The Media Coach 1st November 2013

The media on trial; How to handle a social media crisis; Farewell Lou Reed; Remember remember Katie Hopkins; Four things exceptional speakers do; Ten people  you meet in the media; Is twitter useful for speakers?; An interview with, and music from, Robbie Boyd

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The Media Coach 25th October 2013

Thumping a self-checkout; Don’t pay for radio; The singing policeman; Boris falls foul of Twitter; My friend Mike; Five more ways to get international publicity; Two-screening it; An interview with Jeremy Jacobs; Music from Robbie Boyd

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The Media Coach 18th October 2013

Reality shows - where next?; Plain English; Churchillian Insults; Laughing at Brucie; Drink in or Take Away; Five ways to get international publicity; The Oxford Circus Syndrome; An interview with Shelle Rose Chavet; Music from Shantalla

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The Media Coach 11th October 2013

New website; New book; Fun and games at Old Trafford; Carrie in a Cafe; Bridget or Del boy?; Who are those people?; Listen with your body; A casual glance; An interview with Allegra McEvedy; Music from Mick Wilson

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Are you sure that's a good social media idea?

There's an avalanche of social media advice dished out every day on the web. Some of it is helpful, some neither here nor there, and some is, in my view, just plain wrong. Yes, I'm aware I'm setting my self up by offering advice here, but I've never been one to duck controversy. 

Here are three bits of advice that I think are very questionable. 

1) Automate your posts There are all sorts of tools for posting messages when you're offline or doing something else. It can be a good way of reaching people in different time zones. Alas, some people take things too far and automate everything. It soon becomes obvious that someone is sending and not receiving, because they never become part of the conversation. Even if you do automate some of your posts, be prepared to deal with the responses, even if it's a few hours later.

2) The more "likes" the better On the face of it, this seems pretty good advice, since if people are liking your Facebook page, it must be a good thing. That's why companies use competitions where the entry requires you to like their page. The trouble is, people are liking it just to win something, and they couldn't care less about your business. OK, so they have to visit your page, but the real prize for you is to get them engaged and talking about you. That's a much better metric.

3) Delete negative comments Again, this is something that appears to be a good idea. It isn't. Removing criticism is guaranteed to set off a storm of protest. Instead, respond to any criticism so that your point of view is also seen widely. Remain respectful and deal with the issues raised. If you're seen to be handling a problem with care and concern, your reputation will be enhanced.

The Media Coach 2nd October 2013

The conference of the year; Leader’s speeches; Dance your resignation; Paul Dacre; As I really shouldn’t have said; Use your opponent’s strength; Is your post worth reading?; An interview with Tony Hawks; Music from Mick Terry

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#CPC13 Conference Speechwatch 2013 - David Cameron, Conservative

David Cameron delivered his fifty-minute response to Ed Milliband and Nick Clegg (but mostly Ed Milliband) at a lectern in the Manchester conference hall. Gone was the barnstormimg in-the-round no notes speech of years past, replaced by a statesmanlike delivery. Somewhat surprisingly (to me at least), he delivered some of his lines directly into the TV camera, straight towards the voters at home. That's unusual for a political leader, and sometimes appears desperate. However, he got away with it.

There were 26 mentions of Labour, few of the LibDems and none of Nick Clegg. There was no mention of UKIP. It was clear where his target was. The first time he mentioned his opponents, he used the phrase "the mess that Labour left" which I suspect was no accident. He tends to deliver in short, sharp sentences, which are not sentences at all, simply phrases. Some of his phrases had an odd message. For example, he said  Michael Gove is "a cross between Mr Chips and the Duracell bunny". I'm still trying to work that one out.

One of the repeated phrases, appearing in every topic, was "land of opportunity", presumably as a counter to "Britain is better than this" from Ed Miliband last week.

He tried humour, but like almost every politician, didn't have them rolling in the aisles. He made a reference to pictures of him looking a bit portly on holiday. He directed a comment to Ed Miliband "I'll keep my shirt on if you keep the lights on". He also mentioned "Red Ed and his Blue Peter policies". Hardly a rib-tickler.

He delivered well, and has developed a distinctive, choppy style that delights his audience. However, applause was often muted. He still has the verbal tic common to politicians "Let me say this". A standing ovation for the armed forces lasted almost a minute, but Mr Cameron asked people to stand.

He finished with a rousing piece of on-theme anaphora "Together we've made it this far, together we'll finish the job we've started, together we'll build that land of opportunity."

Overall, a competent performance. No rousing elements, no cheers, but plenty of solid points. Far from being his best speech, but perfectly workmanlike. I'd score him six out of ten.