The MediaMaestro award is handed to another friend of mine (yes, I know, I have quite a few). Julie Creffield is a motivational speaker, life coach and marathon runner who inspires women all over the world. She completed the New York Marathon last weekend, and both before and after (and even during) the race, she was all over social media and traditional media. It was a marvellous way to showcase her business and her approach to life. I hope to be able to buy her an adult beverage soon.

The MediaMug of the week was suggested by a number of readers, including sharp-eyed Mark Lee. The interview in question has now been seen by millions of people, and led to the downfall of this week's award-winner. Jeff Fairburn, CEO of Persimmon Homes walked out of a BBC interview after being asked a question about his £75 million bonus. His failure to answer, and his deference to an off-screen PR person was the prompt for his company to say the issue was having a "negative impact" on the firm's reputation and on "Jeff's ability to continue in his role". So it's goodnight from him.

DON'T BE SORRY

I've often heard speakers apologise to their audience for something not within their control, such as the acoustics, the timing or technical problems with a projector. While it is good to acknowledge that something has gone awry, there is no need for a lavish apology. The audience has come to hear you speak, not to give a list of excuses. Even if the apology is about something you can control, such as lack of preparation, an apology will not help much either.

It's all about setting the expectations of your audience. If you focus on the negative aspects of your speech, that's what the audience will remember. Furthermore, if you haven't prepared as fully as you might have done, and you say so, you risk actually turning the audience against you, since you clearly didn't respect them enough to do a professional job.

Beware of apologetic phrases like "Many of you may have heard this before, but bear with me for those who haven't" or "I couldn't find a good example to explain this, so I'm afraid you will have to take my word for it." Again, it shows a lack of respect. If you believe that a story is already known by most of the audience, don't use it. If you can't find supporting evidence, don't make the statement.

Always check your speeches for apologies and remove them. Don't be sorry, be positive and helpful.

MAKING YOUR OWN VIDEOS

It's easier than ever to produce video these days. However, the quality is very variable. How can you make yours stand out? Here are ten tips that may help, whether you use a camera or your phone.

1. Plan, plan, plan Prepare a storyboard and a shooting script. Depending on the story, you may script it tightly, or leave it until the shoot. Never start filming until you have the end result in mind.
2. Keep it Steady Camera movement is very difficult to control using a hand-held video camera. Use a tripod, or brace yourself against a tree, post or doorframe. Go down on one knee if there is nothing to lean against.
3. Keep it Short Long sequences can very quickly become boring. Aim for shots of five to ten seconds in length.
4. Use the Zoom very rarely Although your camera may have a powerful zoom, try to avoid using it. If you do need to use it, zoom slowly, and only use the optical zoom function, never the digital one. The quality drop-off is alarming
5. Show us where you are Always try to include a landmark or location shot to position your video. TV shows do this all the time, with an exterior shot before an internal (studio) scene
6. Make use of the light When outdoors, always shoot with the light source (hopefully the sun) behind you. Indoors, if you camera has a "backlight" feature, make use of it.
7. Shoot for the edit Make sure you have set-up shots, closing shots and detailed shots that will fit together to tell the story
8. Change your perspective Use different camera angles, panning shots and (slow) zooms to provide variety
9. Conserve the battery Turn the camera off when not in use. Carry a spare battery as well (or a charger)
10. Learn from Films When you watch a film, think "how did they film that?" and learn some new techniques

THE SOCIAL MEDIA MARATHON

I mentioned the great achievement of Julia Creffield in the New York Marathon. I'm also a runner. These days it's half marathons, but the principles for success also hold good for social media. Here's what I mean:

1) Set a target Without a target, activity is literally aimless. You need to know why you are training, or why you are on social media. That doesn't mean a certain number of followers, since that's often an unhelpful statistic. It does mean that you have reason and purpose for what you are doing.

2) Stay focused You need to avoid heading down the wrong route. It's very easy to get distracted. When training for a race, it's tempting to say "I'll take a few days off". However, if you only dip in from time to time, you will miss the regular contact and visibility.

3) Pace yourself Most first-time runners set off too quickly, and pay for it later. Some people have a very active few weeks on social media, and then their activity drops to almost nothing. Slow and steady is the way to do it.

4) Go the distance Don't give up. It takes a long time to complete a marathon, and a long time to gain a reputation on social media. Many fall by the wayside. If you keep going, you will be the one to reap the rewards.

What is the word of the year? Collins dictionary has the answer. It's isn't flossing, or plogging, or var, though they were all runners-up. Find out at the link:

Only a two places left on my professional speaker coaching programme.

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."