|
|
MEDIA MOTIVATORS Issues 26 - 30
ISSUE No. 26
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
"Accepting an award is like walking a tightrope. You need to be
gracious, grateful, and humble -- but not so humble or
self-deprecating that the audience thinks you are trivializing
the honour. The warm glow of the occasion can suddenly turn
chilly or sour with a few ill-chosen words."
Patricia Fripp, USA-based professional speaker and coach
10 Tips on How to Make a Great Impression When Accepting an
Award
Many people are recognised for their work, industry, sporting or
community achievements.
The giving of awards by associations, businesses and groups helps
recognise achievers and excellence.
In many cases recipients of awards are asked to give a small
acceptance speech.
But, according to the Book of Lists, the No. 1 fear in the Western
World is the fear of speaking in public.
So how can you make a great impression when you have to accept an
award?
Here are my 10 tips on how to make a great acceptance speech.
1. Keep to time. There is nothing worse than someone who goes on and
on. Not only does this turn the audience off but it diminishes the
impact of the award. If you have been notified beforehand, always ask
how long you have and then keep to that time. If the award is a
complete surprise it is best to keep it shorter than go longer.
2. Keep it relevant. Avoid grandstanding or using the opportunity to
score points or put across your own personal agenda. Make the content
of your speech relevant to the audience and occasion.
3. Make it memorable. Personal stories can make an acceptance speech
very powerful and memorable. Keep the stories personal, relevant and
use to highlight a point.
4. Make a link back to the organisation giving the awards. Always try
and make a connection back to the values or the goals of the
organisation giving the awards. Include a memorable vignette or
incident, something entertaining or touching about your involvement.
5. Thank those that have helped you. Nothing is more powerful than
thanking others who have helped you reach your goals. Mentors,
coaches, supporters, friends, people who first introduced you to the
organisation are appropriate people to thank.
6. Share your feelings. Revealing your true emotions makes a great
connection with the audience. If you are truly excited show it!
7. Avoid negative or apologetic statements. Awards are about
celebrating success and achievement and your comments should reflect
this. Be upbeat not downbeat.
8. Avoid jokes or funny stories. Leave this to the professional
comedians and stand up comics. The risks of backfiring far outweigh
the upside.
9. Avoid notes. If you know you are going to get an award always
prepare beforehand. Don't read from notes - use keywords as memory
triggers. There is always something lacking when an award recipient
reads from their notes. I think the audience are let down and it
minimises the impact.
10. End with a call to action. What is it that you want the audience
to do? You are the role model - inspire them to greater heights!
Media NTK's (Need to Knows)
Vignette: A short, concise word-sketch of an event or personal story.
A powerful technique for giving credibility and making memorable
stories in presentations and in the media.
================================================================
ISSUE No. 27
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 give the same mashed potatoes for each speech, I just change the
gravy"
Dr Norman Vincent Peale, author of 42 books, including one of the most
successful ever published. "The Power of Positive Thinking" has sold
more than 15 million copies and been translated into 42 languages.
TIP: Metaphors are a great way of making intangible ideas more
"tangible".
Why people don't listen
If you have to make a speech - you want it to be memorable and
successful.
If you understand why people don't listen, you will be more successful
at getting them to listen!
Here are 9 reasons why people don't listen to a speech.
1. Message overload. If you are at a seminar and spend most of the day
listening, you simply have too much information in your brain to
retain all of it. Most presenters make the mistake - myself included -
of putting too much content into their speeches.
2. Preoccupation. Many in the audience are thinking about other
issues - when is my pay due, what will I do on the weekend, I must
finish that pressing business proposal etc.
3. Rapid thinking. How often have you sat in the audience and your
mind races ahead? We think at about 600 words per minute. On average,
people talk at about 140 words per minute.
4. Effort. Active listening is just plain hard work. When you're
actively listening, your respiration rate goes up and your heart
starts to beat faster. Remember people can't keep it up for long - so
give them a break. Use some humour and audience interaction.
5. External noise. This could be noise from another room you hear or
visual noise. Take for example distracting gestures or appearance
which can distract the listeners attention.
6. Hearing problems. Fifty per cent of people have hearing problems.
One of the things I learnt from working with the Better Hearing
Association is to start a speech with "can everyone hear me clearly".
7. Faulty assumptions. The audience assumes you said something you
didn't.
8. Lack of apparent advantage. The listener does not recognise the
benefits. Always highlight the benefits for the audience.
9. Lack of training. Did you ever take "Listening 101" at School
or
University. Maybe that's a topic for another seminar?
Source: Adapted from "Looking Out, Looking In", Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1993, p. 253.
Media NTK's (Need to Knows)
Digital audio: Audio that has been encoded in a digital format for
processing, storage or transmission.
=============================================================
ISSUE No. 28
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
"We spend relatively little on marketing. We have a simple
philosophy - our major marketing tool is our PR department. It's a major focus
of
what we do. Richard Branson is our walking, talking billboard. We
believe that in a service industry, every employee has a
responsibility to promote the airline"
Virgin Blue CEO, Brett Godfrey who estimates the $6 million Qantas
spent on its children's choir ads is more than Virgin Blue's entire
advertising budget.
TIP: Every activity within your organisation should have a marketing
focus.
The Power of Radio - How to Do Great Radio Interviews
Did you know there are more than 1500 talk radio shows in the US?
Also, radio is the only medium to show increased usage since the
introduction of the Internet.
Radio can be a powerful way to communicate to a large amount of people
in an immediate and intimate way.
So how can you perform at your best when doing radio interviews.
Having worked in radio for more than 16 years, here are my 10 tips for
getting the best out of radio interviews.
1. Preparation. You only have one chance to get it right with live
radio. Always prepare.
2. Stay on message. Most radio interviews are less than four minutes
in duration. Always keep on message and avoid being drawn into side
issues.
3. Metaphors and examples. Radio is a very intangible medium. It is
difficult to store and listeners rarely get a chance to re-listen.
Make your message more memorable and tangible with stories, metaphors and
examples.
4. Use word pictures. The radio is often on as background noise. It is
also the medium of imagination. Cut through the clutter with words
that paint a picture in the mind of the listener.
5. Be available. Always make yourself available for radio interviews.
The immediacy makes it a powerful medium. Be available to go into the
studio for better quality than over the phone or to take talkback
calls.
6. Warm up your voice. Always take time to warm up your voice so you
sound more articulate, intelligent and authoritative. This will give
you more confidence.
7. Make it personable. Use the interviewers name to make it more
personable when answering questions.
8. Don't wait to be asked. Many first timers fail to get their message
across because they wait to be asked. Always try and take control and
use every opportunity to get your message across.
9. External noise. When you do radio interviews make sure the
background is as quiet as possible. While wailing sirens will help add
a sense of urgency, background noise can be distracting from your
main message.
10. Call to action. Most people will remember the opening and closing
of a radio interview. Always have a strong closing with a call to
action, i.e. something you want listeners to do.
Media NTK's (Need to Knows)
Human Interest Story: Soft news item. Of interest to the audience, but
of no great significance or importance. Typically celebrities, animals
or lottery winners.
===================================================================
ISSUE No. 29
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
4. 8M's Coming Events
Quotable Quote
"Life is the outcome of a balance between the air we breath and
anaerobes trying to stifle our aerobic dependence. In death, anaerobes
take over and new life begins. Within the context of spiritual,
emotional and cultural life this same scientific paradigm applies. So,
enjoy the interlude between birth and death."
Emeritus Professor Timothy G.C. Murrell, AM, 9th December 1996
TIP: Make the most out of life.
A Recipe for Living
I was privileged to travel to Sydney recently with my family to be
help celebrate my father being made a Member of the Order of
Australia.
He was awarded an AM for his service to medicine, especially
developing innovative courses in general practice and medicine.
As District Medical Officer in the highlands of Papua New Guinea he
discovered the disease pigbel. Known as 'Belly on Fire' and associated
with sporadic pigfeasting, it killed thousands, especially children.
It is now controlled by vaccination.
He was the foundation Chair of Community Medicine at the University of
Adelaide, a post he held for nearly 20 years.
In Adelaide he pioneered teaching health centres at St Agnes, Ingle
Farm and The Parks and developed additional general practice teaching
units at Highbury and Modbury Hospitals.
Always a lateral thinker, he came up with a 'Recipe for Living'.
This hung on his wall in his surgery for years, with many patients
asking for a copy.
With his permission, I wanted to share with you his 10 insights on
making the most of life.
MIND OVER MATTER
1. Reason to believe
2. Believe in yourself
3. Set limits
4. Tackle one thing at a time
5. Daily lifestyle - relax, exercise, diet, meditation
PEACE OF MIND
1. Be loved by someone
2. Someone to love
3. Something to do
4. Something to look forward to
5. Sharing the joy of others
He also came up with the 'Networking Flower of Contentment' which
involves self identity, family bonds, spiritual bonds, community
bonds, sporting bonds, recreation bonds and work bonds.
A man whose thinking was always ahead of time, I am one very proud
son.
His publications, career and personal papers can be viewed in the
manuscript section of the National Library of Australia, Canberra:
"Papers of Timothy Murrell MS 9304" at
http://www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/9304.html
Media NTK's (Need to Knows)
Radio Buttons: No not the knobs to turn on your wireless, but in
graphical user interfaces, groups of buttons, of which only one can be
on at a time. When you select one button, all the others are
automatically deselected. In computing terms this compares with a
check box, which allows you to select any combination of options.
==================================================================
ISSUE No. 30
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
4. 8M's Coming Events
Quotable Quote
"Everybody makes mistakes. It's what we make of our mistakes that
makes us what we are."
ANON
=================================
HOW A COACH CAN IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS, CAREER AND LIFESTYLE
by Jessie Ladyman, CoachRoad.
Want to get more out of life?
Feel like you're stuck in a rut and don't know how to dig yourself
out?
Need to hone some 'soft skills' at work but don't have time to listen
to self-help tapes?
Want to change careers but don't know how?
Forgotten how to have fun?
Hoping to achieve bigger goals but need assistance to get there?
If any of these thoughts ring true to you, it may be time to look at
the benefits of working with a coach.
Coaching facilitates the self-directed learning, personal growth and
enhancement of your performance and life experience.
Here are 10 ways a coach can help you reach your full potential:
1. Improving interpersonal skills essential at work and play. These
include: being more assertive, improving your communication style,
negotiating successfully, resolving conflict effectively and using
proven techniques to manage time.
2. Identifying a new career path that is more suited to your
personality and passions, and doesn't leave you feeling burnt out.
3. Learning techniques for improving your leadership skills at work,
and understanding the 'emotional intelligence' qualities required to
achieve this.
4. Setting yourself a five year career and lifestyle plan, and goal
setting to achieve this.
5. Improving your work life balance so it covers all areas of your
life - career and finance, personal relationships, health and fitness,
fun and learning....and freedom.
6. Understanding personalities. By carrying out some easily
administered psychometric assessments you can learn more about
yourself and others - a great way to improve your understanding of
your own preferences, and improve your relationship with anyone from
your daughter to your management team.
7. Staying motivated - a coach can be an external source of
inspiration and motivation.
8. Someone to listen to your ideas - coaches are good listeners. They
can provide a medium to talk through ideas and options or challenges
and strategies.
9. Support - a coach can provide support and direction. The job of a
coach, is one of support rather than trying to steer people in a
certain way.
10. An independent and confidential service. A coach provides
independent and confidential encouragement free from the politics and
agendas of organisations or other individuals.
About Jessie Ladyman, Director CoachRoad. Jessie worked as a
psychologist for nine years in the organisational field, before moving into the
coaching arena and joining the International Coach
Federation Executive. Further information can be obtained by
contacting Jessie on 61-8-6380 1143 or www.coachroad.com.au.
Media NTK's (Need to Knows)
Noddies: Shots of a TV reporter nodding or listening intently recorded
after an interview to be cut in later to mask edits.