Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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It's going to be a while yet, isn't it?
I don't know about you, but I'm using lockdown to sharpen up my skills and learn a few new ones.
I've bought myself a new guitar from master guitar maker Paul Brett. I hope to have an interview with Paul on my web radio show next week.
I'm also meditating daily, learning Spanish (thanks DuoLingo) and working through some wonderful online cookery courses from the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters and Yotam Ottolenghi.
When this is all over, you must pop round for dinner.
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Why not head on over and take a look? You could learn something...... |
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 | That's enough about me.
A couple of years ago, I interviewed award-winning film-maker and passionate campaigner Leslie Ann Coles. She launched the Female Eye Film Festival in 2001 (not films for women, but by them), and has also produced a superb film called Melody Makers, about the iconic music journal.
(No, we didn't use the same photographer)
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There's also a wonderful song - Nearly New.
If you listen to it and like it, pop over to his website and give him some support. |
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The MediaMaestro is artist Sir Antony Gormley.
He has just launched The Great Big Art Exhibition. He is asking people to make an artwork at home and put in their window or garden.
The Angel of the North sculptor said the ambition was to create a country-wide show of imagination and optimism, inspired by the rainbow images people made to celebrate the NHS and keyworkers during the first lockdown.
"At a time when all the theatres and galleries are shut it is wonderful to somehow tap into the extraordinary reservoirs of creativity in the country and celebrate the diversity of range and thought and feelings that exist," Sir Antony said.
He has suggested animals as the theme for the first two weeks of The Great Big Art Exhibition.
"We want to let the inner animal out," he said. "People will find their inner animal… it could be a whale or a dinosaur".
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The MediaMug is a woman who was interviewed on BBC Wales this week. She forgot one of the basic rules of Zoom calls - always check your background.
Viewers spotted what I will delicately refer to as an adult toy on her bookcase. Whether she or someone else placed it there as a joke, or she simply forgot where she left it is unclear.
The image was shared on Twitter by journalist Grant Tucker, who joked: “Perhaps the greatest guest background on the BBC Wales news tonight,” advising that anyone who appears on TV to “always check your shelves before going on air”.
It didn’t take long for his post to blow up and for viewers of the program to comment. I wont repost the remarks here, but you can imagine.... |
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Speaking Tip - Five essential elements of a great speech |
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Great speeches have a number of things in common. Here are five elements that I think should be in every speech:
1. Brevity. You will receive more praise for a finely-honed ten-minute speech than a carefully-constructed 30-minute oration. Creating a shorter speech is a skill that is worth developing, since you may need it at short notice if time is tight.
2. An emotional connection. Facts and figures are fine as supporting evidence, but touching the hearts of your audience is what really counts.
3. Memorable images. A speech is not just words, it's an invocation of powerful pictures that will remain in the memory. They don't have to be slides. The images that you describe in words are often more vivid and memorable.
4. Edited down to the essence. Remove anything which is not relevant to your main point, or which does not evoke a reaction. Your speech will become tighter and much more powerful.
5. A resounding finish. It should be brief, memorable, relevant to the audience, and delivered with power and energy. Practice it over and over again until you have it word perfect. Then stop and take the applause.
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Media Tip - One really great point |
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If you emerge from a TV or radio interview congratulating yourself on getting so much information into three minutes, think again. From your point of view, you may have delivered a detailed summary of your topic. From the point of view of the viewer or listener, you have delivered too much information. Your short-term euphoria will turn into long-term disappointment as you speak to friends who saw your interview, and tell you "You were terrific, but I can't remember exactly what you said".
If you've been a regular follower of this weekly missive, you will know that it's your job as an interviewee to deliver a core message. Your message should be:
- Simple
- Memorable
- Relevant
- Repeatable
So let's take it up a notch. Your core message should not only have the above characteristics, it should also make viewers and listeners say "That's a really great point". it needs to stop people in their tracks and catch their attention to such an extent, they immediately want to tell someone else what you said. How do you make a really great point? Put yourself in the position of your audience. Would you immediately pass your message on? If you're unsure for even a second, re-think your point.
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Social Media Tip - You're Dunbarred! |
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On the train to and from Scotland a year ago (you remember trains?), we rattled past the beautiful Scottish coastal town of Dunbar. It put me in mind of a number. A hundred and fifty to be precise.
Anthropologist Professor Robin Dunbar came up with a theory twenty five years ago about the number of relationships we can keep up with. The number, known as Dunbar's number, is estimated at around a hundred and fifty. He based this on research into the size of ancient villages, Roman legions and nomadic tribes, but also upon the capacity of a region of the brain known as the neocortex. So how does this relate to social networking?
On the face of it, the Dunbar number seems ridiculously low. Many of us have thousands of contacts on social networks, and we exchange messages with them constantly. However, if you consider the number of people that you know really well, and have probably met at some point, it looks a lot closer to a couple of hundred. The implication is that most of your important interactions take place with a relatively small number of people.
If you think about your social media use, you will probably find that there aren't that many people you know and trust really well. Professor Dunbar also suggests that we have a close inner circle of just five people, and networks of up to 1500 who we recognise facially, but don't know that well. In short, it's worth remembering that despite having many thousands of friends and followers, the close circle that we know well is really important. Those are the people we should really value and spend time with.
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An online or in-person speech to make? 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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