Picking Up Powerful Women: Your Shock Xmas Greeting

It may surprise you, but being a communications guru does not necessarily make one an expert at picking up women....especially powerful women. But if you have a go at something you've never tried before, you can sometimes surprise yourself. And others... In this Christmas edition, I can shockingly declare that I have in 2013 achieved surprising success at picking up a powerful woman. You'll never guess who it is. It's not Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff - seen here with her predecessor (who Brazilians think I will look like in twenty years time - ever since I did a mock President Lula press conference in Rio de Janiero).   And it's not the muscle-flexing Michelle Obama.     Nor is it the persuasive Angelina Jolie - who, as a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, I hold up as an example of an inspirational communicator when I talk with United Nations audiences.   All will be revealed later. And there's a video to prove it. But first - as this e-newsletter prides itself on sharing something important about communicating in every issue - let's examine the growing importance of video on the web in getting across your message.

VIDEO ON YOUR WEBSITE - WHY IT'S SOOOOOO IMPORTANT       Have you noticed when browsing the web that you are more likely to spend longer on a site if there are videos to watch? The latest research shows this makes you normal. And this is why - when you're promoting your organisation - using video on your website is such a powerful weapon to deploy. Here's some of the research which has been sent out by the international ezine for professional speakers, Speaker Net News. It reports that businesses that aren't making video an integral part of their marketing strategy are getting left behind because: # Nearly 80% of computer users watch online videos at least once a week. # Video is projected to account for over half of internet traffic by 2015 - nearly four times as much as regular browsing and email The research shows that video boosts engagement dramatically: # Visitors spend twice as much time on pages that have video # Visitors are 85% more likely to purchase a product after watching a video # Videos in emails can double the rate of response And video drives sharing between internet users: # Videos are shared twelve times more than links and text combined # Video is the most-shared brand content on Facebook # Posts with videos draw three times more links than plain-text posts Search engines love video: # Videos in search results have 41% higher click-through rates # YouTube accounts for almost one-third of Google searches And the most extraordinary finding is that video content can make a webpage FIFTY-THREE TIMES more likely to appear on the first page of search engine results. This is why I work with business leaders and others to enhance their ability to speak to the camera - so that they come across at their best in video on the web (with added benefits when they take part in webcasts, skype calls and other internet hook-ups). And it's also why I team up with excellent camera operators and editors - such as York Smith (pictured below) - so that when you master the art of talking naturally, powerfully and persuasively to the camera it can be deployed with maximum effect on your website.   Our sessions are called "Create Your Own Webcasts" which can be conducted one-to-one, in small groups or in larger master classes and workshops for business leaders groups. In these sessions we overhaul or polish your ability to talk naturally and convincingly to the camera - and you come away with material that you can actually use for real on your website. Practicing your so-called "pieces to camera" is also something which can be included in my sessions on "Become That Inspirational Business Leader In A Day". www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/inspirational_CEO.php There's a special offer on this running in January 2014. Email enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com for details.

PICKING UP A POWERFUL WOMAN: YOUR HOW-TO GUIDE So now back to the shocking details about picking up that powerful woman. I can reveal that the target was one of the most powerful woman in my world as a speaker - one of the two female national Presidents of the Professional Speaking Association of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Eilidh Milnes. Eilidh is a fantastically energising motivational speaker known as "Captain Positive". But you need to be careful as her military background means she is a trained killer. So to put the pick-up incident in proper context - just so you don't think powerful women should be picked up at random - the incident you're about to witness took place after Eilidh conducted a fascinating exercise to highlight the importance of collaboration in business. It involved one of the audience participants physically picking up another. So in my role as President of the London Region of the Professional Speaking Association it was my job to thank Eilidh for her splendid talk. Here's what happened.     I obviously still have a lot to learn about this art form. If you really want to know how it's done with aplomb, have a look at the stylish way Richard Gere picks up Debra Winger in the final scene of "An Officer And A Gentleman". Clearly wearing a smart naval officer uniform helps... If you can spot anything else that Richard Gere does better than me, do let me know.

HERE'S YOUR CHRISTMAS VIDEO When I said having more video available on the web is vital, I wasn't kidding. So here's your Michael Dodd Communications official Video Christmas Message. This is thanks to one of the other most powerful women in my world - a 13-year-old technical genius who lives in my household. As you will have seen, clearly an appearance on next year's Strictly Come Dancing programme must be a possibility. Seasons greetings. What Michael Dodd Communications can do for you and your team is below. Have a rip-snorting 2014 - and do be careful who you pick up. Michael Michael Dodd Communications runs programmes to transform the skills of your team: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/transform_communication_skills.php I do keynote speeches at conferences to help your people become inspirational communicators: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/transform_communication_skills.php Your on-line reputation can be protected and enhanced: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/online_reputation.php You can be shown how to present with confidence, impact and pizzazz: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/presentation_training.php Your ability to do media interviews can be enhanced - however tough, tricky or infuriating the questions might be: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/presentation_training.php Business leaders groups can have their communications skills uplifted: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/workshops_for_business_leaders_groups.php Your team can be helped to look, sound and feel great: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/Making_Your_Team_Look,_Sound_and_Feel_Great.php And your event can be enlivened with an after dinner speech: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/international_speaking.php

NELSON MANDELA - BY THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE

On that historic day on 11 February 1990 when the world's most famous prisoner was released smiling into the South African sunshine, there was one face missing in the crowd of welcoming admirers. It was mine. As a journalist who loves to be where the action is when history is made, this was a major disappointment. After 27 years of imprisonment, I'm not sure if Nelson Mandela ever got over the shock of my absence on his big day. I certainly haven't.   As a foreign correspondent I had - before the Mandela release - succeeded in getting to some of the right places at the right times when it came to broadcasting the stories of released political prisoners. Before the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, I travelled to Gdansk in northern Poland on a tourist visa to interview ex-prisoner Lech Walesa - leader of the banned Solidarity free trade union and heroic anti-communist freedom fighter in 1988. And I got a tricky-to-get Czechoslovakian visa to make it to Prague the following year to report amongst 300,000 people packed into Wenceslas Square when ex-prisoner and future president Vaclav Havel was free to inspire the masses and lead the Velvet Revolution.   So witnessing the leading anti-apartheid icon savour his moment of triumph became the next thing on the "Covering-Ex-Political-Prisoners-To-Do-List". I was based in the London Bureau of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the time when rapid political developments in South Africa meant the release of Nelson Mandela was becoming obviously imminent. We had the services of local freelancers in South Africa at the time, but no Australian staff correspondent. My masters wanted me to go to Cape Town to report on the occasion through Australian eyes - and so did I. So I applied for a visa to be put in my Australian passport at the South African embassy in London. Alas my application was adversely affected by the fact that Australia - in the years leading up to the Mandela release - had taken a hard line against South Africa's apartheid system. It even went as far as refusing to play rugby against the Springboks (a massive sacrifice for Australian sporting fans) as a protest. So when it came to getting my visa application approved by the unreformed pro-apartheid bureaucrats at the London embassy at Trafalgar Square, they weren't inclined to let it happen. And happen it didn't. My claim to be an expert in the art of persuasion hit its limits amidst South African hardline officialdom. So I ended up watching the Mandela release on TV like practically everyone else in  the world. I did on another occasion get to interview that  fabulously good humoured humanitarian and anti-apartheid man of the cloth, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. This was an inspiring experience - but not quite the same as being present outside the Victor Verster jail on that historic afternoon as prisoner 46664 strolled through the gates. I do hope Nelson Mandela - before he passed on to a higher place last week - came to grips with the shocking lack of an Australian Broadcasting Corporation staff correspondent on hand to beam back his live commentary to Sydney. But Mandela was a master of overcoming disappointment and setbacks...so I dare say he's wisely getting on with the next phase of his existence without too many regrets. MANDELA - LEARNING FROM A COMMUNICATIONS MASTER        As great leaders tend to be, Mandela was a master communicator. So there is much we can learn from his approach to getting his message across. Amidst all the Mandela tributes, one example of great communication stood out. It was when talking to the media after his release and - not having seen a crowd in 27 years - he was asked about his first impressions as he walked to freedom. Now he admittedly did have 27 years to plan, prepare and practice most his post-release comments. But answering this in-the-moment question relied on a high degree of spontaneity. Mandela replied that what really struck him was that so many white people had come to join the crowd which gathered to see him. It was not just a good observation. The reply sent a signal that he was - on his pathway from prisoner to president -preparing the ground for inclusively leading white South Africans as well as the others. It was the same kind of reconciling behaviour that he repeated when, as president, he donned the green Springbok rugby jersey at the time South Africa hosted - and won - the Rugby World Cup....even though the jersey had previously been seen by the non-white community as a despised symbol of apartheid.     It was great symbolism, great statesmanship and great communication combined. As an inspiring communicator, Nelson Mandela left us with many other enduring moments we can learn from. One was his 1964 speech from the dock at his trial where he was convicted of sabotage. When he declared that he was "prepared to die" for the principles of a free and democratic society he did it with total conviction - and it certainly had an effect! Here's my other top three Mandela quotes: "It always seems impossible until it is done." "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner." "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." MANDELA - HOW WE CAN BE LIKE HIM OK, so not everyone who reads this ezine is likely to be locked up for 27 years and have the opportunity to come out speaking peace, love and forgiveness. But in searching for the communications hero inside yourself, Mandela has set a magnificent example. One of the key things about communicating as a leader is that whatever your message is, you are a key part of it. So look for ways to link an element of your life with your message. Note how Mandela does this in the following quote: "It is never my custom to use words lightly. If twenty-seven years in prison have done anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how precious words are and how real speech is in its impact on the way people live and die." So whatever your situation in life, when you are communicating something important, look back and seek to highlight something you've done - or which your organisation has done - which is in alignment with what you are advocating or offering. In my case it's this. I spent a large chunk of my life as political reporter in Australia - where the journalists are regarded as being especially tough by international standards (sometimes to a fault!). I was specifically trained as a devil's advocate interviewer to put politicians, business leaders and other public figures under pressure. The process was described by one Australian political leader as "blowtorch-on-the-belly" questioning. So I draw on this as a professional speaker and media trainer to say that in my interview response master classes I can subject you to the toughest possible questions for your own good - and then show you how best to answer them. You can look back at something important in your past and link it to what you are seeking to communicate for the future. It's a way of ensuring that your communications efforts are more credible, more memorable and more inspiring than they would otherwise be - as Mandela has shown.  THE POWER OF SELF-DEPRICATION Another thing which Mandela did so well was deliver a powerful message with humility. Self-deprecation, if done in the right way, can strengthen rather than weaken your standing. Take this Mandela quote: "I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying." Just suppose he started to believe the propaganda that he was a saint. He could easily have been seen as insufferable. So by expressing modesty he put himself in a far stronger position to convey impressive messages which hit their target and often, eventually, got their desired outcome. We can aim to do this too.  "MANDELA, JOBS, BRANSON" - FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT "Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson - Lifting Gold Nuggets From The Communication Masters". This is my new offering for 45-minute keynotes at conferences, master classes for away days and half-day workshops for business leaders groups.    It looks at what makes great communicators - highlighting examples of their technique from speeches, interviews and other interactions. The conference keynote version inspires your people to follow the example of the communications masters and incorporate their techniques into their every day interactions with prospects, customers, financiers and staff. The master class and workshop formats allow participants to put into practice the techniques of Mandela, Jobs and Branson - in their presentations, pitches, interviews and challenging one-to-one conversations. All versions involve "audience shifting" - moving your people to a place where they are more confident, more empowered and more inspiring in their interactions with others - for the benefit of your image, your teamwork and your sales. To explore how the sessions can be customised to achieve the results you desire, email enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com  or phone 44 (0) 7944 952835. THE MANDELA NEWS - HEARING IT FIRST Even though there was every reason to expect Nelson Mandela's death was going to happen about now, it still came as something of a shock. But I knew about his future death a long, long time before it happened. As a paper boy on the northern beaches of Sydney I read about his expected imminent death back in the 1970s. This was a time when Mandela news was incredibly tightly controlled by the South African regime - sometimes giving rise to more speculation than fact. As an aspiring journalist, one of the plus points of the paper boy's job was to be able to get a free read of the papers in quiet moments. I remember reading in one of the Sunday papers at the time that Nelson Mandela was set to die because of lung problems. So the story was kind of true...it was just rather too early. Sure enough, forty-odd years later alas Mr Mandela did die. But he certainly succeeded in packing a lot of living and a lot of action into those extra years of life. It's amazing what a great leader and great communicator can achieve in forty years! So it's amazing what you can potentially do too. LAST WORDS (ALMOST) The menu for how Michael Dodd Communications can boost your team's ability to get your message across is listed below. Meanwhile, if you're an English reader, don't take two successive Ashes test defeats too seriously. If Nelson Mandela can come out of 27 years in jail with his sense of humour in tact then so too can you. Keep smiling, Michael BOOSTING YOUR COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS:  THE MENU CONFERENCE KEYNOTES: Becoming Inspirational Business Communicators www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/Inspirational_Business_Communicators.php  Mastering The Media - With Balls www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/international_speaking.php Have I Got News For Your Company - Preparing For Media Emergencies www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/international_speaking.php MASTER CLASSES FOR BUSINESS LEADERS GROUPS AND AWAY DAYS: Giving Great Answers To Tough Questions Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch Presenting With Confidence, Impact and Pizzazz Position Your Business For Free Media Publicity Create Your Own Webcasts Your Message In Sixty Seconds www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/workshops_for_business_leaders_groups.php  MEDIA MASTER CLASSES - TO ENHANCE YOUR INTERVIEW RESPONSE SKILLS: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/media_training.php RIPSNORTING CUSTOMISED AFTER DINNER SPEECHES: Tales and Tips from Six Continents www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/international_speaking.php Australian-Style Sledging And Heckling For Beginners Email enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com to set up a conversation on how this can bring your event alive. PROGRAMMES TO TRANSFORM THE COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS OF YOUR TEAM: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/transform_communication_skills.php  EXCLUSIVE ONE-TO-ONE COMMUNICATIONS COACHING: Become That Inspirational Business Leader In A Day www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/inspirational_CEO.php  There is a special offer on this running to 16 January 2014. Email enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com to find out how it applies to you. MAKE YOUR TEAM LOOK SOUND AND FEEL GREAT: Making_Your_Team_Look,_Sound_and_Feel_Great SKYPE OR TELEPHONE SESSIONS TO GET YOU READY: Sessions - typically an hour, but entirely flexible - to get you ready for specific communications challenges...pitches, presentations, interviews and tough professional conversations. Email enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com for details - and, where possible, send a range of dates and timeslots that will work for you. SUPERCHARGING YOUR COMPANY NEWSLETTER: Creating, Overhauling or Polishing Your Newsletter - to target the results you want. To discuss the possibilities telephone 44 (0) 7944 952835

LEARNING FROM RYAN AIR COCK-UPS

There's a lot we can learn about making a great impression on the public from the mouthy, fast-talking and often obnoxious boss of Ryan Air, Michael O'Leary.   Much of it - though not all of it - is about what NOT to do.   Mr O'Leary has been outraging large sections of the public for years - by advocating highly contentious things like charging for using Ryan Air toilets on planes and having a standing zone where passengers don't have a seat.   And while many businesses at least pretend that their clients are always right, the Ryan Air Chief Executive is happy to say "the customer is nearly always wrong".   (My clients are of course always right - except where they are paying me to correct their bad communications practices.)   But despite his massive ego combined with a certain lack of sensitivity, Michael O'Leary himself has now realised that his role as company spokesperson has become counter-productive. As a result he says he's stepping back from doing media interviews. This is bad news for those who like big splashes of colour - and often colourful language - in their business news. But it could be good news for Ryan Air shareholders as Mr O'Leary has admitted that his belligerent style was becoming a liability. "I'm getting in the way of the brand stuff," he confessed as Ryan Air prepares a more carefully speaking replacement to go before the cameras. This followed a profit warning and Ryan Air being rated the worst of the one-hundred biggest brands serving the British market by the consumer magazine "Which?" If you want to be reminded of just how adept Michael O'Leary has been at irritating and shocking his customers and potential customers, check out this interview on America's Late Show. However Mr O'Leary deserves some praise from a media impact perspective in that you should never allow yourself to come across as dull or boring. He's a master at grabbing attention and headlines. But there are limits to how far a wise company spokesperson should go when it adversely affects customer relations and company image. Expressing individuality by being yourself on the media can be a great thing. But if it's done at the expense of tarnishing your company reputation then it's time to let someone else to talk to the cameras. In my media interview master classes we allow you every opportunity for you and your colleagues to see yourselves back - so that you can judge yourself from your customers' perspective and ensure that you are coming across portraying the company image which you want.

THE O'LEARY TRIBUTE - WELL SORT OF...       So before he disappears from our radar, it's time to go back over some of the highlights - or lowlights - of Michael O'Leary's entertaining but outrageous career as a spokesperson. In doing so we should give credit to the magazine Management Today. It has highlighted some of the more gobsmacking O'Leary quotes. But what I particularly like about their portrayal is that they contrast each O'Leary quote with what a typical and more mundane company spokesperson would say. Here's a selection: Typical Spokesperson: "Plane incidents are pretty rare these days and even then, our pilots are well-trained to deal with emergency situations and can resolve any problems which arise." O'Leary: "Seatbelts don't matter - because if you crash in a plane you're all dead anyway." Typical Spokesperson: "Flying is the first part of your holiday and it should be as enjoyable and luxurious as your hotel." O'Leary: "The problem with aviation is that for 50 years it's been populated by people who think it's this wondrous sexual experience; that it's like James Bond and wonderful and we'll all be flying first class when really it's just a bloody bus with wings." Typical Spokesperson: "I'm afraid, in this instance, you're not entitled to a refund." O'Leary: "We don't want to hear your sob stories. What part of 'no refund' don't you understand?"    Typical Spokesperson: "We always try to encourage responsible use of alcohol on board." O'Leary: "If drink sales are falling off, we get the pilots to engineer a bit of turbulence. That usually spikes sales." Typical Spokesperson: "We firmly believe the customer is always right." O'Leary: "People say the customer is always right, but you know what - they're not. Sometimes they are wrong and they need to be told so." Typical Spokesperson: "We find our value-for-money fares resonate particularly well in the German market." O'Leary: "Germans will crawl bullock-naked over broken glass to get low fares." Typical Spokesman: "Our flights make the perfect break from the daily grind - a time when people can really switch and relax." O'Leary: "Anyone who thinks Ryan Air flights are some sort of bastion of sanctity where you can contemplate your navel is wrong. We already bombard you with as many in-flight announcements and trolleys as we can. Anyone who looks like sleeping, we wake them up to sell them things."

INVEST A DAY TO BE A STAR - SPECIAL OFFER FOR READERS So are you up for having a more bedazzling and more profitable impact by enhancing your communications powers - without the negatives that Michael O'Leary has engendered? And are you prepared to invest a high-challenge, high-reward day to uplift your ability to connect more persuasively with your prospects, clients, staff, financiers and the public? There's currently a special offer on my exclusive one-to-one communications package: "Become That Inspirational Business Leader In A Day." This tailor-made transformational programme allows you to concentrate on whatever you need to do most: # Project yourself as an inspiring leader to audiences of all sizes - with confidence, impact and pizzazz # Supercharge your business conversation skills so that you're fully connecting with those around you - and giving great answers to the toughest questions that make their way to the top # Discover the secrets of getting free media publicity when things are going right - and allow yourself to communicate smoothly and effectively if things ever go wrong.    Your individual programme is designed to provide what you need to propel you towards your highest possible level. It's an investment and a challenge that pays dividends straight away. Here's what business leaders say: "It was truly amazing to observe how people could improve their performance, after just a short session with Michael." Luiz Paulo Ferrao, Owner, Vistage Brazil "I initially met Michael when he was presenting at our monthly Academy for Chief Executives meeting. Following this I asked him to coach me privately on improving my presentation skills. After just one day there was a huge shift in my confidence and abilities as a public speaker. Michael's observations advice and feedback were invaluable and inspirational." Paul Brooks - Joint Managing Director, Shop Fitters Direct. There are more details about "Become That Inspirational Business Leader In A Day" at: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/inspirational_CEO.php The special offer lasts until 16 January 2014. I'm seeking to build up testimonials under the new title, so the one-day package is available at a heavily discounted rate until then. Because of transport costs, the special offer varies a little depending on where you're located. To find out what special offer is available where you are, email your location to enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com or text 44 7944 952835

BEING INSPIRATIONAL - AND (HOPEFULLY) BEING FUNNY   As a professional speaker who addresses conferences, I seek to do what the first managing director of the BBC, Lord Reith, said his new organisation aimed to do: To inform, to educate, to entertain. I also see my role at your conference as being an "audience shifter" -  persuading those listening that they can become more inspirational in their communications and to show them how to do it. More details at: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/Inspirational_Business_Communicators.php On a good day the audiences laugh at some of my lines (yes really!). So I like to think that business speakers can - and should - amuse our audiences too. One of my speaking colleagues in America does this particularly well. He's Mark Sanborn who speaks on serious business topics - but who is pretty good at getting laughs along the way.    I especially like his story about making zoos more profitable - by selling what those animals produce the most of... The gory details are spelt out here: As Mark says, if a business can add value to animal excrement, you can add value to anything. I hope you find that inspiring. And I hope it encourages you to invite professional businesss speakers to your next conference who are prepared to make your audience both learn - and laugh. Keep smiling, Michael

WHAT YOU SAY REALLY REALLY REALLY MATTERS

Whatever legitimate business you're in, it's not great to be filmed in a vehicle buying illegal drugs including crystal meth, crack cocaine and ketamine. This is what finally brought unstuck the ex-chairman of Britain's Co-operative Bank, Paul Flowers. Mr Flowers has not only lost his senior banking position, he's also been suspended from being a minister in the Methodist Church. The revelation that he had also once, as a city councillor, been found with "inappropriate adult content" on his council computer didn't help his image either. So the media have been full of headlines like: "How On Earth Did Flowers Bloom?" But as students of communications, it's important for us to note what really sparked the doubts about him in the banking world. The crucial part in the downfall of Mr Flowers (pictured below) was his appalling lack of proper preparation and his abysmal performance for a crucial communications challenge.      His communications challenge was appearing before the Parliamentary Treasury Select Committee. I spend many hours training people in and around Westminster for select committee hearings because they are sooooooooo important. You may not have to appear before a select committee yourself, but the same importance can apply to other big-moment communication challenges - when you are pitching to that dream client, speaking at a crucial board meeting or making an important announcement to your staff. Mr Flowers clearly didn't appreciate this - and has paid the price. The lack of preparation that lies behind the transcript which follows from Mr Flowers' appearance is truly mindboggling...especially if you're a shareholder in the Co-Operative Bank.

HOW NOT TO DO IT       Here are two exchanges between Paul Flowers and the Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, Andrew Tyrie, who was asking about the financial size of the Co-operative Bank.   Tyrie: "What's your total asset value?"   Flowers: "Just over three billion."   Tyrie: "I'm talking about the assets..."   Flowers: "I'm talking about the assets on the balance sheet - just over 3-billion. These are the figures I've just looked at recently."   Shortly afterwards the Treasury Select Committee (pictured below) returned to the topic of the Co-operative Bank's figures.      This is what happened: Tyrie: "Your total assets in June 2013 are listed as about 47-billion, just to give you an idea. You were offering me 3-billion and I'm telling you your annual accounts show it at 47-billion. Flowers: "Indeed they did. Forgive me." Whoopsidaisy!!! You can hear this amazing moment as it happened on the BBC website. It will be on line for the next four days. The BBC Radio 4 story on it starts just after 1 hour and sixteen minutes into the Today Programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03hng14   You need a strong constitution to be able to bare it!

HOW TO GET IT RIGHT There are key things to do when you are facing an important communications challenge which Mr Flowers overlooked. You need to plan for it, prepare for it and practice for it. Many readers of this ezine have taken part in one of the communications-boosting sessions I run to equip you to face audiences and media outlets in general. I'm now offering multi-part programmes for those who want to transform the communications of your whole team:  http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/transform_communication_skills.php  And the latest offering for individual business leaders is at: http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/inspirational_CEO.php  But when you have a specific challenge, you may like to give consideration to doing a bespoke session entirely focused on planning, preparing and practicing for that particular occasion. The focus in these sessions can, if necessary, be rather like The West Wing, where the fictional US President has questions fired at him from all angles so that he's ready for anything.     We can do this for pitches to clients; we can do it for big occasions in the boardroom; and we can do it for that important announcement to your staff. I naturally can't reveal who I have helped prepare to face parliamentary committees - as these are run on a confidential basis. But I will declare that I did not do a session for Paul Flowers. And I don't think anyone else ran one with him either. Doing a bespoke session designed to hit the spots of your next communications challenge will help you perfect your presentation - and make you as close bombproof as possible when it comes to dealing with those questions you might receive during and after it. These sessions will certainly spare you the public embarrassment of appearing to mislay 44-billion pounds!

IT CAN BE WORSE   When you consider how badly Paul Flowers performed in the spotlight, you might think no one anywhere could put in a worse communications performance. But the embattled Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, is doing his best to prove you wrong.    Mayor Ford has been grabbing world attention - refusing to resign from office even though he's admitted to smoking crack cocaine in a drunken stupor. He's also been responding belligerently to a series of allegations in court papers that he has been a drunk driver, used racially abusive language, threatened his staff and consorted with an alleged prostitute. Rather than playing the humility card, Rob Ford continues to go on the attack against his multitudinous and growing enemies - including hecklers in the public gallery. If you haven't had the chance to take in the Rob Ford way of doing things, check him out here.    Toronto City Council would like to fire him for bringing their city into disrepute - but they don't have the powers to do so. Instead they've gone as far as they can by voting to strip him of most of his authority. But Rob Ford has succeeded in doing one thing - singlehandedly overturning the image of Canadians as laid-back, well-balanced folk who are far more chilled than almost anyone else on the planet. Many Canadians at home and abroad are less than happy about this. Among them is my Canadian colleague in the Professional Speaking Association, Gerry Brown, who is an expert on customer service. Gerry (seen below) is a more traditional mild-mannered Canadian.     He's keen for companies to learn the lessons of Rob Ford. Gerry sends this message. "If Rob Ford was a company - and many argue he is certainly large enough -  then by now I would expect that most of his customers (citizens) would have cancelled their orders, asked for their money back, taken their business elsewhere, gone onto social media and otherwise made their outrage public. "In the case of the voters of Toronto, they may have to bide their time until the election next year. "But as with companies that show disdain for customers, his time will come; his credibility is in shreds, he has misplaced the trust of the electorate, demonstrated that his basic values are not shared by the people he is supposed to be leading and generally lost sight of the fundamental principles, such as integrity, honesty, fairness and quality, that most right thinking people use as road map to get them through life and use to judge others." So there's one vote Rob Ford will be hard placed to capture. Now of course I have master classes, conference speeches and individual learning programmes that will help you and your team get the communications right in practically any situation. But I'm kind of hoping that Rob Ford doesn't call up and ask me to design one for him. Meanwhile, he's still insisting he wants to become Canadian Prime Minister. Keep smiling - even if you live in Toronto. Michael

MARILYN MONROE OR LAUREN BACALL - YOU CHOOSE...

In the course of reading this issue, you'll be confronted with a tough choice.    Should women presenting on behalf of business:   (A) Aspire to be like a flamboyant Marilyn Monroe         (B) Seek to be more demure like Lauren Bacall     (C) Be themselves and not aspire to have any particular role model - and advise men to do the same (D) Join forces with men and rail against any gender-specific presentational advice that could be seen as outrageously sexist. But first the international economic outlook - and your business...

AT LONG LAST, ECONOMIC OPTIMISM SHINES THROUGH       It's time to talk about the brightening outlook for the economy in the Western world. And what you and your team are doing to get into the best possible shape to ride the upswing.  Of course we should start with that much under-discussed global economic indicator: "The Hertfordshire Taxi Index". Hertfordshire contains the little town on the farther outskirts of Greater London which is the headquarters of the Dodd "Boost-Your-Communications-Skills" Global Empire that works across six continents.  In order to get to and from the local train station I end up talking with a lot of taxi drivers. For the past six years this has been a pretty gloomy experience. "Is the number of jobs you're getting going up or down?" I typically ask them. "Down", or "still the same" are the standard answers. This depressing news has over the period of the economic downturn, been underscored by the long snaking line of taxis at the station which is typically far far greater than the number of passengers.     But something at last is happening. The length of the taxi lines has been going down - and on a couple of occasions in the past month there have been customers waiting for taxis to turn up at the station rather than the other way around. And amazingly, a few taxi drivers are prepared to admit - at long last - that the number of rides they're doing is rising! The upturn in The Hertfordshire Taxi Index is being reflected by a more rosy economic outlook in much of the western world. It's showing up in the United States where things are getting increasingly bullish; in Australia where despite a slowdown in the minerals boom most economists are predicting healthy growth in the next couple of years; and through increased economic optimism in much of the Eurozone (leaving aside the troubled economies in the southern extremities). Here in the United Kingdom the government - wary of hailing the "green shoots of recovery" too early as happened near the end of the 1990s recession - is at last prepared to sound upbeat. News this past week that the UK economy is growing at its fastest rate for three years has triggered the professionally cautious Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, to declare that Britain "is on the path to prosperity". So is the time right for you and your team to get into top communications shape in order to sell your services and products as the economy (barring unexpected hiccups) blossoms in 2014?

SET YOUR SALES FOR GROWTH The Dodd "Boost-Your-Communications-Skills" Empire has been getting ready to put you and your team in the best possible condition for the 2014 upswing. As things pick up, you need to get your message across to the outside world to ensure you get your share of the recovery. Here are two ways to get those communications skills overhauled or polished - one for teams and one for individual rising business stars. 1.    "GET READY FOR THE 2014 UPSWING": This master class is on offer in November and December 2013 for companies to put your key people in the best possible place to portray your offer to prospects - to sell more effectively and gain new clients. This session is ideal for leadership, sales and marketing teams. It enables your people to grab, hold and persuade audiences in pitches and formal presentations - with or without slides. And it helps refine performances in those informal business discussions where your message needs to come across with lasting impact. This session also helps your people give impressive well-thought out answers to those tough, tricky and challenging questions that arise in sales and marketing conversations and business negotiations. Typically conducted over a day, this master class leaves your team feeling confident, positive and ready to capture those 2014 opportunities. 2.     "BECOME THAT INSPIRATIONAL LEADER IN 12 HOURS": This is a one-to-one communications package designed to match your individual requirements. It's built on the premise that as a contemporary business leader - or someone planning to be one - you need to inspire those around you in order to achieve your vision. And you need to counter the negativity that can be thrown at you when you try to change things. Your individual programme will be designed to fit flexibly around your busy schedule - and is typically carried out in 3 four-hour sessions. These will enable you to: # Project yourself as stand-out inspiring leader to audiences of all sizes - with confidence, impact and pizzazz # Supercharge your conversation skills so that you're uplifting those around you - and give great answers to those most challenging questions that make their way to the top # Master the communications revolution by dynamically getting your message across in webcasts, video conferences, the social media and news media. For further information on either of these sessions, email enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com - or call 0 (44) 7944 952835 to have a chat. These sessions are typically conducted on your premises - though other venues and studios can be arranged. My camera operators (if required) and I come to where you need us...wherever you are:

ADVISING WOMEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT...BE CAREFUL   Now back to our opening topic. The global law firm Clifford Chance has aroused internal controversy after circulating a memo to female lawyers in America providing gender-specific advice on presenting. The memo involved a string of tips from a senior partner in the firm its women's committee. The senior partner giving the advice - I should point out - was a woman, though she hasn't been publicly identified. There are definitely certain pieces of good advice for both sexes amongst her 150 tips for speaking in public. But it was the female-specific ones which led to some women in the company feeling patronised. The memo advocated "Think Lauren Bacall, not Marilyn Monroe". One of the contentious tips was: "Don't giggle; Don't squirm; Don't tilt your head." The first two of these could well be considered patronising by some. Not so the third one, I would maintain, which is something a lot of women do in the spotlight without realising it. A tilted head can be interpreted as a submissive sign which can conflict with your aim if you're seeking to establish yourself as an authority on your topic. I advise men against head tilting too, though it's overwhelmingly women who do it. However there is something to be said for occasionally breaking the rules if you know what you're doing. The late Diana, Princess of Wales did the head-tilting thing at times and deployed it in a way that tended to win over audiences - such as in her famous Panorama interview (pictured).   Another tip was: "Don't hide behind your hair". Some people do - mostly women. But the occasional longer-haired male can do it too. As for the alleged sexist aspect of the tips, a Clifford Chance recipient of the memo has been quoted as saying that she and her colleagues were "very upset by not only the elementary nature of the tips themselves, but the suggestion that these would only apply to women." Clifford Chance replied with a statement which included: "While much of what is covered is common sense, we believe that it is important that women as well as men are given access to a range of different viewpoints and approaches; there is no Clifford Chance template on how people should present. "The offence cause by a small percentage of the suggestions in the tip sheet was entirely unintentional." My experience is that there are some distinct differences between the presenting traps women and men typically fall into. For example men frequently put their hands in their pockets - and even worse fiddle with loose change inside them. Other men in the audience are typically not that bothered by this. But women in the audience frequently are - and feel incredibly strongly about it. So some gender-specific advice makes sense. But as Clifford Chance would now tell you - you need to be extra careful how it's conveyed. Back to the list of tips....and let's end with the advice on high heels. The guidance given was "make sure you can stand in your heels, not trip; don't rock back on them". Sounds like a good health and safety warning. And this should certainly apply to men wearing high heels too. Keep smiling, Michael

HOW INSPIRATIONAL CAN YOU BE?

The answer to this headline question is probably "Far more than you think". This is especially so if you visit the video clips of two exceptionally inspirational communicators featured in today's issue. The thing is, becoming more inspirational is a learnable skill. Steve Jobs and Richard Branson (pictured) didn't just happen to become inspiring to those around them.       They worked at it. So can you. And much of it comes down to how you communicate. When you think about it, your effect when interacting with others largely stems from: # What you say # How you say it # And how you look when you say it. These are things you can plan, prepare and practice. And if you dedicate just one day to it, you'll be amazed at how far you can get! Here's what a member of the Academy for Chief Executives, Leann Hearne, sent in this month. "Michael delivers the training that everyone dreads, yet succeeds in making them wonder how they managed without it. In a fun and easy day, he helps people achieve things they never believed possible and gives your business a tangible benefit that is visible in £'s and smiles. " Thanks Leann. Leann (pictured) is the Group Director of Care and Support, at the Riverside housing organisation. She was kind enough to let me address their annual conference in Birmingham this year - before giving a captivating, robustly straight-talking speech herself.      These sorts of conferences and company away days are the kind of places where I normally speak about becoming an inspirational communicator....and they're naturally for those inside the firm only. However I have a special communications-boosting day coming up which is open to all. It's in Central London on Friday 29 November. Details appear later in this e-newsletter. But first I want to tell you about one more vital aspect of being an inspirational communicator. It concerns what you think... LESSONS FROM THE GREAT U.S. MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS        I've long been fascinated by what inspirational speakers do, say and - in particular - think. Since becoming President of the Professional Speaking Association's London Region, I've been checking out what inspiring speakers do with a fresh eye. This is because I've partly transcended from being a speaker searching for opportunities to supercharge your audience's communication skills. (However, I am still hugely up for any conference speaking gigs where you need me!!!). In my new role I have now also become a booker of speakers myself. Consequently I've embarked on a quest to be more of a connoisseur of great speakers. One of the performances I've come across has been modestly billed as "The Most Inspirational Speech Ever." As I haven't heard every speech delivered since the orator Demosthenes strutted his stuff in Ancient Greece, I can't guarantee that this title is absolutely true. But the speech is crazily inspiring. There's something about black Americans which often makes them shine out as speakers.  There's Martin Luther King (pictured), Jesse Jackson and Barrack Obama.      And there's one you may not have come across called Ed Thomas. Ed's speech extract in this clip is 13 minutes and 51 seconds long. I had no intention of listening to it all. But he did what inspirational speakers do. He compelled me to stick with it. And while it's impressive at the start - with a chillingly captivating story about a success guru - it's even better at the end. ANOTHER COMMUNICATOR TO INSPIRE YOU And if you think Ed Thomas is inspirational, and you have time for more, take a look at a rather different kind of black American speaker. He is a more polished, less confrontational, but incredibly powerful communicator known as Les Brown's Mum's little boy (pictured).    Among other amazing things, Les Brown once won an election as the underdog with the help of an endorsement from his mum. She urged people to vote for him on the basis that he was "a good boy". The story is among many uplifting tales in this speech. Only in America... BECOME AN INSPIRATIONAL COMMUNICATOR...IT'S POSSIBLE   My open communications-boosting day in London on Friday 29 November won't necessarily put you instantly in the league of leading world orators like these two amazing speakers. Though as Les Brown would tell you: "It's possible." But it will make you more confident, more dynamic and more able to touch the emotions of and inspire those inside and outside your organisation. And it will leave participants better equipped to sell your services, products and ideas. It's called "SUPERCHARGING YOUR BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS". We'll be working on high-impact business introductions - and your ability to give great answers to tough questions from clients, prospects and colleagues. The investment cost is £260. There's an early bird offer of £187 for bookings made before next Saturday.   To secure your place email: michael@michaeldoddcommunications.com Or call 0 (44) 7944.952835

CAN YOU ANSWER THIS QUESTION? I'm always interested in finding out about your latest communications efforts. So I'm doing a survey on the following question: When it comes to effectively communicating inside and outside your organisation and getting the results you want, what's the biggest communications challenge for you and your team? To be included in the results, please email your answer to enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com I will be writing up the results, but without identifying specific names and companies. MEMO TO CHLOE: MEDIA TRAINING ISN'T JUST A ONE-OFF One of the things I seek to convey to audiences is that training for media interviews should be a bit like football practice for professional athletes. By this I mean it's something you don't just go to once and then think you're sorted for the rest of your career. You don't hear serious professional footballers say: "I went to training two years ago so I haven't needed to go since." They wouldn't earn their telephone number salaries if they did. If you don't keep up your training, you can become a media victim like Chloe Smith. Ms Smith has just resigned as a British government minister - officially to spend more time working in her constituency. This actually she means she was fired, but got her resignation in first. Why did she lose her post? Well, among other things, she never recovered from an interview where she was made to look a fool by BBC tough-guy interviewer Jeremy Paxman (pictured).    While Chloe Smith is telegenic - and presumably at some stage had media training - she gave an interview in which she clearly hadn't properly planned, prepared and practiced. She went on the BBC's Newsnight programme to defend a government decision about petrol pricing which she didn't know enough about. Naturally she wasn't fired by the prime minister immediately afterwards, but it was just a matter of time. You'll see why when you watch this car crash: Not surprisingly, when Newsnight heard Chloe Smith was leaving her post, the programme got in touch. In blogpost for the Spectator, she later made reference to her Newsnight debacle. "It's not all been easy.  I couldn't help but laugh this week when Newsnight rang offering me a 'sensible' interview with Jeremy Paxman about my next move.  I didn't return the call." In my view, by not taking up the Newsnight offer, Chloe Smith made another mistake. If she had planned, prepared and practiced for the second encounter, she could have gone on with Jeremy Paxman and banished the ghost of her previous interview. First though she should have collected a copy of the Michael Dodd Communications Free Media Tip Sheet at: http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/products.php  And if she didn't want to leave her newly beloved constituency, she could have done one of my Skype media training taster sessions. There's a special £87 offer on them on Wednesday 30 October. Two one-hour slots remain - 11am and 5pm. Secure your slot and take your media interview performance to a new level by emailing enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com Meanwhile Chloe Smith made another mistake by not returning the Newsnight call. If ever the media approach you and ask for an interview - always, always, always get back to them. You may return the call and decline the offer. But always be courteous to journalists - even if they're not always courteous to you. You never know when having a friend in the media can come in handy.   Keep smiling, Michael