Ten Tips: How to choose a media trainer

What is media training?

Professional training for anyone who isexpected to be a spokesperson for their organisation.

Objectives

• Reduces risk of things going wrong in interviews

• Helps the organisation to be shown in the best light

• Makes spokespeople more comfortable

First …

Look for training run by ex-journalists not PR people.

Why? Ex-journos are much sharper and more realistic and can answer lots of supplementary questions.

But they need to have experience at handling senior people (as clients) and they need to be serious about training. Some aren’t.

Tip one

Tip two Ask ‘Do we need a cameraman’?

Most interviews are done for print media – newspapers or trade press.

Most media training focuses on television interviews.

Buy the appropriate training and if you want to cut costs use a trainer who is not using a professional cameraman.

Tip three

However, if you have the budget, a professional cameraman will enhance the fun

of the training and allow trainees to see themselves even if they are role-playing a print

interview.

Tip four

Ask ‘Do we need to pay for fame’?

Famous television ‘personality’ trainers tend to provide an experience rather than real training. They are the most expensive.

Ex-journalists who are now professional trainers, will be more focused on delivering real training benefits. And they’ll be cheaper.

Tip fiveFind a trainer that

knows about messaging.

Whilst there are some important tricks and traps to be aware of

when dealing with the media, the key to good performance is

rehearsed credible messages.

Message building should be central to the training and is much more

important than hours spent discussing what to wear on camera.

Tip sixDon’t pay for ritual humiliation.

Some trainers love to do really tough and aggressive interviews claiming it psychologically prepares spokespeople.

This is rubbish.

Rehearsing tough questions is important but ritual humiliation does not promote learning. In any case very few interviews are highly adversarial.

Tip sevenTalk to the trainer before you hire them.

Hire those who explain exactly how they will run the session.

Hire those who ask questions about the needs of your organisation and the objectives of the training.

Beware those who tell too many stories about themselves.

Tip eightConsider going direct.

Lots of PR companies sell media training as part of their service and they will often outsource this to a trusted media trainer. But you can hire trainers directly from media training companies.

Tip nineLong-term relationships can really pay off.

If the trainer knows you, knows the company, follows the cuttings and can be flexible, you will reap real value. The training will be more realistic.

And you’ll be able to call on them, even at short notice, to help get a spokesperson up to speed.

Emergency media training – or interview rehearsal – is surprisingly common.

Tip ten Find a trainer who will give detailed written feedback.

The training event is over all too quickly and there is a lot to take in. Notes that arrive later will ensure the trainee has a reminder of his or her own strengths and weaknesses.

Final thought

Use media training to enhance your career. People typically love media training. It has the wow factor.

Written by Lindsay Williams

MD The Media Coachlindsay@themediacoach.co.uk

themediacoach.co.uk