The Media Coach 26th October 2022
Alan Stevens
Building your reputation, honing your speeches, supporting you in delivering world-class events.
Speaking Tip of the week - What's your Aesop?
An Aesop, in storytelling terms, is "the moral of the story". There is a limited number of Aesops that great dramatists use, such as -
OK, there are contradictions. But as you know, there are no moral absolutes (sic). The moral is, you have to have a moral.
When you deliver a speech, there has to be some point to it. There has to be a message that the audience takes away. It doesn't have to be one of the drama cliches, either.
However, over the years, I think I could count no more than twenty distinct morals from the speakers that I've seen. The important thing is that the message you intend to send is the message that arrives.
The best way to deliver your Aesop? Tell the audience what it is.
Media Tip of the week - Six things not to say to a reporter
I published this list a few years ago, and repeat it as a reminder of what not to do when faced with a microphone:
1)?"This is off the record"?A phrase which will make the reporter carefully note everything that you say, and reproduce it to your acute embarrassment.
2) "I don't think you'll be able to understand this, so I'll try to say it as simply as possible". Never ever talk down to a reporter. They know when they're being patronised.
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3)?"I've never heard of your radio show/TV programme". More often than not, this will be true, but local reporters grow up to be national reporters and if you treat them well, you'll remain a handy contact in their little black book.
4)?"We're the best in the business". As soon as the reporter leaves, they'll check up on your rivals to see whether you're boasting.
5)?"We've had fantastic press reviews in the States"?Journalists prefer to make their own minds up. Being told that they should copy their overseas colleagues is not a good idea.
6)?"No comment". A popular one this, which leads to one of two possible outcomes - "XYZ Ltd declined to confirm or deny rumours that -" Or "XYZ Ltd refused point-blank to talk to us about - " Neither of these is good news for you.??
Social Media Tip of the week - Nurturing online debate
It's easy to start an argument online. Sometimes you can do it accidentally. It's harder to create a sensible debate, but if you do, then it can add greatly to your online status. Here are a few ways to get a debate going:
Ideally, you need to be there at the time to continue the debate, especially if it's on Twitter. If you start a debate and then wander off, there's a chance it can go in a completely unexpected direction. Of course, that may happen even if you're there. but at least you'll have a chance to get it back on track.
While debating, here are some tips to keep the thread on track: