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THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF MEDIA INTERVIEWS
These days I spend more time helping others with their media appearances rather than doing so many myself.
But I did a fairly high profile interview over the weekend with BBC News in the aftermath of the Australian elections - and so I thought it may be worth sharing with you.
This why you're getting an earlier-than-expected ezine edition today.
The interview can be viewed on the home page of my website at
I Or you can see it directly on YouTube here.
I always recommend those I coach in media interviews to look back forensically over their efforts - in the quest for constant self-improvement.
So in order to practice what I preach, I've done the same for myself.
It's a bit like eating your most un-favorite green vegetable...not pleasant, but good for you.
When I was a full-time political correspondent in Canberra, doing interviews on the latest situation was pretty easy - because you eat, sleep and breathe politics (not much else happens in the Australian capital!).
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| Canberra: home of the Australian Parliament - the old Dodd stomping ground |
But having been following Australian politics from a distance for some time now, doing interviews on the subject from 12,000 miles away in London is rather more challenging.
So you'll see that I made a point of trying to add in extra things which I was sure about at different times - in order to seek to lead the interviewer to asking about aspects that I was strongest on.
I think this worked pretty well.
But as ever, there are some improvement points to bare in mind for next time.
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KEEP LOOKING FOR THOSE IMPROVEMENT POINTS
One of them was my seating position. I recommend to interviewees that they lean a little forward to demonstrate enthusiasm - and I didn't quite practice what I preach here.
I was leaning back a bit far in the chair.
The interviewer, Chris Rogers, sets a better example - so copy him more than me in this aspect.
And if you listen carefully you may spot that at one point I got a slight frog in my throat - so having a glass of water at hand would have been a wise precaution.
Normally water is available on the table in any TV studio, but for some reason it wasn't this time.
I should have insisted on water before the interview started. I will next time!
And maybe because I had a rough throat, there was one point when describing Australian politics I said the word "rough" a couple of times too often.
So there's some refinements for the future, though my colleagues who saw the interview have been very kind.
Do let me know if you spot any additional potential improvement points that you think I've missed.
This will be good for me - like eating broccoli.
And for those who should be prepared to talk to journalists if things go wrong - or if they go amazingly right - there's more on media interview training at:
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| Media Training in action |
It's enormously confidence-enhancing, it can lead to the raising of your organisation's profile with all sorts of financial benefits - and is way more fun than eating green vegetables!
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DOING IT ON SKYPE
Skype is an amazing phenomenon - allowing us to make free video phone calls around the world with picture quality which can be remarkably good (on good days).
I've increasingly been doing one-to-one communications-boosting training sessions through Skype when face-to-face sessions aren't possible.
It works particular well where I've previously given people some face-to-face training and they need to build further on these skills afterwards - whether it's media interviews, answering tough questions from potential customers, doing impressive business introductions or inspiring presentations.
So I've set Tuesday 1 October as an open day for those wanting to get their communications skills to a higher level through Skype.
I'm offering one-hour sessions on this day for £97 including VAT - between 9am and 6pm.
If you would like to book a slot email
enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com
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BECOMING AN INSPIRATIONAL COMMUNICATOR
The next face-to-face opportunity to boost your communications skills and your confidence in an open master class is coming up.
"Becoming An Inspirational Communicator" is a two-day learning-by-doing experience in Central London.
It covers:
# Presenting with Confidence, Impact and Pizzazz
# Giving Great Answers To Tough Questions
# Perfecting Your 60-second Elevator Pitch
A particular benefit of running it over two days is that you get the chance to try things on the first day, absorb the feedback, review your approach overnight and come back on the second day to hit the right spots.
We will work on the content of what you say, the way you structure your communications and the way you look and sound when you deliver them.
Your ability to impress, connect, sell and motivate will soar.
"Becoming An Inspirational Communicator" runs on Thursday 21 November and Friday 22 November.
The investment is £495 per place.
There's an early bird offer of £387 for bookings made before 13 September.
Your investment includes VAT, lunch on both days and refreshments.
Email enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com to secure your place.
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AUSTRALIA WINS AT CRICKET - A GOB-SMACKING RESULT
As you may be vaguely aware, it's been rather tough for supporters of Australian cricket in recent times with the convincing loss (again) of The Ashes this northern hemisphere summer.
In fact Australia has been through three prime ministers since it last won a test match!
But something truly remarkable has just happened.
Australia has just won a cricket match.
And it was against England no less.
With the help of a century from captain Michael Clarke (pictured below), Australia actually defeated the hosts by 88 runs, no less.
Admittedly it was merely a one-day match, rather than a test.
But after being demoralized earlier in the summer, Australians will clutch at anything.
Can re-taking the Ashes in the next series be a real possibility?
Let me know if I'm getting carried away.
Keep smiling.
Michael
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