Do you need media coaching?

3 reasons why a trained “talking head” is beneficial for your company

Have you ever watched a televised interview where the interviewee responds to questions with ease, using a flowing, conversational tone? Or perhaps you’ve seen an interview where a company spokesperson seemed defensive and dodged questions using the phrase “no comment.” Some people are naturally exceptional public speakers, while others require significant training to become comfortable talking in front of large crowds.

Similarly, there are company executives who can successfully communicate with the media and others who cannot. The difference is training. To be most effective and prepared for interview opportunities, a level of media training or executive coaching is beneficial.

Master your role as spokesperson.

Whether you have some experience in public speaking or not, media training provides the necessary scaffolding to tackle any interview with confidence. You’ll learn to not only deliver your narrative on message and in the most impactful manner, but also how to share information in concise sound bites. You’ll learn about tempo, tone and body language as well as how to successfully mirror your interviewers to maximize every interaction.

Understand how to communicate effectively with the press.

Media representatives have an important job to do – and to do it well they need information. Media training unveils necessary skills, including making timely responses, distilling key messages and avoiding outdated tactics such as “no comment.” There are differences in how spokespeople handle one-on-one interviews versus press conferences as well as what information is most useful to particular media outlets. For example, what a spokesperson shares with the Financial Times may be different than what that person shares with Game Informer magazine.

Uncover useful tips to make media interviews the most successful.

To be most successful as a company spokesperson, you must first internalize your messages so they fall from your tongue with ease. It doesn’t matter if you’ve said it 100 times before, it remains important to properly prepare for an interview, understand your key audiences, practice your delivery, know the colors/clothing combinations to avoid when doing television interviews as well as how to “flip the script” in the face of damaging reports.

At one point or another, your business will be in a position to communicate with the media, although with well-designed and properly disseminated public relations tools in place, you can achieve a decent amount of earned media coverage without interviews at all. However, in those instances where you’re participating in an interview with a media professional, having training will no doubt benefit you.

To help you prepare, Axia Public Relations created its media and spokesperson training webinar, outlining the basics, tips on things to avoid and nuances relating to communicating during a crisis. Should you have interest in arranging a media training session, feel free to contact Axia Public Relations at 888-773-4768 to schedule.

Wendy Bulawa Agudelo has nearly 20 years of experience in technology, business, consumer and nonprofit public relations. She serves on the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress PR Task Force and is a culinary enthusiast and champion for the special needs community. Wendy has worked for Axia Public Relations since September 2014. Learn more about Wendy Bulawa Agudelo. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.