Media training is an essential part of many jobs – and yet it is one of the most commonly overlooked skills. In essence, media training gives professionals the skills to communicate with the media. This means that they have a better handle on what to say (and what not to say), the best ways to answer questions, and more.
This is an invaluable skill for anybody at risk of having to communicate with the media. Even for those that don’t have to very often, it’s incredible how often the skill comes in handy. Read below to further understand the benefits of media training.
Maintain Engagement
Media training is the perfect way to hold an audience captive. There are many ways to compel an audience to listen, from controlling your tone and body language to knowing the right words to use. It is easier to give a cohesive message by managing all of these elements. For example, if your body language matches your words, people are more likely to believe what is being said.
Tackling Tricky Q&As
Whenever a company or leader has to make a press conference, they inevitably get bombarded with dozens of questions from the media. It’s part of the process. Those with media training can utilize specific techniques, such as the Bridging Technique, to get the answers they want out into the world. Likewise, it is easier to handle the flow of these questions with proper training, directing them down the right path.
Get Quoted
We’ve all seen the term ‘sound bite’ before. Sometimes having a sound bite is a good thing, and not so much in others. It all depends on which quote was pulled – and whether it’s the message the company wanted to be carried.
One can better create the right sound bites for quoting purposes through media training. This gives you more control over the shortened message the media will ultimately use. Look up examples of good and bad sound bites to understand why this is a critical step in the process.
Control the Narrative
All of the above points come back to one goal: controlling the narrative. Public speakers do their best when they are in charge of the message. In other words, when they’re controlling the narrative.