
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