Anyone who has to represent an organization or a business or anyone that needs to reach the public has to successfully deal with the media. Being confident when stepping in front of the microphone and cameras with all the lights shining is something that can be achieved with decent media training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It could be a short statement for the press, or perhaps an interview in a TV studio, or even a detailed radio discussion – whatever it is, most people tend to get stressed when it comes to any type of public speaking arrangement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There aren\u2019t too many people that actually have a natural talent for speaking in front of a public. However, the good news is that this is a skill that can easily be mastered, and with some practice, anyone can hold a great speech no matter the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the media landscape is constantly changing and shifting, media training remains as important as ever, as communicators still have to focus on getting a message across, whether that\u2019s to the public or to the journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of the time, when someone is speaking to the public, they don\u2019t get a lot of time to get their key message across. In fact, most research has shown that when listening to a speech, the public tends to lose its focus after just a few minutes. This is why it\u2019s important to present the core message briefly and effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key message is the most important thing that the audience needs to hear and understand about the organization or the business. This is what\u2019s at the core of the business and what makes the audience connect with that organization, which is why it has to be stated clearly at the very beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aside from knowing what the key message is that the spokesperson needs to deliver, this person also has to be trained to understand the different types of reporters and journalists. Although there are interviewers that are very skilled in getting the right information out of the person they are interviewing, the spokesperson has to be able to understand who they are talking to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being well prepared also means that the spokesperson is not going to come across as robotic while in front of the cameras. The audience isn\u2019t going to be charmed by a few message points that the person has practically memorized and is constantly reiterating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Media training doesn\u2019t only involve knowing what the messages are and the best way to convey them. There are plenty of times when a journalist or a reporter will ask a question that the spokesperson is not prepared to answer – perhaps due to oversight, or even as simple as it being a completely different subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, with the right type of media training, the spokesperson will have plenty of ways to politely rephrase any irrelevant or uncomfortable question, while moving to a much better response. This can be done with a simple transitional phrase, politely rephrasing what was previously stated, or simply patiently repeating the key message once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public relation professionals should be pros at media, but their clients may not have gotten to that point yet, and it\u2019s up to their PR people to help them improve. Many studies over the years have shown that one of people\u2019s top fears is of public speaking. So, it should not be surprising to anyone that many leaders of companies, even big companies, sometimes get nervous about speaking in front of a group of people. But it\u2019s not possible to hide away and shift all the responsibility to someone else when you are the leader. Leaders need to lead, even in dealing with the media and talking in front of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, the training needs to happen, but like almost everything, we get better as we practice doing it right\u2026 practice done wrong will not lead to improvement though. So a big part of media training should be putting the student in front of others who will ask them random questions. Let them answer completely. Then stop and find out what the group suggests as a different approach, including bad ones. It\u2019s easier to learn what should happen when both the pros and cons are open for analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Go into any interview or media presentation with every bit of knowledge you can think of regarding the topic, your organization, and any current events that might be tied to your industry. When you know the answers, it\u2019s much more effective than floundering. But also practice the handy little phrase. \u201cI\u2019m not sure of the exact answer off the top of my head. Will you leave your contact information with my assistant and I will get back to you with that information.\u201d Then you need to follow through with that promise quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it is completed, then it\u2019s time to review. What could have been done to better effect, what would you change for the next time. If it was filmed, see if you can get a copy so you can check how you come across to the camera. Whatever else you can think of that might be improved the next time. That\u2019s the way to become an expert at media interviews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Anyone who has to represent an organization or a business or anyone that needs to reach the public has to successfully deal with the media. Being confident when stepping in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101013,"featured_media":3399,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[271],"tags":[169,48],"yoast_head":"\r\n