Winning Communications: New 2014 Showreel

LOSING ON-FIELD, WINNING OFF-FIELD   In 1768-1771 England's Captain Cook was touring the South Pacific. It was rough going - at least in parts. After being the first European tour leader to reach the east coast of Australia, Captain Cook's team was nearly shipwrecked on the Great Barrier Reef.  But Captain Cook handled it well and made it back home while remaining in his post. In 2013- 2014 England's Captain Cook was touring the South Pacific. It was rough going - nearly the whole time. His team was shipwrecked five times... in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.    The first Captain Cook didn't have to worry about dealing with media correspondents every time something went wrong. (Nonetheless historians note he did hit a particularly grisly patch involving daggers and spears which brought a sudden end to his discoveries on a later South Pacific voyage.) However the second Captain Cook has two different types of games to play - the on-field cricket game and the off-field media game. I won't comment on his on-field game. We can leave that to a Mr G. Boycott. But in dire circumstances Alistair Cook has played the media game of a losing Ashes captain with dignity and grace - certainly far better than one notably more grumpy former Australian Ashes-losing captain a while back when questioned by Yours Truly at The Oval. There is potential for the second Captain Cook to be more inspirational in his language at times. And there's scope for him to more speedily get onto his own positive agenda about future aspirations after being asked about the obvious negatives. But given the tough time he's had on field, Alistair Cook's post-Ashes media performances showed commendable honesty, calmness under pressure, an absence of excuse-making and a remarkably gutsy spirit. I'm almost tempted to declare him an honorary Australian...but I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate that. SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US?  So the lesson for lifelong communication students is that however bad things are at any point, how you communicate about the situation can make an enormous difference. This also applies when things are going swimmingly - as poor communications can make an excellent situation look atrocious. What you say in good moments and bad moments affects: # How you are perceived # How you make those around you feel and perform # How successful you are at achieving your outcomes - business or otherwise # How positive your own future will become The new Michael Dodd Communications 2014 showreel reveals more about how you and your team can be empowered to become inspirational communicators. This is done by showing you the secrets of giving scintillating presentations and winning pitches, bombproof media interviews and great answers to tough questions. It can be achieved through captivating conference keynotes and master classes and one-to-one coaching. It can also be achieved through something I'm planning to do more of in 2014 - communications-boosting programmes tailored to the meet the precise needs of your team. The new showreel may look vaguely familiar to some at the start, but contains much you haven't seen before. Click here to see it.  And here is Alistair Cook (who I haven't media trained for obvious reasons) showing grace under pressure. BECOME AN INSPIRATIONAL COMMUNICATOR IN JANUARY   With the economies in the western world generally picking up, 2014 is set to be more uplifting than any year since the Lehman Brothers crash six years ago. So with potentially more positives to talk about, it's a splendid year to turn more people into inspiring communicators. To mark the opportunity I'm doing a special offer throughout January on my new one-to-one sessions on "Become That Inspirational Business Communicator In A Day". http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/inspirational_CEO.php If you'd like to know how the special offer applies to you and your team, email where you are located to: enquiries@michaeldoddcommunications.com or text 44 (0) 7944952835 So to get 2014 off to an inspiring start, I'm on a quest to find the most inspirational (though not the best known) sayings of all time so they can be quoted in the appropriate motivational speeches, challenging conversations and media soundbites. Here are my top five - including two from the same person. Please send me yours. "When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us." - Helen Keller (pictured reading braille).     "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it." - Chinese Proverb "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford (pictured)    "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford CAPTURING THE POWER OF STORIES - IT'S SCIENTIFIC!    A role model of mine is fellow speaker, Graham Jones, who is known as "The Internet Psychologist" and is one of the two superb mentors I have had in the Professional Speaking Association.   Graham typically starts his speeches with a story - including one particularly memorable one where, by deploying astute name-dropping involving his connection with the rock group "The Who", he avoided being mugged on a train.   So Graham, like me, is big on the benefits of telling stories.   But now he's alerted me to some just-published scientific research which goes further than showing that stories can just help you make a point.   A team of scientists have conducted a study which suggests that stories have so much impact on us they actually change our brains.   The scientists studied people who took part in an experiment which involved all the participants reading historical novel "Pompeii" by Robert Harris.   They recorded the arousal level of the readers as they progressed through the book - finding amongst other things that they were generally more excited by the section on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (illustrated below) than they were by the feasting and orgy scene...for what that's worth.     You can check out their scientific paper (which is rather academic in parts, though nonetheless absorbing) at: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/brain.2013.0166 The point Graham makes is that this means there is now an initial scientific underpinning for our contention that when seeking to communicate we should tell stories. I look forward to working with those of you who are yet take part one of my master classes on "Presenting with Confidence, Impact and Pizzazz" which include my presentation on "The Power of Stories". http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/presentation_training.php So here's to more story telling by you and your team in 2014. And here's to me trying to stop telling stories of the latest Ashes series for as long as I remain based in England. Keep smiling - even if you're not Australian. 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 improved: www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/online_reputation.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