Speaking up for print

VOICES THAT ONCE PROCLAIMED NEWSPAPERS WERE DEAD, CAN WELL AND TRULY BE DROWNED OUT AS WE RECORD AUDIENCE AND SUBSCRIPTION GROWTH ... PEOPLE ARE PREPARED TO PAY FOR QUALITY LOCAL JOURNALISM

IT WAS like 100 bandsaws howling and shrieking all at once. Their chorus was palpable; their noisy rhythm coursing through my body, threatening to explode out of my brain. I cursed my Sydney hotel’s paper-thin walls and a city council actually smart enough to ensure these roadworks were conducted outside of peak-hour traffic. The crew had started work below my third-floor room at 9.30pm as I settled into my sheets, but after they ramped up another notch at 3.30am for their crescendo, finally finishing at 4.30 in the morning, it felt like I’d been through 11 rounds with Mike Tyson. With bags under my eyes and a foggy brain I walked three short blocks to News Corp HQ stressing about the speech I had to give to executives and high-flying performers about the past year’s achievements. The palms were sweaty despite the

cool morning air as I tried to coax the butterflies in my stomach to take a wellearned rest.

Speaking in public never gets easier but this time I had challenged myself to talk off points and a slide rather than writing a well prepared report.

I had wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone but it felt more like I’d crossed into the danger zone. It was definitely a move I regretted after the clumsy rehearsals I’d had in my room the night before and my stint working in a road gang.

As I stood there in front of my captive audience, I took a deep breath and somehow, almost magically, the words just flowed. Public speaking comes with the territory when you’re an editor. Whether it’s standing in front of your team, clients or a local classroom, you have to aim up.

While I’ve always said I have a face and voice for newspapers, the truth is, communication in our industry isn’t just about the written word. As I wandered the little theatre stage in Holt St, Sydney, I looked at the slide I’d prepared and felt proud of what we’ve achieved, particularly in the digital space.

Voices that once proclaimed newspapers were dead can well and truly be drowned out as we record audience and subscription growth. The Cairns Post’s digital subscriptions grew a monster 96 per cent in the past financial year, highlighting that people are prepared to pay for quality local journalism they can’t get anywhere else.

I’ve thought a bit about public speaking this week and its importance as a skill.

My daughter’s Prep class began a weekly public speaking session yesterday in which students must talk about particular items and what they mean to them. I think it a wonderful initiative — people need to have the confidence and ability to articulate properly. While the butterflies may circle and the hands may twitch, I believe the secret to a good speech is passion and honesty. So whether it be about the Cairns Post or a little girl’s fabulous marshmallow roasting stick from her camping holiday, speak from the heart and you can’t go wrong.