In this now hyper-competitive environment, CEO’s must be able to communicate on behalf of the company to external stakeholders. Put two competing companies side-by-side, where one boss is a good communicator and the other not, the former wins every time. We contend the days of the quiet achiever have passed.
And amid today’s rapid changes, more than ever CEO’s need to be able to communicate internally the need to change a vision, a culture or behaviours.
That’s why Media Training is important.
It’s not about learning to ‘spin’ dishonest messages, although it can be misused for that; it’s about learning the basics because any day you can be challenged by media, by opponents, by staff, or by your customers.
Instead, call it Communication Training. It can be ‘soft’, to promote a vision or a product; it can be ‘hard’, which includes the techniques required to avert a crisis or other difficult situations.
So Key Messaging is not about deceiving people, it’s simply a discipline to say what you mean, better.
And training in Interview Techniques helps give you clarity and confidence to get your message across in an often nerve-wracking situation.
Think of it from a journalist’s point-of-view
Journalists prefer to interview someone who is media trained, as you, the interviewee better understand their craft and can better answer questions. Peter Wilkinson has had 30 years’ experience as a journalist, and since 2002 has led a team of corporate affairs people concentrating predominantly on media, social media, community engagement and government relations.
Peter’s particular relevant skill is Crisis PR, which mainly involves preventing reputation damage and then reputation recovery.
Our approach to Media Training
Our approach is to give people confidence, not scare people away from participation in public debate. We’ve found through experience that the most effective training session lasts 2-3 hours. Any longer and tiredness takes over.
Preferably, we split our sessions into three sections:
1.
Understanding the Current Media Environment
Up to 20 people
Familiarity gives confidence. That’s why we have written the booklet: “When a Journalist Calls”.
We walk participants through the steps an executive must take with media, stressing a cautionary approach – from experience we are risk-averse.
We work through some recent scenarios, looking at what happened and why. We also discuss some catastrophic outcomes we’ve seen in the media, and how they might have been better managed.
This first session frames the context for interacting with a journalist, which is as important as understanding the nitty-gritty of the interview.
We follow a proven format:
You can see how the above is relevant for any engagement, not just for journalists.
2.
Social Media strategies that work; including how to manage negative social/digital events
Up to 20 people
Media engagement campaigns are conducted using social and traditional media in tandem.
Social media is an increasingly complex, but effective environment:
However, there are some basic rules a strategist and spokesperson must be aware of when embarking on a campaign, in order to anticipate/manage outcomes.
3.
Interview Training: As-real practice sessions
Up to 6 people
Camera, lights, action!!
This is the practical part, and fun. We know from experience that clients benefit hugely from this session.
Peter Wilkinson built a television career based on doing tough interviews, or producing other reporters to do the same. As a PR professional since 2002 he’s become a coach on how to convey messages in tough interview situations.
A good interview conveys the integrity of the interviewee, as well as the chosen key messages.
We cover the essentials, including:
However, there are some basic rules a strategist and spokesperson must be aware of when embarking on a campaign, in order to anticipate/manage outcomes.
Summary
These sessions can be varied on the day as individual’s interests and needs become apparent.
Our experience is that the above preparation, with follow-up phone calls or face-to-face updates before interviews, provides executives with the confidence and ability to perform under almost all circumstances.