The MediaMaster of the Year, in my opinion, is someone who made an immense impact on popular culture. He created many different personalities for himself as a performer over the years, and explored many styles of music. For some people, he was a person who changed their lives. I was fortunate enough to meet him, but I didn't realise at the time what a significant character he was or would become. The MediaMaster of the year is David Bowie.

The MediaMug of the Year was a tougher call. A couple of names cropped up several times. Unsurprisingly, one of them was Donald Trump, but I suspect there will be plenty more opportunities to highlight his mediamuggery in the years to come. So the MediaMug of the Year for 2016 is a former reality show contestant turned controversial columnist. Katy Hopkins has worked hard for this year's accolade, delivering diatribes against various minority groups, and recently cost her paper a fine of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds for writing, basically, a pack of lies. Maybe she'll change her ways next year. Maybe not.

MAKING THE VITAL CONNECTION

I'm sure you know what the vital connection is for speakers. It's between you and your audience. Oddly, many speakers devote more attention to the connection with their slides, their notes or the loose change in their pocket. But not you. You know what is important, so let me offer you a few tips to make that link even stronger.

1) Aim for the argumentative baseline. This is the point where the audience will not question the assumptions behind your argument. For example, in the great "I have a dream", speech, Martin Luther King said "I have a dream that one day Negroes will be able to buy a house anywhere their money will carry them, and get a good job". The thunderous applause showed that no-one questioned his premise.

2) Tell the audience facts that they already know. That's not to say that you should patronise them, but to demonstrate that you understand their point of view.

3) Ask your audience questions to which they already have answers, such as "Are you not proud to be business owners?"

I've found an excerpt from a speech which uses all three techniques. It was delivered by a former slave, Sojourner Truth, when she spoke to a conference on women's rights over 150 years ago - "That man over there said that women need to be helped into carriages and lifted over ditches. Nobody ever helps me over carriages or mud-puddles. And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I've ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me. And ain't I a woman?"

FIVE WAYS TO RUIN YOUR PR MATERIAL

Here's my list of things to avoid when writing publicity material for a release, brochure or website.

• Meaningless superlatives. "We solve all your problems, perfectly..", "The UK's leading..." (Says who? These phrases mean nothing)
• Jargon "We offer best of breed robust solutions in data-driven environments" (Eh?)
• Negativity "We can guarantee that you won't suffer disappointment if you chose our products" (Why not say you will be satisfied?)
• Vagueness "We've worked with a variety of organisations facing change issues around the world" (Some specifics would be nice)
• Wordiness "Needless to say, we guarantee every product for 10 years" (If it's needless to say, don't say it)

Alas, all those examples were real, but not from your company, obviously. Instead, use simple language, evidence, references, a positive approach and explain the benefits. It's simple really.

LISTEN UP

One of the most valuable things you can do with social media is to listen. You can learn a great deal just by finding out what is being said, and watching the conversations. Sometimes you may be tempted to get involved, especially if your brand or product is being discussed. Once upon a time (and even now), companies pay large amounts of money to watch "focus groups" discuss their products in small rooms with snacks and drinks. It costs a great deal, and there usually aren't any crisps left to take home. But social media lets you do "focus groups" for free.

Here are four things to listen out for on social media sites:

1. You or your brand. Make sure you have alerts set up, so you can find out what people think of you.
2. Your competitors. It's equally important to listen to the chatter about the good and bad points of your rivals.
3. Your market. Even if brand names are not being mentioned, lock onto the chats about the kind of business you are in.
4. Customers talking directly to you. This needs a response, of course, especially if they are critical of you.

Sometimes standing on the sidelines and watching is more useful than being in the game.

Ever wondered what happened to that nerdy kid at school? You'd be surprised what happened to this selection.

Treat yourself to a day's media coaching.

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."