On the way to the Lectern, not the Podium

OK, you are speaking at a conference, and they have asked you to use a lectern. Being a professional, you defer, saying that you don't want to create a barrier between you and the audience. The organisers respond that the only microphone is on the lectern, there is no radio mike, and all the other speakers are happy to use the set-up. What do you do?

You keep the client happy, that's what. And you remember these tips on the way to the lectern -

* Check the floor between your chair and the lectern for bumps and wires
* Make sure there are no keys jingling in your pocket
* Don't lean on the lectern
* Don't lean towards the microphone - stand tall, and let the technician adjust the sound
* Next time, think about bringing your own radio mike

And by the way, the podium is what you and the lectern are standing on.

Let me make things clear

When you deliver a message, you need to make it as clear as possible. It's impossible to over-simplify it. There's an old set of rules about how to make your communications as clear as possible -

1. Emphasise what is important
2. De-emphasise what is not important
3. Remove what is irrelevant

Easier said than done, perhaps. But it's a good discipline to review your speeches in the light of those rules. You may get a shock the first time you do it. And if you think "everything is important", you'll never get a message across.

Don't forget that the clearest messages are also concise. In other words, as long as necessary, but as short as possible. I hope that's clear.

Tough Interview Questions - and how to deal with them

"Anticipate the worst, and you will always be pleasantly surprised." That's what a journalist told me 30 years ago, when I was learning how to cope with media interviews. I wasn't too sure about the advice at the time, but it turned out to be invaluable. If you prepare yourself for the toughest questions, you will never be stuck for an answer.

Here are a few tough interview questions - and how to cope with them.

1) The incomprehensible question.

Don't even try to untangle it. Simply take from it what you will, and talk about your core message. You can even ignore it completely and talk about your message. Don't ask the interviewer to explain.

2) The leading question

Don't allow the interviewer to take control, and never repeat an accusation in order to deny it. As above, state your case, clearly and concisely. However, if the assumption in the question is damaging, make it absolutely clear that you have spotted their tactic, and demonstrate why their assumption is incorrect.

3) The pause

OK, not strictly a question, but a technique. You have two options. Firstly, you can say nothing, in which case the interviewer will have to fill the space. Alternatively, you can say something like "I have nothing to add on that point. However, another interesting aspect is...."

4) The post-final question

This is the one that comes after the interview appears to be over. It shouldn't worry you, since you should never assume the interview is over until you are well away from the microphones and cameras. Stay sharp until then.

Who won the bragging rights for TV New Year coverage?

A very Happy New Year to you all.

Unlike most years, I was with a family gathering round the TV on the eve of 2009, having spent the afternoon in a dentist's chair. I'm feeling no pain now, thank goodnes.

So we flicked channels to try to find the best TV coverage. BBC1 was having a party on HMS Belfast, BBC2 had the usual Jools Holland Hootenanny (the only time that word is ever seen), ITV was at the 02 with Sir Elton and friends, C4 had Jimmy Carr hosting a quiz, C5 copped out with a compilaton of film clips, and Sky didn't bother.

BBC1 - Well, it was live, so that's a plus. The music was OK, especially Russell Watson, though Aleesha looked out of place, cold, and mimed terribly. The worst part was at 2 minutes to midnight when Matt Baker had to fill airtime with inane comments like "It's all going to go off like a multicoloured pizza".However, the fireworks from the London Eye were stuning, though we could hear them seven seconds earlier bystanding in the street, which was a bit odd.

BBC2 - As usual, Jools and the gang put on a great show, with Duffy, Annie Lenniox, Adele, The Ting Tings, and a particularly brilliant Kelly Jones. There was a very large lady who claimed to be Martha Reeves, and a bizarre five-piece harmonica band from Finland (I'm not making this up) who would have been fine on a Saturday night variety show 40 years ago. It would have all been great, had it not been recorded several weeks ago. All a bit of a sham, really.

ITV - Had the benefit of being live (well, sort of) Dear old Elt was on good form, despite now looking like Miss Piggy with hair borrowed from another muppet. Alas, the comercial breaks were a problem since you don't have them in live concerts. As a result, the digital editors worked overtime, so we saw songs time-shifted back and forth.

C4 - Well, Jimmy Carr is always good for a laugh, and this was probaly the channel of choice for those people who "don't do New Year". Alas, the format was the usual carefully scipted ad-libs and extra canned laughter on the soundtrack.

C5 - If you like clip compilation shows, featuring talking heads who you recognise but couldn't name, then this was decent fare, though it could have been broadcast at any time.

Sky - Nothing need be said.

So who won? No contest, in my view. This is what the Beeb excel at. BBC1 by a mile.

However, next year I'm going out.

Happy 2009.

New Year, New Speech

Now is the time of year to review material, including speeches. To be honest, you should keep speeches under constant review, but the turn of the year serves as a good reminder. Think about any speeches that you deliver regularly. Consider the stories, the people you mention, the examples you give. Are they all still relevant to your audiences? Although we get older every year, our audiences don't, so it's important to keep an eye out for material that should be retired gracefully.

Not only should we be chucking out material, we should be incorporating new stuff. There will have been many things that happened to you in 2008 that could make a strong point about your topic. Provided you have been making notes (you are keeping that story file up to date, aren't you?), then you will have a wealth of information to draw on.

How much to change? Well, it depends on your topic. If you talk about technology, you might have to replace more than half the content of your speeches every year. If you talk about leadership, then maybe only twenty per cent of your content needs to be let go and replaced with contemporary examples. Whatever you speak on, make sure that you do change at least some elements of your speech regularly. If not, you will hear your audience saying "I bet they gave that same speech five years ago - they clearly don't care about us any more".

All I want for Christmas - is to be on radio or TV

Actually, it's easy.

If you asked a TV or radio producer what they want for Christmas, the response will very likely be "A guest to talk to".

Over the Christmas and New Year period, the media still operates, but guests are hard to find. It is often the easiest time to get on air, and because the audiences tend to be large, it can be a very good time too. How to get on air? Call them and tell them how much you enjoyed an earlier item. Ask to speak to the editor or producer. Chances are, they will ask you if you are available to chat.

If you receive a call from a journalist, asking if you might be available for an on-air interview in the next few days, say "yes" - even if it means missing a couple of hours dozing on the sofa in front of a repeat of that comedy show that you never really liked anyway. You'll be glad you did. It could be the start of a new career.

Have a happy media Christmas.

A sound bite in time...

...can save nine, as my gran would have said if she'd been a PR expert. However, you may have very little time to react and craft a perfect message when a reporter calls. It is more important to be responsive to the media than to spend hours deciding the best possible response. If you don't supply a statement or quote quickly, someone else will, and they may be a rival, or someone with a grudge against your organisation. You need to establish yourself, very quickly, as a prime source of information that the media can approach to for a viewpoint.

If a journalist tells you that they need a response by eleven o'clock in the morning, you need to supply it by five to eleven, not ten past eleven. A few minutes late can mean that your brilliant quote may never be heard. Of course, you can sometimes prepare your quote in advance, such as when a report is due for publication, and you know you will be asked to comment. In the apparent "heat of the moment" you can then deliver your carefully crafted message.

The best way to deal with a sudden media request is to have a list of agreed "position statements" in the hands of anyone who might be confronted by a camera or microphone. Update these statements regularly - say every three months - and your spokespeople will be able to deal with most issues without having to call a meeting first. When I was a media spokesman for a large organisation, I could recite any one of ten position statements on various issues, and could adapt them for any situation. That's what you need to do too, otherwise you could be caught out.

Media Myths

There are lots of misconceptions about the media. Here are a few.

I need to ring journalists to make sure they have received my press release, and see if they are going to use it

Er...No. This is the first job given to a press office trainee to make them realise that it is not a good idea. Never pester a journalist about press releases. They'll contact you if they want more information.

I should ignore freelance journalists - they move around too much

No again. Freelance journalists should be cultivated, because they move around. They work for more journals and broadcasters, are more experienced, and likely to be career professionals. Aim at developing a long-term relationship with them.

I need to wine and dine editors

That's fine if you just want a chat and a nice meal out. Editors don't write copy. If you want to entertain anybody, try some of the poorly-paid journalists. But don't expect to receive anything in return, and don't ask for any favours. Se it as part of building a relationship.

The press are out to get me

Probably not. Journalists rarely have vendettas against individuals or companies. It doesn't mean you will always get an easy time, but there isn't any hidden agenda.

There are lots more, of course, but we'll discuss those on another day.

Don't apologise on stage

I've seen far too many speakers who make self-denigrating opening remarks. OK, the best person to tell a story against is yourself, but don't do it right at the start of your speech. Worst of all, in my view, is the person who wanders on, looking hunched and nervous, handles the mike as though it's a poisonous snake, and then says "I'm not very good at this, and my speech isn't very well prepared"

We know you're nervous. We know you're not too confident. But we want you to do well. If you appear in front of us and start off by apologising, we'll expect the worst, and that will probably be our perception when you've finished.

So, take a few deep breaths, walk on stage with your head held high and smile. It doesn't matter if you are feeling nervous. We understand. The important thing is to do your best, and the audience will support you. If you lower our expectations by hand-wringing like Uriah Heep (no, the one in David Copperfield, not the elderly rock band), than things will only deteriorate.

How to drive away web traffic

Here are a few rules that you can implement if you want to keep those annoying visitors away from your website. After, all, they only send you pestering emails trying to buy things from you. It's a real nuisance. Even if you only follow one of these rules, you will be able to reduce the amount of inconvenient requests from potential customers by a huge amount. Ready?

* Insist on customer registration before they can see all the pages
* Keep popping up screens asking them if they want your newsletter, or would like to fill in a survey
* Have text scrolling across the screen, like a neon sign
* Give detailed information about the history of your organisation
* Hide links under innocent-looking pictures
* Use lots of flash, so that poorly-sighted people with screen readers can't make sense of the page
* Include the phrase "Optimised for Internet Explorer"
* Tell users that they have to download software to see the page properly
* Use cheap clip art and standard images
* Tell the visitor what their problem is

There, that should do it.

It's all about.....timing

There's an old line about the most important thing in comedy being.......timing. Like all old lines, there's some truth to it. The importance of timing when dealing with the media, though, is critical. Here are some key points about timing that you need to bear in mind -

* Have a stockpile of messages ready, and update them often
* You can't extend a journalist's deadline
* Anticipate events that might affect your business
* React within minutes, not hours
* Become the primary source of information
* Don't let your competitors comment first
* Make sure that someone is always available to take a press call
* Ensure that you know where your spokespeople are at all times

Get the timing right, and the media will love you for it.

The Ego has landed

The person who talks to the media on behalf of your organisation need not be the Managing Director. Of course, reporters will often call seeking an interview with the top person, but if they are either not available (because they are managing the crisis) or are not very media-friendly (and despite hours of media training, this can still happen), then someone else has to face the cameras.

The problem is, lots of MDs feel that they should be the company spokesperson, regardless of their communication skills. Their egos won't allow them to delegate the task. Under these circumstances, you need to have a very strong communications manager. If the MD is a poor speaker, or worse, actively distrusts the media, then you need to rely on prepared statements, limit the length of interviews (on the pretext of having to manage the crisis), and brief the MD very strongly on the core message.

One company I worked with deliberately set up an interview with the MD on a local radio station, and then offered the same timeslot to the BBC. Since the MD was already in another studio, a media-savvy company spokesman handled the Beeb. I'm not sure the MD ever found out (unless they are reading this, in which case I just made that up).

I want news and I want it now!

The news media seem to have an insatiable appetite for speculation, comment and analysis. Before a report is due out, its possible contents are discussed by experts. On its release, there is an on-the-scene report from outside a building where the announcement was made. After the event, another panel of experts gathers around the studio desk to dissect, discuss and digest the results. That's the way it works.

So how do you react if you are caught up in this news maelstrom? One thing is certain. You won't have a great deal of time to prepare yourself, particularly if it isn't a report, but a breaking news story. Here are a few tips if you find yourself in front of a camera as the first expert to comment:

* Deliver simple information that is easy to remember
* Never speculate
* A good sound bite will take seconds to deliver - but may have a lasting impact
* Write down your key message and keep it in your pocket (believe me, this works)
* Never lie
* After 30 seconds, people are losing interest
* If you have nothing to say, don't go on air
* If all else fails, just say how you feel

In summary, keep it brief, honest and sincere. That's it.

Christmas video competition

Watch the December videoblog, be one of the first five correct entries, and win a DVD on how to get free publicity.



Good luck!

Best wishes

Alan