London, UK
My joint internet radio venture with Graham Jones, known as Viewpoint Business, is now up and running here
Go to the site directly and listen to Geoff Burch and Stanley Davis from the first show.
London,UK
Just came across this tip sheet. It’s one of a number of pages at the BBC website
Nelson Kumah
Nelson was one of the winners of the 2003 Sports Reporter scheme, which gave him the chance to travel to Athens to report on the Paralympic Games in 2004.
Here he shares some of the things he has learnt since becoming a sports reporter.
Q1. A top tip for anyone thinking of being a sports reporter?
Q2. What is the difference between being a reporter and a listener or viewer of BBC Sport?
Q3. One piece of advice you’d give anyone starting out?
I’ve made reference to Will Kintish in an earlier post. In addition to his excellent networking talks and seminars, Will can teach you how to become an effective and confident speaker.
Check these out from BBC News. It’s all about knowing what to do when things go wrong - and, of course, maintaining your presenter professionalism.
Earlier this year, I posted an item on “looking after your voice”.
Just the other day, I attended a course run by Helen Sewell of Simply Speaking. These are her top tips:
Keeping hydrated
1. Always drink plenty of water. If you are dehydrated your throat will be dehydrated. Try to drink eight glasses of water a day.
2. Keep your home humidified. Central heating dries the atmosphere, which can dry out your vocal cords. Put a bowl of water near radiators, or place a damp towel over them.
3. Get enough sleep. Being tired will affect your voice in the same way that it affects any muscular performance. You should rest your voice at times during the day for the same reason. Take time to relax, unwind and breathe. A healthy, less stressed you will be more likely to have a healthy, less stressed voice.
Food and drink
1. Eat regular meals and try to eat a balanced diet. Do not eat late at night, as this encourages indigestion, which can affect the voice.
2. Limit your intake of foods which can increase the likelihood of indigestion, including spicy foods, citrus fruits, tomatoes, fatty foods, chocolate, alcohol and caffeine.
3. Try not to drink more than 3 units of alcohol a day, as this can make your vocal cords swell and your voice become husky, rough and low pitched.
Smoking
1. Smoking, or being in a smoky environment, can dry out and irritate your throat. Regular smoking can make your vocal cords thicker, and your voice lower pitched and harsher.
2. Smoking also damages your lungs, affecting your breathing and therefore your voice.
If you have a sore throat
A sore throat is your body’s way of telling you that something is not right. You should:
1. Rest your voice as much as possible.
2. Drink lots of cool drinks(not hot ones, as these can dry your throat)
3. Inhale steam
4. Eat a spoonful of honey
5. Suck pastilles or boiled sweets, or chew gum to keep your mouth moist.
6. Avoid medicated lozenges or cough sweets, as these will numb your throat, which means you are likely to talk more and potentially cause more damage.
Reproduced by kind permission of Simply Speaking Limited
Yesterday afternoon, at my PSA London Chapter meeting, I heard one of the best “common- sense” business talks for some time.
Barry Graham outlined how he has successfully built up his training business, Speaker’s Corner. He based his speech around his “10 Lessons”. These included, “don’t throw away good ideas”, “find your niche” and “go international”. His firm handles a wide portfolio of training topics such as conference speaking and progressive training.
On one of his slides was a comment made by an associate of his, Alan Dunachie. Alan is Director of Operations at the Economist magazine. It’s all about telephone selling:
“If you don’t make the calls, you don’t get the business”. Blindingly obvious, but do you set aside time each day to market yourself or your business?