The MediaCoach

Hi John,

So with a stroke of her pen, Prime Minister Theresa May has signalled the end of the UK's 40-year membership of the European Union. I'm not going to make a political point about it, but I do note that the quality of oratory in relation to both sides of the debate has been, in my opinion, pretty poor. It's a shame that political speaking seems to be in the doldrums right now. So let me ask you - is there a political speaker that inspires you? Drop me a line.
I was talking politics and speaking skills for an hour on radio this week with my good friend Shaz Nawaz on his show on Salaam Radio. You can watch us both here.

My friend Sierra Modro is running a free webinar today, Friday, called Profitable Tech for the Woman Entrepreneur. If you are interested (and qualify), the link is techmasterclass.com

There are now just five places left on my story telling masterclass for speakers. You can find out more, and reserve a place right now.

Steve Bustin is a media and communications specialist, delivering his expertise as a speaker, compere, author and coach. He's also a good friend. He's just about to publish his second book "The Authority Guide to PR for Small Businesses", and I caught up with him this week to find out more. Hear our chat in the Media Coach Radio Show. There's also a great tune from a birthday boy this week - Mick Terry.
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The MediaMaster of the week is one that I've given the award to several times. The Plain English Campaign, founded by Chrissie Maher OBE in 1979, has been fighting gobbledygook ever since. This week the NHS has been under their scrutiny. Documents from NHS North Central London shared the experience of one patient's care that went wrong. It says due to "hand-offs, inefficiencies and suboptimal advice and information transfers" the "patient's pathway" went on for too long. Well done to the Plain English Campaign for continuing to highlight this utter nonsense.

The organisers (or at least the marketers) of the Cannes Film Festival win the MediaMug trophy more than a month before the event has even begun. They are accused of "slimming down" an archive image of the Italian actress Claudia Cardinale featured on the event's official poster. There's been an outcry on social media and Telerama magazine. said: "While the poster is magnificent, the photograph has clearly and deplorably been airbrushed to thin the actress's thighs and waist". Oh dear. Interestingly, Ms Cardinale herself is not bothered, but critics have argued that the action is insulting to women. I tend to agree.

A LUCKY BAG OF SPEAKING TIPS

Many, many years ago, I used to buy a Lucky Bag from the sweet shop on the way home from school. You never knew exactly what was inside, but it was guaranteed to be a set of tasty surprises. Here's a Lucky Bag of speaking tips for you.

1) Emphasise nouns, not adjectives For example, in a wedding speech, don't say "Isn't she a GORGEOUS, RADIANT, BEAUTIFUL bride?" Instead, say "Isn't she a gorgeous, radiant, beautiful, BRIDE? Try it. It works every time

2) Humour in your speeches should come from your experience If you think nothing funny ever happens to you, try keeping a notebook with you and jotting down everything that makes you laugh. The book will fill up quickly, and provide a mass of material for your speeches.

3) You can't make things too simple Even if you are talking to an expert audience, try to use simple language. The idea is to create a connection with your audience, and to get them thinking beyond your words. If they are thinking about your words, trying to extract the meaning, then your impact is reduced.

4) Speak to one person Presenting to an audience, however large or small, works best when people feel they're being spoken to as individuals. When you think about your audience, decide what would interest them as individuals, not as a group. Avoid phrases like - "As you are all accountants, you'll be interested in the numbers on the next slide". Instead, say "As an accountant, think what these numbers mean to you"

TEN TIPS FOR WRITING ARTICLES

Many publications and websites will accept articles. You can post on blogs, LinkedIn and Facebook too. They are a great way of getting publicity. Here are ten tips for putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard.

Using the "10 tips" or "Seven secrets" format as a structure makes writing easier (see what I mean?)

TWITTER ROCKS!

OK, I'm a bit of an old muso, and I often listen to Spotify playlists from the 1970s while writing this ezine. I've just done a Tweetchat, and discussed the similarities between Twitter and rock music. Here are my thoughts:

1) Strong rhythm There's no missing the beat in rock music. Twitter has a strong pulse too. There are ebbs and flows in the trending subjects, but some things remain constant (I'm afraid it's often Justin Bieber). Being aware of the Twitter beat helps you to post your messages so that they follow the flow of conversation, and generate interest.

2) Simple singable lines No rock song choruses are that complex. A festival crowd holding up their lighters (sorry, smartphones) wants a simple line to sing. Twitter, by its very nature, is brief. But don't feel you have to use the full 140 characters. Limiting yourself to 120 increases the chance of being re-tweeted, and keeping it even shorter is a handy skill.

3) Virtuosos From Hendrix to Slash, there's always a real performer in a rock band. There are superstars on Twitter too, whether they're celebs like Katy Perry or technical experts like Pete Cashmore and Guy Kawasaki. Despite the fact they have millions of followers, it's worth keeping an eye on what they say and do (especially the technical specialists), since it can help you to talk about popular issues, and generate interest yourself.

An oldie but goodie. The classic "one leg too few" sketch from Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Wonderful script, perfect timing.

Book now - only five places left for May 9th at Theatre Royal.

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."