The MediaCoach

Hi John,

As you probably know, I am a big fan of music, and in particular live music. Last weekend, I was at a local event where the splendid Mick Terry played some songs from his new album "Days go by". I will be interviewing Mick and playing some tracks in my web radio show in a few weeks' time. I also got to see a legend on Sunday - David Crosby, a Californian pioneer of close harmony songs that inspired a generation. For just a few hours I was in Laurel Canyon.

And what's the point of those musical vignettes? It's the element of live performance. However good recorded music sounds, it can never match the experience of hearing and seeing it live. That's why when people tell me they are worried about the decline of speaking, I tell them not to concern themselves. There will always be people who want to see a speaker live, as it has something that a video or audio recording cannot deliver.

Brian Walter is the immediate past president of the National Speakers Association in the USA. He is also a fantastic speaker, MC and organiser of extreme meetings. He shares his wisdom in the Media Coach Web Radio Show. There is also superb tune from The Lost Hollow Band.
Go to the iTunes Archive of the MediaCoach Show
Follow me on Twitter

The MediaMaestro award goes to Dennis Norden, a superb comedy writer and presenter who has died at the age of 96. He met future writing partner Frank Muir in 1947 and they created Take It From Here, the radio hit broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960 starring Jimmy Edwards, Joy Nichols, June Whitfield and Dick Bentley. They wrote some magnificent comedy material together before parting company in the sixties. Most people will remember him as the host of the long-running out-take show "It'll be Alright on the Night", but his real talent was in writing incredibly funny material.

The MediaMug award goes yet again to President Trump (thanks to Niels Brabandt for the heads-up on this one). I know - I have given him the award several times before, but he keeps presenting the opportunity. The President was giving his assessment of the damage caused by Hurricane Florence - "one of the wettest we have ever seen from the standpoint of water" No, I am not making this up.

PITCH IT REALLY WELL

So how should a good product or service launch work? I've seen good, bad and indifferent ones over the years, but I remember only the really great and the truly awful. That's because they both shared the characteristic of having something so unusual that it stuck in my brain. In the case of the good ones, that was intentional, but for the bad ones, it was some form of unwanted disaster.

There's no great secret to a good launch presentation, since you simply have to follow the rules for delivering a good speech:

If you're using any form of technology, whether it's video, slides, autocue or even a microphone, you must have some form of backup, and you need to plan what to do if a failure occurs. It's really very easy to have a fallback position - a hard copy of the script, descriptions rather than images, and even raising your voice if the microphone fails. The important thing is to think about it in advance.

However good your product or service, the performance and presentation is what matters. A great presentation can boost an average product, but poor delivery can kill a brilliant one. Here's the key test. Would people in your audience want to tell their friends what you just told them? That's what you must keep in mind at all times.

If you need any more help, here is a ridiculously low-priced video course from your humble scribe.

PLEASE RELEASE ME

Here's one for the teenagers. This tip is not about karaoke favourite Engelbert Humperdinck. It's about media releases. Many of them fail to hit the spot, and result in no publicity at all. Here's a set of tips to help you grab the attention of a journalist.

Lastly, don't call to check if the release is going to be used. Just give it your best shot. If it doesn't work this time, it will next time.

And yes, it is a bit like pitching, isn't it?

HOW TO HANDLE ONLINE COMPLAINTS

Every business, from time to time, receives complaints, which may or may not be justified. Once upon a time, they were dealt with in private, but now everyone sees the debate on social media. Here are some tips if someone takes against you.

1) Take a breath Never respond in haste. Pause and reflect before you say anything, and consider not responding at all. Pouring more fuel on a very small fire is not a good idea.
2) Take it offline Offer to contact the complainant directly by phone, email or in person. They will feel that their complaint is being treated seriously, and the audience will disappear.

3) Take the initiative If you feel it appropriate, empathise and make an apology. That's often enough to defuse the row.

4) Take your finger off the delete key Removing Facebook posts from your page simply because they are critical is a bad idea. People will notice, and you will only make things worse.

5) Take it on the chin Stay put, and make your case. Some people respond to criticism by deleting their social media accounts, which then gives free rein to your critics. It's much better to keep communications open.

Of course, given the sad passing of Dennis Norden, this has to be the very first episode of "It'll be alright on the night"

My year-long speaker coaching programme is now taking bookings for 2019. Drop me a line for details.

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."