The MediaMaestro of the year is someone who has been in the public eye for seventy years, appearing at over twenty two thousand events, often just behind his wife. He is the Duke of Edinburgh, who has never been slow to offer an opinion, but has taken his duties extremely seriously, and deserves to be able to take a rest. Whether or not you enjoy his comments, you certainly can't ignore them. I wish him well.

The MediaMug of the year, as ever, was a tough choice. However, I've selected someone who through her media appearances has proven to be confused, unreliable and downright dishonest. She is Kellyanne Conway, consultant to President Trump, and user of the phrase "alternative facts" (her explanation of President Trump's overestimate of his inauguration crowds). Her gaffes have been many, but perhaps her "finest" hour was when she invented a terrorist attack and then condemned it. You really couldn't make it up (but she did), when she spoke of the "Bowling Green massacre of taking innocent soldiers' lives away", not once, but on three occasions. In reality, the would-be terrorists were arrested before a shot was fired. Fake news, as they say.

SCRIPT, CUE CARDS OR MEMORY?

When you deliver a presentation, you may worry about whether you will remember everything, and deliver it in the right order. Of course, if you are using slides, you can always, as I heard a conference speaker say last week "speak to the slides" (unfortunately, that's precisely what he did, so we looked at the back of his head for 40 minutes). You know what I think about the way some people use slides. If not, email me and ask, though my response will probably get blocked by your profanity filter.

So let's keep it easy, and assume you have to speak for 20 minutes. Do you use a script, prompt cards, or try to memorise the whole thing? My answer is yes (to begin with), yes (but you probably won't need them) and no (but you will give that impression).

Allow me to elucidate. When you prepare a speech, it can be helpful to write out a complete script, in order to guarantee that you have covered everything in an engaging way. You will no doubt amend the text a few times as you read through it. When you are familiar with the speech, take a few cards and jot down reminders of the key points and stories. Try the speech again using just the cards. You may want to stop at this point and use the cards as prompts when you speak for real.

However, if you want to take things one stage further, try to deliver the speech without notes. You will find that you tell the same stories, and make the same points, but without sticking precisely to the script. That's when it will sound really good, and the audience will love it - so go for it!

UPDATE YOUR MEDIA PLAN

It's a good time to consider how you are going to approach the media in 2018. What are your aims and objectives? Are you going to "raise your profile" (whatever that means), target specific publications, or aim to become a regular columnist or broadcast pundit?

Take some time over the next few days to think about your media strategy, and write down some specific targets. Keep the list short, and as specific as possible. For example, "Getting a weekly column in a local paper", or "being quoted in a national newspaper". Put the list on your office wall, where you can see it every day.

Remember to have a look at a calendar of events for 2018 and see how they can be linked to what you do. You can almost certainly find a link to the Royal Wedding, but beware - so will thousands of others. A better bet is to look for an event that is more "local", such as the London Lumiere festival in mid-January, or the 80th anniversary of the Ace Cafe (you'll know what I mean if you're a biker). Good luck.

SAY THANKS

We all like to be thanked. As my grandfather used to tell me, "Manners cost nothing, and buy you a great deal". So whenever someone posts a comment on your blog, or your Facebook page, or gives you help on Twitter, send them a message of thanks. Don't thank them in order to start a conversation, or in order to persuade them to buy something from you, but simply because it is the polite thing to do.

You don't have to thank them using the same medium either. If you know them well enough, send them a handwritten note. On my wall, as I type this, I'm looking at notes from a couple of contacts who I originally met on Twitter. I've met them in the "real world" now, and I value their thank you notes enormously.

So - just say thanks.

Yes, it's that time.

I can help

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."