SO IT’S GOODNIGHT FROM ME No, not really. That’s just an example of a dreadful closing line from a speech. You need to leave your audience with a memorable sound bite that sums up your main point, and ideally calls on them to do something. It’s what marketers term the “call to action” that underpins every successful advert. Alas, many speakers simply tail off, thank the audience for being there, and wander off stage with a sheepish grin and a little wave. But not you. Your speech will build to a crescendo, reminding people of the most important thing you have told them, and giving them the impetus to change. And when, as will normally happen, you receive warm applause, maybe even a standing ovation, bask in it. You deserve it, and you must pay your audience the respect of proper acknowledgement. One more thing. Don’t forget the “double close”. If you finish your speech with powerful words, and then go into a Q&A session, remember to have another powerful finish (probably the same one, prefaced by “…as I told you a few minutes ago”), before you finally leave the stage. Take a bow. Good job. By Alan Stevens, Media Coach www.mediacoach.co.uk

Anthony Hubbocks is the MediaMaster of the week – for a remarkable SMS message He sent a flirty text to a wrong number – and ended up engaged. Michelle Morris mistakenly thought his message was from a male friend of her own and fired off a cheeky reply, reported the Daily Mirror. Despite the fact that he lived on Tyneside, Tony has moved down to Wales to be with his fiancee. Hang on, my phone is beeping… Radio Teesside’s Andy Greener wins the MediaMug trophy this week, and well deserved it is too. He chatted away for an hour – without realising he had forgotten to press the broadcast button. He was effectively talking to himself while the station broadcast a back-up tape of music and jingles. Meanwhile, station boss Peter Dixon, listening at home, was trying desperately to alert the presenter on the phone. When Mr Dixon finally got through poor Andy realised the on-air light in the studio was not on. He later told reporters “I thought the show would be going down well. The studio phone kept ringing, but I was too busy talking to answer. I now know that the calls were from people pointing out my blunder.” Luckily, he has kept his job – as an unpaid volunteer DJ.

By Alan Stevens, Media Coach www.mediacoach.co.uk

Presentation Tip of the Week

One of the great sports commentators, Sir Peter O’Sullevan, turned 90 this week. “The voice of horse racing” spent 50 years behind the microphone until he retired in 1997. He is first past the post, and wins the MediaMaster award by twenty lengths. Becoming the commentator who embodies a sport is a rare honour. My list would include John Arlott (Cricket), Dan Maskell (Tennis) and Harry Carpenter (Boxing). The latter of course, allows me to quote one of my favourite sporting links, by the wonderful David Coleman, who said on Grandstand one day “..and now over to Wembley Arena, where Harry Commentator is your carpenter”. To the CeBit technology fair, in Hamburg, Germany for our MediaMug this week. Vodaphone were demonstrating a new piece of natty software for mobile phones. You can take a picture of someone, and the Vodaphone image database will tell you who it is. That’s the idea, anyway. They invited German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, (probably the best-known woman in Germany) to the demonstration. Don’t get ahead of me here… OK, you guessed. The software had no idea who she was. Red faces all round at Vodaphone. At least it didn’t identify her as Helmut Kohl.