Media Friendly

1. Media Friendly • PUBLIC SPEAKING

2. INTRODUCTION • “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

3. “The Wow Factor” • Begins with CONTENT • Improve the content by developing ideas • Enhance your message to improve content • Learn and understand your material • Then cut it till it bleeds

4. “The Wow Factor” • Test each key message, each bullet and each slide with: • The “So What” Test • (Does what it says on the tin)

5. “The Wow Factor”AVOID • Partnership working • Service delivery • Stakeholder involvement • Customer Engagement • Sustainable Communities • Transformation Agenda • Reconfiguration of Services • (All Public Sector jargon)

6. “The Wow Factor” • On “Ban on Smoking Legislation” 1.7.2007 • Try: • Most important day in Public Health for 60 years – since Clean Air Act • Will save 1000s of lives every year • Even the smokers support the ban – 70% do!

7. “The Wow Factor” • Most important day in Public Health for 60 years – since Clean Air Act – SO WHAT test - PASS • Will save 1000s of lives every year – Even more important – SO WHAT Test • Even the smokers support the ban – 70% do! – SURPIRSE!

8. “The Wow Factor” • SURPRISE • Tell the audience something they don’t know and you have their attention • 70% of smokers support the ban – surprised? • Because 70% want to give up, but can’t • Hooked on nicotine – as addictive as heroin

9. “The Wow Factor” • AVOID • Stating the blindingly obvious: • Cleaner, Greener, Safer – London Borough of Merton – Mission Statement • Do they want Merton to be: • Dirtier, browner and more dangerous? • Surely not • Then tell the public something they don’t already know

10. CONFIDENCE • Comes when you know you have superb content • When you know and understand your content • When you are well practised and well rehearsed • When you are relaxed enough to speak around your slides or notes - extempore

11. CONFIDENCE • Please try and avoid reading from a script • You are much better talking to an audience • Say it, don’t read it! • Most effective form of communication is direct speech, not reading from a script • So try and talk around each slide, note, or bullet point • Practice till it comes naturally

12. PREPARATIONThe 5 W’s + H • W - What? • W - Why? • W - Who? • W - Where? • W - When? • H - How?

13. PREPARATION - Summary • Audience / Objective / Time • Set audience focused objective • Research audience • Confirm time allocation • Consider venue arrangements • Design content • Choose visuals

14. EFFECTIVE STRUCTURE • Tell your audience what you are going to tell them • Tell them • Tell them what you have told them • (So that is: tell ‘em, tell ‘em and tell ‘em!)

15. MIDDLE OF PRESENTATION • Logical, structured sequence • maximum of 3 main points • Summaries • Signpost - tell your audience where you are with the speech • Use signposts to signal when you are moving to next point

16. INTRODUCTION • Introduce yourself, why are you giving the speech? • Signpost your audience - tell them what you are going to tell them • WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) • Hook your audience at beginning of talk • Timing • Questions

17. ENDING • Summarise main points • Closing comments / call to action / WIIFM • Thank audience • Pause • Invite questions

18. REHEARSE, REHEARSE, REHEARSE • Golden rule - rehearse! • Common mistake - to write speech as if it is an article • Verbal communication different from written • Rehearse out loud • Record yourself - if possible • Good practice for timings

19. WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE? • External - 25% cuts good news for shareholders • Internal - 25% cuts bad news for staff • Play to the overlap - (between what you want to say and what they want to hear) • Talk to your audience, not at them • People learn more from interactive communications

20. PRESENTING • Take up your position • Smile, make your audience feel welcome • For them to listen, there must be something they get out of it • Capture their interest • WIIFM - What’s In It For Me? • Then they will listen

21. RELAX - Reasons why you feel nervous • Understand why you may be nervous • “I’m afraid of drying up” • “I’m afraid of making a fool of myself” • “I’m worried my audience will catch me out” • “What if I lose my place?” • “I don’t know what to say”

22. RELAX Relaxation techniques • Breathing exercise • Breathe in deeply through your nose • Exhale very slowly through mouth • Take 30 seconds for each breath • Repeat 3 times

23. TOP TIPS • Know your material – use a personal story to illustrate a point • Practice, Practice, Practice – rehearse out loud • Know your audience – greet some of the audience members as they arrive • Know the room – arrive early, walk around • Relax – Pause, smile, count to three – transform nerves into enthusiasm

24. TOP TIPS • Visualise giving your speech – imagine yourself speaking to the audience, clearly, confidently • People want you to succeed – audience wants you to be stimulating and interesting • Don’t’ apologies for nerves or any problem – they probably didn’t notice • Concentrate on the message – not the medium • Gain experience – your speech should represent you as well as your organisation

25. If and when things go wrong • You can only control your reaction to it • Don’t – blow your cool • Do – maintain your dignity • Visualise giving your speech – imagine yourself speaking to the audience, clearly, confidently • People want you to succeed – audience wants you to be stimulating and interesting • Don’t’ apologise for nerves or any problem – they probably didn’t notice

26. HUMOUR • Or Humor – as Americans refer to it • Don’t try and be funny if you’re not • But if you do have a dry sense of humour – give it some exposure • If you must tell a joke, avoid jokes about race, gender or anything which is “UnPC”

27. BODY LANGUAGE • Start with eye contact • SMILE! • Use your face to express emotion • Avoid distracting mannerisms like fidgeting • Make gestures convincing. (Don’t be half hearted). • Let go of the lectern occasionally! • Try and move to a different part of the stage

28. DO NOT! • Start with a whimper • Imitate other speakers • Read your speech word for word • Fail to “work the room” • Use someone else’s stories • Speak without passion • End a speech with questions and answers • Fail to make a “call to action”