What is Media Training and How Can It Benefit Your Business?
Last update: 15 September 2022 at 12:44 pm
3.00/5The media are always looking out for the most poignant of stories. They are constantly in search of new information or exciting events that provide the audience with an experience of a lifetime.
Every business owner must be prepared to be at the centre of media attention. Thus, media training ought to be one of the things to invest in as an entrepreneur.
At one point, you may find yourself as the subject of news, and when journalists come and ask for your side of the story, you have got to be prepared to tell all. When the situation arises, make sure that you have had enough media training to deal with it accordingly.
You might also want to assign an effective spokesperson who can speak on behalf of your company. They, in turn, will have to prepare on how to deal with the media properly. Basic media training is necessary to optimize the impact of their words and actions as they try to transmit the message to the general public.
While it is common practice in business to prepare for the worst, the concept of media training is always to expect to be the best at it. What is the point of getting media training services if it does not equip you with the skills needed to represent your company in the worst of situations?
Although it may come with a cost, media training, including social media training, is necessary for this day and age. Think of it as an investment.
What is Media Training?
Don’t be mistaken with what media training entails for a company. It is not a course where you learn “what is photography“, or “how to make a movie short”.
Digital media training is defined as a program that aims to help business managers, spokespersons, and employees to better interact with their chosen public. It also aims to establish better communication relationships with the media.
On the other hand, the same training is designed to provide the right amount of reinforcement in terms of coherence. The focus is to ensure that all speeches done on behalf of the company are sending the same main messages.
Public speaking in interviews and press conferences can sometimes put these spokespersons under a lot of stress and pressure. With the right amount of media training sessions, they could surely prepare themselves for all the tough questions that may be thrown their way by reporters by a media outlet.
Who Can Benefit From a Media Training Session?
Not all leaders of companies are good at dealing with public relations. Sometimes, the media can be very annoying, if not blunt, about the issues that they throw during a media event. Having someone who knows what to say, and who knows how to avoid common traps placed by reporters, should be the goal of every company.
It has to be someone who can deal with the negative criticism, especially when the target is the comprehensibility of their speeches or their delivery of it. Media training tips include ways on how business leaders can improve their ways of dealing with the media.
The overall goal is to preserve the image and branding of the company, no matter how disastrous the situation may be. The lack of proper training can compromise the company’s reputation. The company could be known for its notoriety, and it won’t be good.
What Does Media Training Comprise Of?
Where do you begin your training, then? How do you start? The first step to achieving successful media training is to find a competent media trainer who has experience in media communication and communication training. An experienced trainer will teach you more than just public speaking and key interview skills. They will also teach you how to take advantage of media interviews to build your brand.
Is there a media training company that provides the best trainers? There are a variety of companies that specialize in providing such type of training; all you need is to learn what characteristics you need from the right trainer.
A good trainer is someone who is evidently knowledgeable of the techniques needed to deal with various types of media personalities. They should be able to give you advice on what needs to be done and tips on what needs to be said. Additionally, they will provide specialized training that is catered to your organization.
The trainer will also help you or your representative prepare for the proper way to answer questions during a conversation with a reporter or interviewer. The company spokesperson should be reactive but credible. They should be able to answer all the difficult questions during the interview with ease and without delay.
The truth about media training is that you or your company spokesperson will never be too prepared for a media encounter. Knowing more will always save you and the company from an impending disaster.
What Do You Get Out Of Media Training?
Did you know that being presented by the media is one of the most effective ways to get your brand out there? While you work on improving customer service and do research on product development, your spokesperson should be getting the right kind of training too.
Why is media training important? At the end of the day, this question is always the easiest to answer but the hardest to define. Every business owner knows the value that comes with media training for business, but they often miss out on the fact that it is something that their business cannot live without.
Wondering why media training is important is actually a beacon of hope for your company. The moment you look into how media training can help your business in the long run, the easier it will be for you to find help.
Media training programs come with their benefits. They may not be evident today, but they will be in the long run. The visibility of your brand in the media is what can make or break your success.
If you are not prepared for a phone interview, video interview, radio show, or any reporter’s question, then do not submit yourself to one. Going out there without the main message points in place or planned answers to deliver could only end up as a disaster.
Never put yourself or your spokesperson in the position where they can be caught off guard. This is to help avoid the negative publicity of the brand under the critical eyes of media practitioners.
What Else Do You Learn From Media Training?
In addition to creating more self-confidence in you and in your spokesperson, media training also gives you a refresher course on what marketing is all about. It teaches several different aspects of selling a brand.
Captivating your audience with your words
The way you speak to your target audience says a lot about how you value them in the success of your company. For this aspect, you need to choose the words that you use carefully. People tend to support businesses that they can relate to and if you want your ideas to stay with them, you’ll need to captivate them with memorable messages.
Don’t forget that your tone is also essential in properly communicating with media practitioners.
Sending a message with your body language
What do your actions and gestures say and reveal about you and your company during a media interview? Remember that your body language must also co-inside with the message that your words speak of.
When the company manager is being interviewed, people become receptive not only to his words but also of his facial expressions and actions. His body language determines whether the audience receives the same message that the company intends them to get. For example, if the person being interviewed avoiding eye contact? Are they shying away from the camera?
Media training opens you up for embarrassment.
Sometimes, no matter how prepared you may be, an embarrassing question could be thrown your way. This could throw you off your game. But with the right type of media training, any person would be able to take back control of the situation.
There are moments when reporters ask questions that are out of context and stray away from the key points you wish to focus on.
Whenever this happens, the media training you got should prepare you for properly constructed responses. There is no doubt on how much the speaker must be prepared, but it reinforces the fact that they are prepared for media exposure.
How Much Will A Good Media Training Cost?
Always strive to invest in a good media training program as it is a vital tool in the survival of any company. The longer the training program is, the more learning it has to offer.
Good media training addresses the different aspects of dealing with the media. It is not just about developing your speaking skills. And like every other training, media training comes with a cost, and they usually do not come cheap.
Nevertheless, it proves to be a profitable investment for any company. After all, it is better to be prepared for the worst. If you look at it, the cost of the preparation is definitely much cheaper than how much it would cost you to fix a mistake in communication.
Imagine if you or your spokesperson goes to an interview knowing nothing as to how it should be done. A bad interview comes with its own consequences, and they are not looking pretty at all.
The price of the training depends on different factors. The number of participants is one consideration. The number of hours needed to mobilize the trainer is also one aspect. But do not be afraid to negotiate with the cost. After all, you can always try to haggle if you want to.
But in truth, excellent media training will never come cheap. Remember that you are not paying for the training time or the expertise, you are paying to save your company from a disaster that could happen at any given time.
Media training tips in advance
Create a concise message
The message cannot be just short and sweet. It has to be concise and clear. Before speaking on behalf of the company, it is essential to know the values that the brand wants to embody and hopefully convey.
In keeping the media and the bigger audience focused, the company must be able to develop the key messages that they want to send.
All these messages need to be short and concise. Over-explaining would make you stand out but in a bad light. It will sound like you are too defensive and that’s not sending the right message.
Always have a positive message
Messages may be short and concise, but they have to be meaty too. In terms of substance, you must always strive to focus on the positive. The product or service of the company should always be produced to the advantage of their target consumers.
If there are too many points that need to be emphasized, the basic messages have to be created in relation to the secondary data. The goal is to emphasize what the clients need to know. Everything else can take the back seat.
Conclusion
If your company is faced with having to do a media interview or interact with the media in any way, shape, or form, it is vital for you to be prepared. You will want to portray the best version of yourself to the public and convey the exact message you wish to communicate.
The best way to do so is to be prepared. You won’t regret investing in a media training program for you or your designated media spokesperson. Get in touch with the best media training agencies to get started!
