Bimboism is rampant in today’s media climate – how many times do we see Z listers squandering their 15 minutes of fame with empty words and idiotic antics?
Yet, how much of your time do you waste watching reality TV, listening to their interviews on the radio, and reading more about reality stars in newspapers and magazines? Compare that to how much of your time you spend on current affairs, politics or global news… Unless you have a keen interest in the latter, you probably find yourself drawn into some reality ‘star’ story at some point in your week
Becoming a media bimbo is comparable to what reality TV stars do – they het their 15 minutes of fame and they milk it dry, but at e end of those 15 they are a household name, and have a few endorsement deals under their belt, Max Clifford looking after their media interests and a decent bank balance.
Here are some tips on what you can do when the media come knocking on your door to make sure your 15 minutes is stretched out and leveraged as much as possible.
1. Cut the fat from the bone
The quickest way to lose interest is to ramble. When you can’t make your point to any given audience you become a bore and they soon switch off. So, to keep your audience interested in what you have to say, respect their time by getting to the point of what they want to know. Give them value every second you’re speaking, and cut out all the unnecessary fat on the bone.
This applies especially if you’re ever given an opportunity on TV or radio, but if you’re speaking to a newspaper or magazine journalist the same still applies because they won’t want to go through reams of notes and transcripts just trying to get a decent quote from you!
2. Be professorial
In my experience people who have the highest degrees are often the biggest bores. They speak with the jargon of their industry or training using long sentences and obscure ideas that only their industry peers will understand. Simplicity is the key to communication – always use the grandparent test. In other words, if you were explaining something technical to your grandparent, would they understand! How would you break it down so they can grasp the key concepts and still get some value from what you’re sharing?
3. Praise the Lord!
Preaching is for church and evangelising – we all know what we are going to get when we go to church or stop to speak to someone who is talking about God.
But when you’re trying to show people that you’re an expert in your field, that they should buy into your products or services, don’t preach to them!
Whenever you’re attached to an idea and try to push it on someone it’s natural for them to resist. When you have an agenda people can and do sense it and eh start to repel against what you’re saying… And you!
If you’re unattached to the outcome, your audience will be more receptive to you and your ideas. Allow them to make their own choices based on the information you impart. Tempt them with heavenly insights and offers, without making them feel like they will burn in hell if they don’t buy from you!
