If you are one of those organisations which has been put off taking part in a media training course because you’re worried it is going to be bruising and damage your confidence then please do think again. Of course, if your organisation has been caught out doing something it shouldn’t then you will be challenged…
read moreYou’ve prepared a fabulous press release, a social media campaign with video content, great interviews and you’ve managed to get the attention of a national newspaper. Fantastic. But then there’s an attempted potential military coup in Russia and suddenly the journalists, who were keen to cover your story, are nowhere to be found. I remember…
read moreWe’re all bombarded with content so if you are doing an interview with a journalist you need to make sure you know what your message is and keep it simple. Too often clients tell me they’ve been told to have three key messages and they spend their time in the interview trying to tick all…
read moreRead It Aloud As children we are encouraged to read aloud. It helps them learn new words, bond with the person who they are reading to and is a great opportunity to practise phonics. Then we grow up and who wants to be seen reading aloud in a public space? But when you are writing…
read moreYou’re having a team meeting and someone says ‘I know, let’s make a podcast.’ Does your heart sink at this point or do you see it as an opportunity to reach a wider audience via an additional channel to the ones you already use? Podcasts popularity has shot up since the pandemic when we were…
read moreMaking changes to video footage is not as simple a process as photoshopping still images. Let me repeat that. Making changes to video content is not the same as making changes to a still image. It’s worth a repeat because the phrase, ‘we’ll fix it in post’, seems to have become the default position rather…
read moreIt’s probably the question we ask or are most asked when we meet someone new. Face to face it is easy to explain – or it should be. But somehow condensing that down onto a website seems to create difficulties for some companies and organisations. Instead of a simple explanation their web copy reads like…
read moreFail To Prepare….. It’s an old adage but it’s surprising how few organisations take Benjamin Franklin’s quote seriously enough to put his advice into practise. Of course it is tough for organisations like smaller businesses and charities which don’t feel they have the time or money to spend on training. Unfortunately though, when it comes…
read moreWhen you are preparing your message for a media interview or helping someone else with their preparation, don’t try to cram in too much. Many times I’ve heard trainers asking delegates to prepare three or even five key messages. I like to think of interviews as having one key ingredient and then other tasty morsels…
read moreEvery day we’re bombarded with statistics from organisations wanting to make their point. But a good journalist will be sceptical about the figures handed out. As Benjamin Disraeli said: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” Statistics can be used for or against any argument. For example “Our customer satisfaction survey…
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