It's not one size fits all when it comes to professional media training. Some executives want private training; others thrive in a group. Some want a one-and-done session; others benefit from ongoing training.
Before you book a training session, consider these questions.
- What are your precise goals from media training?
- How much time can you commit for the training?
- What is your budget?
- Will this be a refresher for executives who have some media experience?
- Or, is this for executives who have never faced the media?
- Is your business facing a crisis and what you really need is crisis communications and not basic media interview training?
- Is your business set to launch a new service or product soon? Are your ready for your time in the spotlight once your launch?
- Do you plan to do interviews in English and Spanish?
- Have you blown a TV interview and need to learn how to control your messaging the next time around?
- How large is your group?
- Do you prefer in-person training or virtual?
Why so many questions? Because getting the right fit in a media trainer and training agenda will mean your valuable time and money is well spent. Perhaps the most important thing to determine is the specific goals you want to achieve. Here are some of the top things executives can learn through media training.
- How to fine tune your messaging.
- How to stay on your message even when a reporter tries to knock you off balance. This is referred to as "bridging."
- How to emphasize a particular point; making it crystal clear to viewers, listeners, readers or followers. You might begin your response to a journalist's question this way: "Let me be clear about ..." This is called "flagging."
- Learn about camera presence. It's not just what camera to look at. It's also how your non-verbal communications can impact your messaging. Your makeup, hair, clothing and accessories are also a part of the entire picture.
- How to speak in "sound bites" for broadcast interviews. Many people have heard the term but most of us don't speak in sound bites in our everyday conversations. It takes practice to speak in complete sentences that are concise, pithy and relatable.
- Learn to vary your interview preparation by medium. Print interviews require more details than say, a softball TV interview about a very light topic.
- Learn to protect yourself when dealing with the media. That means asking for, or demanding, retractions or apologies when they get your story wrong.
- Learn how to generate good will with members of the media. You may need it in the future.
My Women Media Pros colleagues and I conduct private, group, virtual, fast-track, and bilingual media training. We also provide crisis communications services.
