The Media Coach 2nd May 2023

Speaking Tip of the week - What gives a speaker credibility?

It is very important that your audience believes in you as a speaker. You need to have credibility. Here are some of the elements which I believe create that impression.

1) Experience. In order to speak on a topic, you should have been a practitioner of it, in my view. Ideally, you should still be working in that area, as far as you can. For example, my media career started over 40 years ago, as a teenager (I have photographic evidence) and I still appear on radio and TV, as well as writing for various publications. You need to have the evidence, as well as the experience.

2) An original approach. There are no points for re-stating old material, or stories from other people. You need to use your own stories, deliver your own unique twist, and offer valuable advice that people have either not heard, or have forgotten.

3) Original research. This is a great way to demonstrate your wisdom. You can interview leaders in the field, conduct surveys of customers and clients, and present findings that make your point.

The best way to gain credibility is to be yourself.?????

Media Tip of the week - The Media Pundit

We live in the age of the media pundit (a term which derives from Hindi and Sanskrit and means "an erudite person, often an advisor to the king").

Before, during and after ever event covered by the media, we are treated to the opinions of various pundits. More often than not, these people say exactly what we would expect them to, so their comments don't really add much to our understanding of the story. But they are essential players in the media game.

Some pundits are so well-known, that we can guess they will appear before they are introduced. For example, any story about travel problems is bound to feature Simon Calder.

So how do you become a media pundit? Obviously, the first requirement is to have some knowledge about a topic, and a clear way of expressing yourself. Then you need to become known to the media. One way is to introduce yourself to local radio and local papers, which will give you both experience, and the chance to be "spotted". There are also some places where journalists look for pundits.

In the UK, the most widely-used and trusted is Expertsources.co.uk. If you plan to become a media pundit, it's an excellent place to be seen (and no, they don't pay me to say that)?????

Social Media Tip of the week - How to stop people following you

Isn't it annoying when you set up a nice quiet site on Facebook, or a profile on Twitter, and dozens of impolite people keep trying to connect with you, become your friend, or want to follow your stream of tweets.

Here are some handy ways to make sure that you don't attract followers, and ensure that any who arrive by mistake are driven away quickly.

• Keep telling people what they need from you
• Never update your page
• Tweet "how to get hundreds of followers"
• Automate all your status updates
• Have a cartoon as your profile picture
• Argue with people continually
• Only post links to your website
• Never offer help
• Complain about your competitors
• Claim to be a "guru"

In fact, any one of the above should ensure that you are never bothered by potential clients.??