ISSUE No. 11 

IN THIS ISSUE

1. 8M's Quotable Quote
2. The Insiders Guide to the Media - Tips & Advice
3. Media NTK's (Need to Knows) - A Glossary of Terms

Quotable Quote - I really love this comment from Layne Beachley,
triple world women's surfing champion and recent winner at the
infamous reef break at Teahupoo at the Billabong Pro in Tahiti
recently.

If you saw the footage on the TV news it was a courageous and gutsy
win in some fantastic tubes.

"I've always been lacking confidence when it comes to surfing on my
backhand in barrells. Today, it just all came together and I stopped
thinking about it and started doing it ."

What an inspiration. Her words remind me of one of my personal sources
of inspiration -

"Dream it, desire it and do it"

The Insiders Guide to Media, Marketing & Management - Tips & Advice

8 Tips on Getting Articles Published In Trade Publications

Trade publications present an excellent opportunity for organisations
to gain thousands of dollars worth of free publicity. As they are
regularly looking for articles to fill space and they are often used
as a forum to promote new products or services to specific audiences.

Here are 8 Tips on getting articles published:

1. The first step is to thoroughly research what publications are
available on the market that might be interested in using your
article. A media guide such as Margaret Gee's Guide to Australian
Media will provide you with the relevant contact details of editors.

2. Step two is to prepare a script of what you are going to say to the
editors when you call. Ask questions like what their word limit is, do
they pay for contributions and do they have any specific requirements
for your article? Ask for their policy on reprints for marketing
purposes. It is also important to emphasise that you will tailor your
article to suit their specific publication.

3. It is often handy to read the publication that you intend to
contribute articles to, so that you can assess the style and format of
the publication. They may ask for a synopsis of the article so
pre-prepare these and keep them short. Just a taste of what's in the
full article.

4. Research and write your article so that it suits the style and
format of the publication that you intend to use.

5. If possible include examples or a case study that contains
information relevant to the trade publication's readership.

6. Give your article to a second and possibly a third party to be
sub-edited. This allows for mistakes/typos to be found and changes to
be made to your content.

7. Submit your article to the editor of the publication with an
attached note advising him/her that you are willing to make any
editorial changes that they might find necessary.

8. Follow up with the editor to get their feedback on the article
after it's been published. Ask what worked well and worked can be
improved? What sort of response did they get from readers? Ask if you
can send other articles in the future. Ask for complimentary copies of
their publication to be sent to you to build your published article
file.

Media NTK's (Need to Knows)

Authored article - This is where you provide an article you have
written to a publication as opposed to the publication's own
journalists writing the story. Often used in trade journals and
opinion pieces for major newspapers. Can often be ghost written by
professional writers. A useful and cost effective tool to gain media
coverage because it adds third party credibility and allows you to
control the message. Also known as an authored piece.
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ISSUE No. 12

IN THIS ISSUE

1. 8M's Quotable Quote
2. The Insiders Guide to the Media - Tips & Advice
3. Media NTK's (Need to Knows) - A Glossary of Terms

Quotable Quote

"Companies that solely focus on competition will ultimately die. Those
that focus on value creation will thrive."

Edward de Bono

My thanks to Surveying Consultant Frank LeFaucheur who carries this
quote around in his wallet and shared it with me after my recent
presentation .

Ten Ways to Build a Bigger Voice

Having a clear and confident voice is an essential business skill to
be an effective leader, manager and communicator.

Whether you are presenting in front of a group, performing in the
media or speaking on the phone a good voice can be a great asset.

Here are 10 tips on developing a more confident and persuasive voice.

1. Build Clarity by Warming Up. The human face can pull more than
7,000 unique expressions with 44 different muscles! Get into a routine
to warm up your most important muscles. Use specific exercises to
loosen up your jaw, lips and tongue.

2. Practice Difficult Phrases. Once you've warmed-up do a couple of
tongue twister exercises to put it all together. Examples include 'red
leather, yellow leather' and a big black bug bit a big black bear'.
Try saying these quickly them slowly.

3. My Voice Comes From My Belly. Now the juices are flowing, it's time
to get some tone and timbre in your voice. This comes from your
diaphragm. Practice breathing and fill your belly like it's a balloon.

4. Posture. Your posture is important for voice projection. Warm up
your neck, shoulders and rib cage. Get in a comfortable stance with
your feet firmly planted. Remember your stance when you feel most
comfortable. Use hand gestures if this suits your style.

5. Relax and Smile. The more relaxed you are the more confident you
will feel and appear. Remember most audiences want you to succeed.
Smiling at the audience helps you relax. Harness your adrenaline in a
positive way.

6. Be positive. A positive attitude is very important. Visualize how
it felt when you last made a really successful presentation. Remember
and visualize this moment. Feel and use this positive feeling.

7. Speak from the Heart. Use emotion and feelings in your voice and
words you choose. Eighty percent of voice tone is emotion and this
will help you touch your audience.

8. Evaluate and Seek Feedback. Always evaluate your performance and
seek to improve each time. Ask for feedback from others who you are
comfortable with.

9. Take Care of Your Voice. Always take care of your voice.

10. Be Yourself.  Develop your own style and be yourself.

Media NTK's (Need to Knows)

Cadence - The tone or rhythm of a voice when speaking. Often describes
the falling of a voice. When speaking vary your cadence to add
variety, emphasise words and avoid becoming boring and monotone.

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Issue No. 15

IN THIS ISSUE

1. 8M's Quotable Quote
2. The Insiders Guide to the Media - Tips & Advice
3. Media NTK's (Need to Knows) - A Glossary of Terms

Quotable Quote 

"Believe you can reach your goals, then you can."

Sarah Duff and Sarah Poggioli, both 11 years old. Two Perth
schoolgirls raised enough money to get a plane to fly over their local
primary school carrying a banner with this quote. As a result they won
a prize in a national competition and had a surprise visit from
swimming champion Grant Hackett.

TIP: Think creatively how you can communicate your message.

Matt Moran Interview With World Record Holder Grant Hackett 

It is not often you get to talk to a world-record breaker and share
their secrets of success.

In this world exclusive interview, 8M journalist Matthew Moran speaks
to Grant Hackett at the Australian Short Course Swimming Championships
in Perth after he set his third world record in 9 days and just after
he slashed almost 10 seconds off the 1500m World Record.

Matt Moran: Congratulations on the World Record what do they mean to
you, another one?

Grant Hackett: It's a good feeling, I am mean we work so hard at what
we do and you know world records don't come easy and I mean I have
been lucky enough to see five in the past couple of weeks. For me to
go out there and swim I am fully focussed on what I have to do. I
currently hold the world record for the 1500m and I know I am swimming
well and I thought I might was well take advantage of that and luckily
enough I did, you know it was so hard to hear on your final lap but
the noise of the crowd was just unbelievable, the support we have hear
in Perth, we truly appreciate it.

Matt Moran: Why are Australian Swimmers so good?

I think purely because of the atmosphere created around our sport, the
spectators, the TV ratings, the way everyone gets behind it and wants
to be part of the Australian swim team. Swimming has become such a
popular sport here, people are just into it, they're getting more
competitive which is producing results. We have got a few competitors
which are huge on the world scene, producing magnificent times and
winning all these gold medals and everyone has seen that and wants to
be a part of that, so I think that competitive nature and everyone
wanting to be a part of it and the support we have got along with that
is allowing us to reach greater heights.

Matt Moran: Why do you think the Australian team was so popular in
Japan and especially Ian Thorpe with the Japanese girls?

Grant Hackett: I think it's the fact that we produce so many good
swimmers once again and the way the Australian swim team handle
themselves. No one on our swim team's arrogant or has people they don'
t like. I mean everyone is down to earth, decent people and they seem
to love us over there, I mean I can't put it down to what it is but I
mean the Japanese fans are unbelievable going out in the bus, coming
into the hotel, just the way they are all flocking around the hotel,
it's quite strange but it's great to be recognised like that for what
we do.

Matt Moran: Being so young, yourself and Ian Thorpe and other swimming
stars like that, how do you keep grounded?

Grant Hackett: We have really supportive families and we have close
nit families and if we were to let our feet get off the ground or get
a big head or something like that we would be put straight back down,
no worries about that, I mean I have got a great family, a great mum
and dad with an awesome brother who support me and for me I think its
in your nature. For me if I swim well and perform well on a world
scale and get recognised for that, its doesn't make me a different
person, or makes me a better person, it just makes me good at what I
do and that's the way I look at it, and that's the way it should be, I
mean I am not above anyone else just because I get recognised for my
job.

Matt Moran: What would your message be to the Australian public who
want to get into swimming?

Grant Hackett: Get into it! It's a great sport, its very hard and
challenging and sometimes when you are getting up on those early,
early mornings is quite difficult but that's the difference between
first and second if you push through those sort of mornings, that sort
of adversity gets hard I mean young kids as long as they enjoy it,
they'll make plenty of friends around the world and they'll have a
great time!

Media NTK's (Need to Knows)

Exclusive. A news story that is acquired by only one organisation.

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© 2001 8M Media & Communications