Planning and preparation can play a vital part in ensuring your communications success – and the news around the British New Year’s Honours Awards has helped underline this point.
There’s been general delight over popular decisions such as the knighthood for the one-time Beatle who is now Sir Ringo Starr.
Whoever drafted Sir Ringo’s nomination clearly did a great job – as did whoever put forward the idea of a high honour for the first British astronaut, the now Dame Helen Sharman.
Amidst the celebrations, the media spotlight has settled on a company that professes to increase their chances of successfully making nominations for British honours by helping people draft their applications.
The idea of paying a company to help write the nomination for the person you would like to put forward is controversial – and isn’t something I would recommend or endorse.
But it does underline the importance of planning and preparing properly in any case where communcations outcomes really matter to you.
In a BBC interview, the head of the Awards Intelligence company, Mark Llewellyn-Slade, declined to identify any those who have benefited from his team’s help with getting the words right on the nomination forms.
Though when asked, he specifically ruled out having given any recent assistance for the nomination of a drummer.
Mr Llewellyn-Slade claims that those who hire his services to help with their nomination applications have a success rate of 50% which is, he says, four times higher than the normal success rate.
It’s hard to verify these figures, but if we assume that they’re close to the mark, it does illustrate the point that when meticulous communications planning and preparation takes place, success is more assured.
Knowing how to plan and prepare for important situations plays a vital part in determining your success – whether it’s for media interviews, important business conversations or presentations to potential clients.
The gateway to communications-boosting sessions – in conference keynotes, smaller master classes or in one-to-one sessions – is here:
http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/michael-dodd-services/
Let The Book Do The Talking
One of the joys of the modern age is that you can absorb a book without having to hold it while you make your way through it.
The world of audio books means you can sit back or lie back and have the book read to you through your phone or iPad – by the author, some other celebrity or even a movie star.
And now that 2018 is here, it can be breathlessly revealed that the talking book version of “Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work” won’t be read to you by Hugh Jackman.
Alas Nicole Kidman also wasn’t selected.
Even the three people in this picture below missed out.
They are Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, English Cricket Captain Joe Root and Australian Cricket Captain Steve Smith – spotted ahead of the final Ashes test match for the current series… presumably discussing great answers to tough on-field sledging at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Following agreement reached by my publishers, Wiley, and the Amazon company, Audible, the talking book version of “Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work” will be read to you by Michael Dodd (yes really!!!).
If you’re not already with Audible, you can get the audio book version free with Audible’s 30-day trial.
You can download that and pre-order the “Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work” audio book by clicking on this image:
The audio book becomes available from 22nd January 2018.
The English-Speaking Version
And I can report that the British sense of humour is alive and well in relation to the audio book.
When I told a British colleague that I had been selected to do the readings in recording studios in Central London, he kindly asked: “Will there also be an English-speaking version?”
Anyone who would like to suggest great answers to this tough question, please let me know.
Even politely worded potential replies will be considered!
Meanwhile have a ripsnorting 2018 wherever you’re spending it.
Keep smiling,
Michael