Newsletter

Welcome to Seán Brickell’s e-newsletter. It includes some great communications tips that you can use to augment your professional (and personal) presentations to help you win people over and therefore win more business.

Managing the Media Mammoth

Journalists and the media have grandly and nobly been described as being members of the Fourth Estate. They are meant to be the guardians of democracy and defenders of the public interest and to hold to account the other three existing Estates (as they were conceived of at the time in 19th century Britain) in charge of the country: the priesthood, the aristocracy and the House of Commons. Other modern commentators seem to interpret the term Fourth Estate as meaning the fourth power which checks and counterbalances the three state powers of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

But in the less lofty reality of everyday society, journalists are often seen and portrayed as merciless pariahs who inveigle themselves into any situation, whether private or public, whether a triumph or a tragedy, and put words into the mouths of unsuspecting people. The 20th century French novelist Marguerite Yourcenar complained that "the press is too often a distorting mirror which deforms the people and events it represents, making them seem bigger or smaller than they really are." And the playwright George Bernard Shaw remarked disdainfully that "a newspaper is a device unable to discriminate between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilization."

Journalists are too often seen as seedy and insensitively relentless people who make up the "facts" to get the story they want which invariably humiliates and even destroys the personal and/or professional lives of those they report on. The former Canadian media mogul Conrad Black is said to have remarked that "journalists are ignorant, lazy, opinionated and intellectually dishonest. The profession is heavily cluttered with aged hacks toiling through a miasma of mounting decrepitude and often alcoholism." And that from a man who loved running newspapers and sometimes even spending money on them when he wasn't spending it elsewhere!

Mother Theresa once said that "facing the press is more difficult than bathing a leper." And the irrepressible French leader Napoleon Bonaparte may have been walloped by the rigorous and ruthless, not to mention bombastic Wellington at Waterloo but, given the choice between facing the military might of a marauding army or the press, he remarked that "three hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets."

Journalists and the organisations and companies they work for certainly do have agendas when covering a story or trying to investigate one. As the old adage goes, "the duty of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." It's certainly true in today's increasingly media obsessed society that the media has considerable power. But the media's intentions are not always bad from the subject's point of view despite another adage - probably originated provocatively by journalists - about the three rules of our profession:

•    Make it first
•    Make it fast
•    Make it fantastic

And even...
•    Make it up!

But the reality is not this prosaic, except for a few rogue media people and media organs. But then there are the unprincipled and incompetent in every profession. In fact, the typical British journalist is:

     can earn up £250,000.

Although they lap up what they read, hear and watch, when confronted, most people fear journalists because of the havoc they believe they can wreak so publicly to such a wide and generally believing audience. Those who are due to be interviewed and those that have been often feel like victims powerless to act or control what is going on. This is certainly true of the businessman or someone in a position of responsibility where his or her media performance and the way they are subsequently portrayed are crucial to the future success or otherwise of their business or enterprise.

But you do have a great deal of control when dealing with the media. This is due principally to the fact that journalists will come to you because you have the information they want and information is power. It's just a matter of what you tell them and how. Subsequent articles will give you the insight and confidence to deal with the media persuasively and productively no matter what situation you find yourself in.

Seán's News

Pakistan

I was recently in Pakistan working with Shell. I travelled to both Karachi and Lahore working with the company’s top executives there, helping to train them manage crises and deal with and speak effectively to the media in a crisis scenario.

When we arrived in Karachi, there were more soldiers with machine guns and other weaponry than there were guests! This was for three reasons:

1. We were next to the American Consulate – a target for Al Qaeda – even though it’s almost empty.

2. There was a huge conference at our hotel for Pakistan’s military, intelligence and security forces and those from across Asia encouragingly called Ideas 2004.

3. There have been numerous people killed in bombings at the hotel over the past two years.

Despite all this, I was very well looked after by everyone I met at Shell Pakistan Ltd – the reception they gave me was wonderfully friendly – and entertained superbly in the evening by the girls from the External Affairs team. Likewise in the historic city of Lahore, where one’s senses were also bombarded with a fascinating mix of cultural sights, sounds and smells.

Media Moments

Appropriately enough, I was featured in the July & August edition of Stag & Groom magazine – the UK's first stag and wedding magazine for men – giving advice, as “a professional speaker,” about how to make a great wedding speech. I say appropriately because I have also recently flown back from the Italian island of Capri where my sister had her wedding celebration. I was not only compère for the event – at just 30 seconds notice! – but I also made an impromptu speech about her much to her surprise and, I hope, the guests’ amusement! Well, at least I didn't get a walking ovation!
Click on http://http://www.seanbrickell.com/pr.shtml/pr.shtml to read the article.

If you want to know more about how to make a wedding speech or an after dinner or business speech, then you can buy either an e-book or a printed version of one of the The Spot-On Speaker books which can be bought from my website: http://www.seanbrickell.com/books.shtml

Earlier, I was also featured in the Guardian newspaper in an online article about leadership. Click on http://http://www.seanbrickell.com/pr.shtml/pr.shtml to read more.

Helping you & your business:

Workshops & Courses

Winning new business and maintaining existing business is vital if you’re to succeed. Just as important is keeping your employees and contractors happy. This is done through effective communication. But, although it is one of the most critical aspects of any organisation’s success, it can be one of the most overlooked. Therefore top grade training is needed to help you and your organisation become compelling communicators which can only enhance your brand awareness and integrity and your reputation, thereby improving your bottom line.

There are various training workshops:

Presentation & Public Speaking: How to present yourself persuasively and productively in a personal or business environment
Media: How to communicate effectively with the media & use these skills to enhance your everyday business dealings
Crisis Management: How to plan for and deal positively with a crisis to ensure business continuity
Writing: How to communicate effectively for business and how to write print articles & broadcast scripts and press/news releases

The workshops are highly informative, fun and practical and demonstrate how to

present yourself and your organisation effectively in differing situations, from producing print and broadcast presentations and communicating in a crisis to making speeches and business presentations and dealing effectively with “live” TV interviews.

These 1-day or half-day workshops, which can be done on either a group or a one-to-one basis, have a variety of benefits:

•    Improving your personal and company image
•    Increasing the chances for a higher and better media profile
•    Changing the attitudes of target audiences (such as potential customers)
•    Helping to increase market share
•    Boosting your bottom line
•    Improving communications with investors
•    Improving industrial relations
•    Enhancing the reputation of personnel at all levels

Speaking & Facilitating/Presenting

Seán Brickell is an after dinner, business and motivational speaker, as well as an international conference & event facilitator, presenter & compère and an executive trainer.

Seán is a recognised expert in the art of effective and compelling communication, helping businesses and organisations raise and maintain their brand integrity and profile, improve customer and staff relations and loyalty and enhancing personal and corporate reputations, all of which help improve profits. His motivational talks are designed to inspire and his after dinner talks and facilitating & presenting make any event that much more enjoyable.

The award winning journalist and broadcaster’s highly practical and entertaining speeches and workshops cover how to communicate persuasively and productively with the media, clients and customers, staff and colleagues and also personal presentation.

Seán has worked with many private and public sector organisations, including IBM, Shell, Unilever, Barclaycard, Astra Zeneca, Bank of Scotland, Safeway, National & Alamo Car Rental, the UK Department of Education and the Public Record Office. He has written a variety of books on communicating with the media, making business, wedding and after dinner speeches and presentations, as well as a crime thriller which can be bought from his website: http://www.seanbrickell.com/books.shtml

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