Media Training

“Training helps you acquire knowledge, skills, and competencies through teaching vocational or practical skills. Training has specific goals of improving capability, capacity, productivity and performance.”

I really enjoy training and meeting different people in different organisations round the world.

I have been a Media Trainer for many years, fitting it in with my other contracts and doing pro bono work too for The Media Trust for example teaching young graduates and those searching for jobs journalism skills.

Clients have ranged from global banks like BNPParibas, ING to SGCIB and Deutsche BankSA to British American Tobacco Barclays Life British Steel Old Mutual IBM (UK) Metropolitan Police. Also Al Jazeera, Turkish government, South African government, Local Government Association training councillors, to the London Business School teaching MBA students. I’ve been in-house for leading PR agencies like Hill&Knowlton,Edelman, Luther Pendragon, Citigate and others.

TRAINING INCLUDES:

What does media training give you?

Training teaches you how to understand what the media needs, how to communicate and engage through an interview via different channels: the phone, online, face to face, and live/recorded on TV or radio.

Every interview is an opportunity to put your message and brand your company. It can be for broadband, print, radio or TV.

Learning how to develop and polish your media skills means you don’t leave it to chance. Remember an “off the cuff” remark has left many companies counting the cost.

What are the benefits of media training?

  • Allows employees -at all levels- to improve communication skills
  • Equips employees to deal with the press on a regular basis, by providing professional advice and skills in developing appropriate responses from a corporate perspective
  • Identifies key messages both internal and external
  • Identifies and improves the ability of those who can become credible corporate spokespeople
  • Provides staff with the confidence and presentation skills to address a variety of audiences, including the media, stakeholders, Government, special interest groups, regulators and legislators
  • Informs on the fast changing media landscape and explains how to use the media as a strategic business tool and influencer

What can I offer you in training?

  • engaging with the media in all types of interviews
  • how to avoid the traps and pitfalls of questions
  • use the opportunity an interview provides to best effect
  • brand your replies with corporate identity and key messages
  • the dos and don’ts of engagement
  • dealing positively with press phone calls requesting confirmation of rumours, news, annual results, acquisitions, new staff etc.
  • coping with annual results and a crowd of journalists all requesting instant interviews
  • managing crises and disasters- the appropriate responses

Also Message Content and Delivery

  • Writing and identifying key corporate messages
  • Producing and learning sound bites
  • Presentation tips on delivery: pace, posture, appearance and voice

Types of courses

  • Course 1: ​Meet the Media- How to conduct Online, Print, TV, Radio and Mobile or Phone interviews. Financial Media specific courses too
  • Course 2: ​Crisis Management- the right response when disaster strikes. Enactment of scenarios and press conference situations
  • Course 3: ​Personal CEO and Senior Manager Training- fitting into busy diaries including evening sessions or early morning
  • Course 4: ​ Corporate identity and how it translates into key messages .Sessions on blue sky thinking, ‘time out of the box’, for writing and focussing on objectives. Exercises. For different teams, sectors and senior managers too.
  • Course 5: ​Accessing the Media, help with placing interviews, sourcing outlets, channelling media requests

NOTE
For all Courses, we provide tutors/facilitators, recording and playback facilities for the required number of trainees. We bring cameras and recording equipment to your offices or provide a professional media studio setting, if preferred.

The Art of being Interviewed successfully

Knowing what media relations are for, what the media want and how to respond

  • Overview of Dos & Don’ts.
  • What the reporter wants from you
  • What you want from them: getting your messages across in interviews
  • How to shape messages: length of response,content,relevance,interesting
  • Preparing for an interview: before, during and after
  • How to introduce yourself
  • How to stay on message: using bridges, avoiding pitfalls
  • How to answer difficult questions
  • On the spot Interview Practise recorded on video, with playback and analysis

Presentation and Speech-writing skills

Like an essay a good speech must have a beginning, middle and end. It also has a number of different elements that you need in order to achieve your objective of engaging with your audience. The best speeches are carefully written, paced and rehearsed.

Think about:

  • The Hook which is the opener/attention grabber
  • Establish context/motive/stories/illustrations
  • Get to the point
  • Reinforce your point
  • Close