If you Answer YES to these 7 questions, you probably need media training.

I have clients come to me for media training due to a number of reasons.  Sometimes it’s a pressing issue and they have a media interview coming up, sometimes it’s because the company has a new CEO, and sometimes it’s a part of a company’s annual staff training program. Often it’s my clients who have initiated the training as they want to be represented by the media in a way that suits their company’s goals.

With my background and experience, I’ve also been able to recognise when clients need media training long before they think it’s needed.  It’s like gently reminding someone their shoelace is untied before they trip over and hurt themselves.

Are you in danger of tripping over?

If you answer ‘Yes’ to most of these 7 questions, there’s a good chance media training will benefit you and your business.1. Do you want to get your story out?

If yes, it’s important that your story is presented in a way that is media friendly.  You need a strong spokesperson with a strong lead.  Concise, quotable and memorable messages and an example or a case study that can also be interviewed.

2. Do you think journalists use the same style of questions?

Journalists are some of the busiest and overworked white-collar professionals in the world.  They don’t use interview techniques, that’s a myth, they’re too busy for that level of preparation.  But they are curious people, who will ask very probing questions to get to the heart of stories.  It’s important that you can identify the five different styles of questioning most journalists use so you can give your answers with ease.

3. Are you terrible at improv?

Media training can help you prepare for unexpected questions.  Your interview success relies entirely on your preparation. You need to be able to acknowledge questions politely and answer them if possible and then transition to what you would prefer to talk about.  It’s actually preparation that comes across as improvisation.

4. Do you avoid conflict?

How do you handle passive aggressive interactions?  An interview can be intimidating, a bit like a knife fight without the blades.  The more aggressive the reporter gets, the more relaxed you need to get.  You can only relax in an interview if you have a well-rehearsed plan.

5. Do you think the journalist is in control?

Reporters are so busy and often under prepared, there has never been a better time to control media interviews. Interviews are opportunities for you to deliver messages and achieve goals.  Yes, you do have to answer questions to avoid being seen as evasive; with the right training, you can spend most of the time on your story.

6. Do you believe practice makes perfect?

Practice out loud perfect.  Interviews don’t happen in the quiet of our minds and nor should our preparation.  You need to create the parameters within which you are willing to speak (messages, sound bites, stories and stats).  Anticipate tough questions and have answers.  And then practice as much as possible in the lead up to the moment.

7. Do you want more confidence?

All of the above equals confidence.  Recently, a Melbourne business person contacted me about preparing for a Sunrise interview to promote the opening of a kid-friendly friendly shared office space.  They were terrified and liked the idea of media training but thought $3000.00 was too much.  So in their words, they decided to “Wing It.”  The result was an interviewee that survived the interview but didn’t thrive.  They didn’t tell a story, didn’t have a call to action, didn’t build their brand, didn’t shine…. all in front of a national audience.

If you answered YES to the questions above, please read more about our media training packages.

At Good Talent Media it’s our job to help you shine in the media spotlight.  Let us teach you how to tie those laces so you don’t trip and fall.

Tony Nicholls

Tony Nicholls

Founder and Director of Good Talent Media

Tony Nicholls is an accomplished journalist who has held roles for more than ten years with the ABC, SBS and Network Ten, covering thousands of news stories across Victoria, Australia and in the international media.

 

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