WE ARE MAKING ANOTHER FILM TOMORROW! So exciting. I went looking for my key messages and found this testimonial I wrote for Aileen O Meara who has been a great help to me. Unfortunately she is not around this week, busy elsewhere or I would be asking her to work out the key messages with me for tomorrow’s film. I am off to Limerick, we have coffee in the staff room at 8 o clock in the morning Coláiste Chiaráin, Croom. I am packing the car! I have so much stuff because there are more things happening afterwards. I’ll have to think of my messages myself on the way!
Being prepared, I do like that…
Why is key messaging useful?
I wrote this back just after our Science Week initiative! “Aileen O Meara’s key messaging coaching was so very useful. I was appearing on national TV at very short notice in a National Science Week event we were spearheading, to plant 30,000 trees nationally in a week. Furthermore I was appearing with a class of youngsters I didn’t know who were coming out with me to plant some trees. I had 5 minutes to prepare the children for the live-to-camera piece. We had the Lord Mayor of Dublin AND the head of Science Foundation Ireland with us. The piece was also very long – around 9 minutes in 3 segments on TVAM. I was so grateful I had the key messages – WRITTEN DOWN. It meant I could concentrate on my logistics…unloading trees, gloves, putting on the boots etc. and best of all chatting to the participants. In the end the reporter only interviewed the children which suited me very well; they had received the briefing that Aileen had prepared with me and the event was a big success with all concerned.
On another occasion my TV appearance was on RTÉ’s Today with Dáithi and Maura. AND it was in Cork. Live. My mother was from Cork, all my relations are from Cork! So there was a certain amount of pressure. The logistics of the day were very elaborate; I was transporting spades and gloves from Dublin. A picnic from Ballymaloe. We were partnering with Birdwatch Ireland on Harper’s Island Wetland Centre as well as Carrigtwohill’s Scoil Clochar Mhuire, children from the home schooled community, the local Tidy Towns organisations and members of the school Board, Cork County Council and the Men’s Sheds . I had a one-hour session with the class the previous day to prepare them. I was so glad that I had attended Aileen O Meara’s training in key messaging. Not only was I interviewed but many of the children were too. On the day two film crews were in attendance as well as a photographer from The Paper (The Examiner). Because I had done Aileen’s training I could really relax and enjoy the day. I felt very well prepared and confident and this event really put our Easy Treesie million tree project in the public eye. “
Thank you Aileen and see you soon. Friends out there, if you have done anything with us and liked it, please send us a testimonial, even a line or two at orla@easytreesie.com.
Easy Treesie 