The MediaCoach

Hi John,

There's a sporting theme around this week. In Australia, the Commonwealth Games got under way. Over this weekend, the Masters golf tournament takes place in Augusta, Georgia, with the much-awaited return of Tiger Woods to the event. Sadly, another sporting legend, England international footballer Ray Wilkins, passed away at only 61. The stories told about him by his friends were wonderful. One of my favourites was related by his fellow England international Terry Butcher. Ray and Terry had been out for a few small sherries after England's elimination from the World Cup. They returned to the hotel where Ray curled up on a sofa in the foyer and went to sleep. A few minutes later, a press conference was held by the then England manager, Ron Greenwood, in the same hotel foyer. The journalists had such respect for Ray Wilkins that they wrapped a blanket round him and allowed him to sleep through the whole thing. It was also farewell to a man who revived an entire sport - darts. Five-time world champion Eric Bristow, "The Crafty Cockney" died yesterday. Another sad loss.

In the "news you may have missed" section, an entire airport terminal is up for sale, or at least its contents. Terminal 1 at Heathrow has been closed for three years, and now every fixture and fitting is being auctioned off. So if you have ever fancied a sign that says "Nothing to declare" or "Gate 8c", then get online on April 21st.

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The MediaMaestro is, for the first and probably the only time, a crowd of thousands. It is the fans of Italian football maestros Juventus. The fans were watching their team lose at home to Real Madrid in the quarter finals of the Champion's league when Cristiano Ronaldo scored with an amazing overhead kick. The home crowd gave a standing ovation to a goal scored by their opponents. For a few seconds, rivalry was forgotten, and genius was recognised. It was a remarkable sporting moment, due to be repeated on sports shows for decades to come.

The MediaMug is the dear old BBC. They have come out with their hands up and admitted that there was fakery in one of their documentaries, Human Planet, which featured a tribe from West Papua, in Indonesia, The 2011 programme showed members of the tribe moving into a "traditional" tree house, but a subsequent interview with members of the tribe revealed that the houses were built in order to be filmed. At least the BBC had the good grace to admit their mistake. Next thing you know they will be revealing that the Tardis is not a real police box.

USE THE SCREEN SPARINGLY

As you probably know by now, I am not a huge fan of PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi, or any other system that projects slides onto a screen. However, there are some occasions when a speech is enhanced by an image, so I accept that there are times when such technology is useful. Even so, I still strongly advocate the use of the "B" and "W" keys. Each key acts a toggle switch in every version of PowerPoint (Windows) and Keynote (Mac), turning the screen black or white respectively. Sometimes a remote slide controller will include a "blank" button too.

I urge you to make liberal use of the keys or the button. I also suggest that you limit the amount of speaking you do while an image is being displayed. The reason is simple. Communication is best served when you and your audience are looking at each other. They can see your gestures, facial expressions and movement. Their attention is not divided between you and the screen (they may be drawn to their smartphone, but that's another matter).

When using slides, you can describe what the audience is about to see, tell them what to look for, and then display the image as you stay silent. You can then blank the screen and discuss what they saw, returning occasionally to the image if necessary to make further points.

Of course, you can't use this technique if you are using slides with loads of words on, treating them as your script. You'd never do that though, would you?

A STORY WITH MILEAGE

The best publicity (from your point of view) comes with a story that keeps going, hour after hour, day after day. Once a story reaches the point where there is nothing new to be said, it dies. The news media talk about stories that still have "mileage" in them, and will keep using them if they still appeal.

So when you put out a statement about an issue, always think several moves ahead, as you would in a game of chess. You will probably be able to predict the response from your competitors. Have a response to that already prepared, so that you can keep the story alive. Better still, challenge someone by name (or by company) to respond in your original statement. That will virtually guarantee extra coverage. For example, a pressure group might accuse a corporation of some serious misbehaviour. There will inevitably be a reply, although "no comment" is also useful to the cause.

In order to give your story as much mileage as you can, make sure that you are always available for a comment. If the story breaks at 10am, give the reporter your phone number and make sure your phone is by your side (yes, even on the bedside table) for at least the next 48 hours. Many stories die because the main players can't, or won't make further comment.

A really big story can be revisited on its anniversary, or when something happens to a company mentioned in the story. Keep an eye out for opportunities and give your story as much mileage as possible.

TERRIBLE TWEETS, FACEBOOK FLAMES

News spreads very rapidly around social networks. Bad news travels even faster than good news. That means if you're dealing with a crisis on social media, you need to act quickly and decisively. Here's a five-step plan to help you handle a social media storm:

1) Review your scheduled messages. Whatever the crisis, you may be criticised for continuing to send messages that are seen as inappropriate or even offensive. Ensure you have a way of turning scheduled messages off immediately.

2) Monitor your brand online, and take action only when necessary. You don't need to respond to every tweet. That could simply fan the flames. Sometimes it's best to leave a tweet to wither in the ether.

3) Make sure someone is online at all times to send messages on your behalf. Ask them to use their name, so that the message is also personal.

4) Keep spokespeople in the loop. If anyone has to speak to broadcast or print media, brief them first on what is happening online.
5) Return to normal business only when you are certain that the crisis has passed.

Our good friends at Bad Lip Reading give Star Wars the musical treatment.

Make sure you are ready.

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."