“Can we ask you a few questions?“. What if the foregoing question was suddenly directed at you at a formal public event, by a TV reporter holding a microphone, followed closely by a colleague with a camera?
A live interview (on an important subject in your area of expertise), right on the spot. No opportunity to collect your thoughts. No prior warning. It can happen to anyone – including YOU.
I know this because it’s happened to me – more than once.
It pays to know your subject. But it pays even better, to know how to speak in a way that attracts powerful opportunities for zero cost media exposure, like the one mentioned above. I share my personal insights on this theme, in this week’s issue of my public speaking ideas newsletter.
It Can Happen to You: A Real Life Example
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Is this email not displaying correctly? Publication: Tayo Solagbade’s Weekly Public Speaking IDEAS Page (PSIP) Newsletter Date: Monday 4th March 2013 No: 79 Title: What If a TV Reporter Requests To Interview YOU Live? Author & Publisher: Tayo K. Solagbade [234-803-302-1263] Blog URL: http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/blog Archive (For E-mail only version started 14th May 2012): Click here to view Archive (For Blog version started 24th September 2011): Click here Hi, Please find below the latest issue of my weekly Public Speaking Ideas page for 2013.
No. 79: You’ve Been Invited to Speak on TV**** ********** NB: If you ever find yourself wondering what else I’ve written, some days after you’ve read THIS Speaking Ideas newsletter I send out on a Monday, here’s what you can do to find out: Point your browser to www.sdacademy.org to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule **********
A live interview (on an important subject in your area of expertise), right on the spot. No opportunity to collect your thoughts. No prior warning. It can happen to anyone – including YOU. I know this because it’s happened to me – more than once. It pays to know your subject. But it pays even better, to know how to speak in a way that attracts powerful opportunities for zero cost media exposure, like the one mentioned above. I share my personal insights on this theme, in this week’s issue of my public speaking ideas newsletter. It Can Happen to You (A Real Life Example)I love listening to the radio. Compared to television, I find it gives me more value for my time. Both media have always been useful for getting the word out about almost anything or indeed anyone. Only their rates can be prohibitive for most small businesses or solo entrepreneurs. That does not however stop us from listening to, or watching them. And it certainly does not mean we cannot get useful exposure on either medium for FREE.
It could happen anytime, in one of a number of ways. For instance, a journalist could pick on you after an event you attended, in which you’d made useful contributions as a member of the audience. That’s one way in which it’s happened to me. She was from a national TV network. Their branded equipment made that obvious – even before she introduced herself. I’d seen them moving around taking pictures and recording since before the start of the event – at the popular MUSON (Musical Society of Nigeria) centre on Lagos Island. The event was an anniversary lecture. The guest speaker had discussed reasons why Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria often struggled to succeed, and how they could make better progress. He was eminently qualified, boasting an impressive resume that revealed he’d worked over 2 decades in private and public service supporting businesses with financial services. And he did a great job with his talk. This subject was however one that I felt (and still feel) strongly about. So much so that I’ve written many articles about it. So, as I listened to the speaker, I readily identified specific action steps MSMEs were not taking, that I felt could boost their progress faster, if adopted.
For me, especially based on my experiences from years operating as an entrepreneur in the same environment, I knew more MSMEs needed to stop waiting on the government or other bodies to solve this problem for them. My long standing opinion has always been that we (Nigeria – and possibly Africa – based business owners and decision makers) collaborate and cooperate too little. Instead we compete needlessly when it would mutually benefit us to form alliances. When the guest speaker called for questions from the audience, I wasted no time in raising my hand. I spoke for just about one minute. Only 60 seconds. But what I said during that short interval – and HOW I said it – derived from the passion I had for the subject. And I really wanted those listening to use the insights I offered to use. It was not an ego trip for me. To get my message across, I illustrated with examples of my experiences in relating with other MSMEs owners as clients and associates. The real life examples (not surprisingly – at least for me anyway) resonated strongly with many in the audience. So, after we closed I had a few people walk over to commend me, ask what I did etc. I believe the impact I made may have been one of the factors that made the reporter seek me out for that interview. TV/Radio Presenters Who Speak Poorly?That young lady was quite impressive in the way she went about it all. Her questions were intelligent and delivered in an articulate manner. And that struck me as not so common these days. I mean out here in this part of the world. The quality of speaking one hears on radio/TV (and the writing in print publications) is not confidence inspiring. There was a time when I listened to presenters on TV and radio out here, to learn new words, how to pronounce those I already knew – and even how to speak well. People like John Momoh (owner of the award winning Channels TV), in his days as a news presenter made listening to the news quite pleasurable – for me. Not surprisingly, his TV station today stands out from others because the training given his presenters makes them deliver to a similar standard when they come on air.
The above digression was done to show that regardless of the highlighted fallen (or falling) standards, developing speaking proficiency is still a wise thing to do. Especially if you anticipate speaking on radio/TV, either as the interviewer or the interviewee. Presenters May Have Time To Redeem Themselves: You May NOT!But it’s not just journalists who need to hone their speaking skills. Those who have to be their “guests” – even for short interviews – will also find public speaking expertise helpful. Many people who present TV and radio programs do so on a regular basis. So, for those who work hard to improve on the shortcomings I highlighted above, there’s a chance they’ll eventually overcome them, and make more useful impact on their listeners. When YOU are approached for an interview by a reporter, YOU may NOT reasonably expect to get another chance. I don’t mean a situation in which you’re in your car or on the street, and someone asks you what you think about a trending topic. Instead, I refer to a case where your expert opinion on a serious topic is sought by knowledgeable journalists who may feature it in a report to be aired on TV/radio: An excellent opportunity to achieve valuable name recognition, and more. You can make make the most of it, or blow it. To do the former, you need to be prepared. I assume you are a master of your subject. If you’re not, that’s the first problem you need to address – FAST. Once that is done, your public speaking proficiency will determine how well you do with a sudden “interview” opportunity (You could get quoted, and possibly invited for longer sessions). Public Speaking mastery implies knowing how to manage fear, anxiety, and thinking on your feet, to competently address a formal audience, your area of expertise. Are you comfortable doing that yet? If you are, I propose you learn to do it even better. If you’re not, I suggest you seriously consider getting public speaking training today! Need More Details of How to Make The Above Ideas Work for YOUR Company?If you need more specific details of how to make use of the ideas I’ve shared in this newsletter, call me on 234-803-302-1263 or email tayo at tksola dot com. Alternatively, send me a message using this request form (with “Re: What If YOU Get Invited to Speak on Radio/TV?” in the subject line).
Have a lovely week!
Tayo K. Solagbade* Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist *Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa Mobile: 234-803-302-1263 http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com Tayo Solagbade is a Performance Improvement Specialist & multipreneur. He works with individuals/businesses who want to achieve highly profitable outcomes, and also with parents who want to raise real-world competent children. Tayo earns multiple streams of income providing clients with performance improvement training/coaching, custom MS Excel-VB solutions, web marketing systems, freelance writing services, and best practice extension support services (for farm business owners). When he’s not amazing clients with his superhuman skills (wink), Tayo works as the creative force behind his Self-Development Nuggets™ blog, and Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter (which he publishes to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent). ================== Have you been undecided about whether or not to become a paid speaker? Or have you been trying to get your speaking career off the ground with little success?Here’s a tip: Burt Dubin works with people who want to be speakers, and with speakers who want to be masters. Click here to visit his website NOW and submit a contact form message telling him what challenges you’re facing, and how you’d like him to help you. Tell him I sent you, and you’ll get a pleasant surprise offer from him. Comments?What do you think of the above message? Do you have any personal experience to share on this subject? Are there some other points you feel can be added, to help persons looking for answers? Please share your thoughts! Share this issue!Do you know anyone who might benefit from reading this newsletter issue? Why not hit the forward button now, and send it to him/her with a short recommendation. You can also use share it via your social media channels. Thanks in advance.
What fears or doubts are keeping you from (a) taking up Burt Dubin’s monthly speaker mentoring, or (b) buying his products?You can choose to purchase Burt’s mentoring at any of the three (3) levels listed below:1. Top Shelf [Click here] | 2. Mid Range [Click here] | 3. Budget Delight [Click here]Burt’s three mentoring packages can be likened to the seating options offered by airlines: Budget Delight (Economy); Mid Range (Business); and Top Shelf (First Class). At least that’s how I like to think of them! All three will get you to your desired destination of “speaking success-ville” – so long as you meet the requirements/play your part well (your fare, abide by the set guidelines etc). During the “flight”, the seat you have will determine how much personal service attention and preference the provider will accord you. It’s that simple So, make your choice:1. Top Shelf [Click here] | 2. Mid Range [Click here] | 3. Budget Delight [Click here] Send me an e-mail with your questions via tayo at tksola dot com. In the meantime, why not get started by subscribing here to get his 7-Part Course (How To Succeed And Get Paid As A Professional Speaker) . . . and receive his monthly newsletter (Speaking Biz Strategies Letter) at no cost.
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