Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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So here in the UK we've got dates. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We can even start to make plans, bearing in mind that the dates may have to shift a little.
As soon as the announcement was made, I made the obvious first connection, to my hairdresser, Katrina, who's been looking after my locks for more than a couple of decades. Her response was positive, of course, while also noting that I probably have reverted to my 70s hairstyle. She is correct, of course.
For the record, that is me in 1970. Moody or what? |
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I'm delighted to announce that the Kindle edition of the revised edition of The Exceptional Speaker is now available.
Paul and I have spent over a year revising and updating our book. We've added a large section on remote speaking (or virtual if you prefer).
The hardback edition will be available towards the end of March. The books are currently at sea, on a long voyage from Mundra in India to Southampton in the UK, and then hopefully to East London.
There'll be a special offer of signed copies of the hardback, but if you're keen to grab the Kindle version, it's here.
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 | Ross Kimbarovsky is my guest in the Web Radio Show this week.
Following a 13 year career as a successful trial attorney, Ross founded (in 2007) and leads Crowdspring.
Ross mentors entrepreneurs through TechStars and Founder Institute, is a member of the Executive Advisory Board for TechWeek, and was honored as one of Techweek100′s top technology leaders and business visionaries.
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The MediaMaestrois Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley.
She made an emotional plea on behalf of her sister and others with learning disabilities to be prioritised for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Ms Whiley was offered the vaccine before her sister, who has a rare genetic syndrome and lives in residential care.The broadcaster's sister is recovering after being admitted to hospital with coronavirus earlier this week.
Everyone on their GP's learning disability register will be now invited for vaccination as part of priority group six, Public Health England has confirmed, regardless of how severe their disability is.
"This is a great day, I am so relieved. I'm so happy for all those people who have been living in fear," Jo Whiley said, adding that it was "very difficult" to categorise people according to their disability.
Well done to her, and good luck to her sister. |
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The MediaMugs are university researchers from King's College in London, who sent over a thousand fake emails to MPs, to test how they would react to constituents' worries about COVID-19.
Professor Rosie Campbell said the study aimed to find out how MPs treat constituents.She apologised "if we misjudged the imposition this would place" on staff.
One MP said the project showed a "lack of understanding of the pressures facing our office's resources a year into a global pandemic".
Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirmed he had written to King's College's bosses and its ethics committee to complain about what he called the university's "appalling" actions.
In his letter, reported by the BBC, Sir Lindsay said academic research should "not be conducted in a way which impedes MPs in performing their functions".
"It is hard to see how any responsible researcher could have thought sending over 1,000 spoof emails .. was a good idea, how any responsible ethics committee could have approved it or how any responsible body could have funded it," he said.
Absolutely. I don't always defend politicians, but in this case, I'm on their side.
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Speaking Tip - Am I funny enough? |
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A lot of people that I work with ask how they can make their speeches funnier. They don't want to tell jokes, but they do want to raise a smile now and again in what can be quite a dry topic. However, it's important not to overdo the humour. If people wanted to laugh all the time, they would go to a comedy club. But a certain level of humour is not just appropriate, it's essential in almost every speech.
As ever, I advise against using jokes. They can bomb, especially when delivered by someone who is not a stand-up comedian (and sometimes even when delivered by a stand-up). Never try to ad-lib a joke, or to amend a joke that you heard to try to include a local reference. It will almost always fall flat, especially if many of the audience have heard the original joke before.
It's all about using self-deprecating humour in personal stories. It's almost certain that no-one will have heard the stories before, and the humour will be unexpected, which adds to its impact. If you aren't sure how to make a story funny, get some professional advice. There are plenty of people around who will take a speech and add elements to make people laugh or smile.
You need to think carefully about your audience too. The sort of humour that works late at night after a rugby dinner is not going to go down well in a morning keynote speech to a large corporation. If you want to make fun of someone in the organisation, it's best to get permission first. The best person to make fun of is always yourself.
If your funny lines don't work, don't worry, just keep going. As my good pal Graham Davies will tell you, even seasoned professionals can deliver lines that fall on stony ground from time to time. (Should you run into him, just ask him about that time he was watching me on stage in The Netherlands).
And if you really want to liven up your speech - get in touch with another pal of mine - Jeremy Nicholas. He'll help you find the funny.
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Media Tip - No comment is a comment |
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Reporters are always looking for a quote, especially in the aftermath of a major event. People who run organisations, on the other hand, will often do anything to avoid giving a quote to the media. That creates a problem.
When cornered and pressed for a comment by reporters, spokespeople will often revert to the cliche "No comment". They will then report back to their colleagues "They didn't get anything from me". But therein lies the problem. Reporters have a minute or two of airtime, or some column inches, to fill about a news story. If an organisation won't comment, the reporter will find someone else who will.
That's when control is lost, and opinions are formed based on other people's viewpoints. it's when a problem can become a disaster. If an organisation creates the impression that they have something to hide, public opinion will soon turn against them.
So what to do? Even if you know nothing, you can offer a holding message such as "Obviously, we are very concerned, and we want to find out exactly what has happened. It's early days yet, and our thoughts are with those people who have been affected. We will be undertaking a thorough investigation and reporting our findings as soon as we can. Meanwhile, I hope you can bear with us during this difficult time". There you go - Alan's all-purpose emergency quote. Feel free to use it. |
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Social Media Tip - Stand out from the crowd |
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Nearly three billion people are now signed up to Facebook. Hundreds of millions are using Twitter and LinkedIn, so how can you make yourself seen and heard?
One way is to take a strong view. It doesn't matter that some people will disagree with it, since some will love you for saying what they think. You don't need to criticise others, or be rude, but being forceful and opinionated will definitely get you noticed. Make sure that you provide evidence, otherwise it just sounds like a rant.
Another good way to raise your profile is to link up with other experts in your area of expertise. Post comments on their blogs, and invite them to contribute to yours. In time, you may be asked to provide them with guest articles (with a link back to your site/blog, of course). Thirdly, make sure that you use a wide range of media and sites.
For example, don't just post videos and photos on YouTube and Flickr. Upload them to sites like Vimeo, LinkedIn and Instagram as well. When you write a blog, consider adding an audio version as a link so people can listen instead of read. But wherever you post information, also be aware that you need to listen and respond to comments too. Don't get lost in the social chatter. Make your voice heard. Stand out from the crowd.
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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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